Google sheets is a very handy productivity tool that can allow for the seamless sharing of spreadsheets with colleagues and friends. It makes it very easy to collaborate on projects both big and small, but it can be a bit tricky at times. Not only do you often find yourself dealing with numbers on spreadsheets, but also text. The way that it is set up by default can make it difficult to work with larger text blocks, so we have created a handy guide below that will teach you how to wrap text in Google Sheets.
What does wrapping text do?
By default, all text aligns to the left of the cells. It is also set to overflow into the next cell, which usually means you will not be able to read everything in each cell without clicking on it. This can be a pain, especially when you are working with a lot of text. That is where text wrapping comes in, as it allows you to control the way that the cells display extended amounts of data within each cell.
There are a few different options to choose from. If you select the wrap option as we will show you below, all of the cells will expand vertically to show all of the text (or numbers) within them. There are also some other handy formatting tools to be aware of, but first let’s go through how to wrap text in Google Sheets.
How to wrap text in Google Sheets on a desktop
- Select the cell(s) that you want to wrap the text within
- Click on the Format tab
- Hover over the Text Wrapping options to reveal three choices
- Click Wrap
How to wrap text in Google Sheets on mobile
- Select the cell(s) you want to format
- Tap the format button (the A with lines next to it up the top right)
- Turn the Wrap text option on
Other formatting options
On mobile you will notice that there is only one option, which is to turn text wrapping on or off. However, on a desktop you are able to select overflow or clip as well. These options are very similar, but the main difference is that if you select overflow, any cells with extensive text that do not have filled cells next to them will simply overflow into them. When clip is selected, the text will simply be cut off by the next cell. You can see the difference in the two screenshots below.
Clip – notice that the furthest right text blocks are clipped by the adjacent cells.
Overflow – here, the text flows into the empty cells on the right.
Wrapping all of the text at once
Anther thing to note is that you can also apply the wrapping option to the entire spreadsheet very easily. The method is the same on both mobile and desktop versions, and you simply just need to click the blank cell in the very top left hand corner. Once again, hit the Format button and wrap text as you did before.
Make your spreadsheets easier to use
Google Sheets can be a very useful productivity tool if you know how to get the most out of it. Learning how to wrap text in Google Sheets will save you a lot of time, and it will make your spreadsheets much easier to read.
Via Phandroid