Let’s say you’re planning a team event and using Google Sheets to track everyone’s responses. In the Google Sheets, you have columns for names, food preferences, and comments.
Now, some comments are long, while others are short. At first, the columns might look messy because the text gets out of the cell.
Instead of adjusting the column by hand, you can use AutoFit.
AutoFit helps you to adjust the width of columns or the height of rows to fit the content inside them. It ensures all your text is visible without you having to resize each one manually.
There are multiple ways to use AutoFit in Google Sheets, and in this tutorial, we will examine each method in detail.
Quick Tips to AutoFit Columns and Rows
- Double-click with the mouse to autofit a column. To do so, hover over the column’s right side and header and double-click.
- Select the column, then click on the “Resize Columns” option and select the “Fit to Data” option to apply autofit.
- You can use the keyboard shortcut Alt + H, O, I in the Windows and Ctrl + Option + H, O on a Mac.
Use the Double-Click Method with Mouse to AutoFit
This is the easiest way to apply autofit to a column.
All you need to do is to hover your mouse to the right corner of the column header, and the moment your mouse cursor turns into a resized mouse cursor, double click there to adjust the content in the columns as per the length.
When you do this, consider the most lengthy value in the cell and make the columns much wider to adjust that value.
As I said, this is the quickest way to do this. Suppose you have two or multiple columns and want to auto-fit all those columns in one go.
In that case, you need to use the header of any of those selected columns, and after hovering your mouse in the right corner, double-click to adjust all the columns using the autofit.
If you want to autofit a row, go to the bottom border of the row heading and double-click on it to adjust the row.
Note – AutoFit in Google Sheets does not affect hidden columns or rows. When you apply AutoFit, it only resizes the visible columns or rows based on their values. If you unhide columns or rows later, you need to apply AutoFit to those newly visible columns or rows.
Use the Right-Click Menu to AutoFit Columns and Rows
You also have an autofit option in the right-click menu. First, select the column or row you want to autofit. Then, right-click on its header.
In the right-click menu, look for “Resize column” or “Resize row” and click on it.
This will open a new pop-up dialog box. In that dialog box, you’ll see an option called “Fit to data.” Select this option and click “OK”.
At this point, your selected column or row will adjust to fit the cell values perfectly.
This method saves you time and ensures that all your data is visible, making your sheets look more professional. And the same steps you can use to autofit multiple columns or rows.
Keyboard Shortcut to AutoFit Columns
A keyboard shortcut is a perfect way to auto-fit if you are looking for handy options. First, select the column you want to adjust. Then, press Alt + H, O, I on your keyboard if you’re using Windows.
Press Ctrl + Option + H, O if you are on a Mac. This will open the resize columns dialog box where you can select the “Fit to Data” option and click OK to apply it.
- Windows – Alt + H, O, I
- Mac – Ctrl + Option + H, O
Adjusting Column Widths with a Custom Width
While using AUTOFIT, you can also specify a specific width of the column or height of the row in case you already have an idea of how much width or height you need.
When you open the “Resize Column” option from the right-click menu, you have an option to specify the width.
And same is for the row, when you open the “Resize Rows” option from the right-click option, you can specify a value there change the height of the row.
Note: If you have merged cells, AutoFit will still work when you use the mouse to adjust the width of the column according to the value in the cell.
Using Wrap Text Instead of AutoFit
You can also apply wrap text to a column if you want to show the value without extending the width of the column or the row. Unlike autofit, wrap text moves the cell’s value downwards and creates a new line for the text to show the value.
To do this, you can go to Format > Wrapping > Wrap.
