The three ways to adjust row height in Excel

You can change row height in Excel by dragging the border between row numbers, by right-clicking and selecting a height option, or by typing a specific measurement. The drag method is fastest for one or two rows. Right-click works when you want to set all selected rows to the same height at once. Typing an exact number is best when you need rows to match a particular size — like fitting a header row to a specific point size of text.

Excel measures row height in points, where one point equals 1/72 of an inch. The default height is usually 15 points. When you add text or increase font size, Excel does not automatically expand the row — you have to adjust it yourself, or turn on text wrapping so the text breaks into multiple lines within the same row.

Key Takeaways

  • Drag the line between two row numbers on the left side to resize the row below it — this is the fastest method for single rows.
  • Right-click a row number, select Row Height, and type a number in points to set an exact height for one or more selected rows.
  • Double-click the line between row numbers to auto-fit the row to its content, which works when text is not wrapped.
  • Text wrapping lets content break into multiple lines within a single row without changing the row height manually.
  • Row height changes only affect the rows you select — other rows stay the same size.

Dragging the row border to resize

Position your cursor on the line between two row numbers on the left side of the spreadsheet. The cursor will change to a resize arrow pointing up and down. Click and drag downward to make the lower row taller, or upward to make it shorter. Release the mouse when the row reaches the height you want.

This method works on one row at a time. If you need to resize multiple rows to different heights, you will drag each border separately. If you want multiple rows to be the same height, select them first, then use the right-click method instead.

Using right-click to set an exact height

Click on a row number to select the entire row. If you want to resize multiple rows at once, hold Ctrl and click each row number, or click the first row, hold Shift, and click the last row to select a range. Right-click any selected row number and choose Row Height from the menu.

A dialog box will appear with a text field showing the current height in points. Type the new height you want — for example, 20 for a taller row or 12 for a shorter one. Click OK. All selected rows will change to that height when ready. If you want to undo the change, press Ctrl+Z.

Auto-fitting rows to their content

Double-click the line between two row numbers to make the lower row automatically adjust to fit its content. Excel measures the text in that row and sets the height just large enough so nothing gets cut off. This works best when text wrapping is off, because wrapped text can make a row much taller than you expect.

To auto-fit multiple rows at once, select them first by clicking the first row number, holding Shift, and clicking the last row number. Then double-click any border between the selected rows. All of them will resize to fit their content. If a row contains very long text, auto-fit may make it taller than you want — in that case, drag the border manually to a height you prefer.

Combining row height with text wrapping

Text wrapping breaks long text into multiple lines within a single cell, which often means you need a taller row to see all the text. To turn on text wrapping, select the cells you want to wrap, go to the Home tab, and click Wrap Text in the Alignment group. The row will expand automatically to show all the wrapped text.

If you then manually set a row height that is too short for the wrapped text, some text will be hidden. You can always auto-fit again by double-clicking the row border, or drag it to a height that shows everything. Wrapping is useful for headers or labels where you want text to stay in one cell but break into multiple lines.

Resetting rows to default height

To return a row to Excel's default height of 15 points, select the row by clicking its number, right-click, and choose Row Height. Type 15 and click OK. If you have changed multiple rows and want to reset all of them at once, select all rows by clicking the select-all button (the box in the top-left corner where the row and column headers meet), then right-click and set the height to 15.

You can also select just the rows you want to reset by holding Ctrl and clicking each row number, then right-clicking and resetting them together. This is faster than resetting each row one at a time.

Common reasons rows change height unexpectedly

If a row suddenly becomes taller, the most common cause is that you pasted content with a different font size or that text wrapping turned on. Check the font size in the Home tab — if it is larger than you expected, change it back. If text wrapping is on and you do not want it, select the cells and click Wrap Text again to turn it off, then auto-fit the row or drag it back to your preferred height.

Another cause is that you copied a row from another spreadsheet that had a custom height set. The pasted row keeps its original height. To fix this, select the row and reset it to 15 points using the right-click method, or drag the border to the height you want. Merged cells can also affect row height — if you merge cells across multiple rows, the row height may change to fit the merged area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set different heights for different rows at the same time?

No — when you select multiple rows and set a height, all of them become that height. To give rows different heights, you must adjust them one at a time by dragging the border, or select each group of rows that should be the same height and set them separately.

What is the smallest and largest row height I can set?

Excel allows row heights from 0 points (which hides the row) to 409 points. Most rows are between 12 and 25 points. If you set a height of 0, the row is hidden but not deleted — you can unhide it by selecting the rows above and below it, right-clicking, and choosing Unhide.

Does changing row height affect the data in the cells?

No. Row height only changes how much space the row takes up on the screen and on the printed page. The actual data stays the same. If text is too long to fit in the row, it will be hidden from view, but it is still there — you can see it in the formula bar at the top.

How do I make all rows the same height across my entire spreadsheet?

Click the select-all button in the top-left corner (where row and column headers meet), right-click any row number, choose Row Height, type the height you want, and click OK. Every row in the spreadsheet will become that height. You can undo this with Ctrl+Z if you change your mind.

Why does auto-fit sometimes make rows too tall?

Auto-fit measures all the text in the row and sets the height to show it all. If a cell contains wrapped text or a very long entry, auto-fit will make the row much taller than you might want. In that case, drag the border manually to a height you prefer, or edit the cell content to be shorter.