How do I start a new line in an Excel cell?

While editing the cell, press Alt+Enter on Windows or Option+Return on a Mac where you want the new line.

Why does my row not get taller?

The row has a fixed height, or the cells are merged. Use AutoFit Row Height, or drag the row taller yourself.

Can I wrap text in a whole column?

Yes. Click the column letter to select it, then select Wrap Text. New entries in that column wrap too.

How do I unwrap text?

Select the cells and select Wrap Text again to turn it off. Line breaks added with Alt+Enter stay until you delete them.

Microsoft Excel guide

How to wrap text in Excel

21 October 2026 · 1 min task · Tested

By Elias Brandt

Elias Brandt writes about marketing, email and analytics tools for Appcyclopedia, working on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 and a Galaxy S25.

Windows
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Short answer

Select the cells, then on the Home tab, in the Alignment group, select Wrap Text. Long text now breaks onto new lines inside the cell, and the row grows to show it. To start a new line at a point you choose, press Alt+Enter while typing in the cell.

If text is still cut off: the row has a fixed height. Use Format, then AutoFit Row Height, to let it grow.

Below: the steps, manual line breaks, fixing hidden text, and when to widen the column instead.

How to make text fit in an Excel cell

To wrap text in Excel, turn on Wrap Text for the cells. The first group wraps text automatically, the second adds line breaks where you want them and fixes rows that do not grow.

Wrap the text

Select the cells

Select the cells with long text. Click a column letter to select the whole column, which also wraps anything you type there later.
Select Wrap Text on the Home tab

On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, select Wrap Text. The text breaks onto new lines at the edge of the cell, and the row gets taller to fit it.
Adjust the column width if needed

Wrapped text follows the column width: drag the column’s right edge wider for fewer lines, or narrower for more. The wrapping updates as you drag.
Control the lines yourself

Press Alt+Enter for a line break where you want it

Double-click the cell, or select it and press F2, to edit it. Place the cursor where the new line should start and press Alt+Enter. On a Mac, use Option+Return. This works with or without Wrap Text turned on.
Make the row grow if text is still hidden

If part of the text stays hidden, the row has a fixed height. Select the row, go to Home, Format, and choose AutoFit Row Height. Or drag the bottom edge of the row number down.

A list of products with long descriptions in column C: select column C and select Wrap Text. Each description fits on two or three lines within the column, and the table stays readable without scrolling sideways.

Wrap text in columns of descriptions and notes, and keep columns of numbers unwrapped: wrapped figures are hard to compare.

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If wrapped text still does not show

Only the first line of the text shows: The row height is fixed. Use Home, Format, AutoFit Row Height, or double-click the line under the row number.
Wrap Text does nothing on merged cells: Excel does not adjust row height for merged cells. Drag the row taller by hand, or unmerge the cells and wrap the text in one cell.
Text still spills into the next column: Wrap Text is off for that cell. Select it and check that Wrap Text is highlighted on the Home tab.

Wrap text or widen the column

Both make long text readable, and each suits a different kind of column.

Approach	What it does	Best for
Wrap Text	Breaks text onto several lines, taller rows	Descriptions, notes, addresses
Wider column	Shows text on one line, wider table	Short labels, names
Alt+Enter	A line break exactly where you put it	Addresses, lists inside a cell

Wrap columns of long text and widen columns of short labels: a table with a few tall rows reads better than one you must scroll sideways.

Wrap Text and merged cells

Wrap Text works on merged cells, but Excel will not grow the row to fit, so text ends up cut off. Either drag the row taller yourself or keep long text in single cells and use merging only for headings.

What to do after wrapping your text

Check the rows have grown to show everything, and adjust column widths until the table looks balanced.

Select the cells, choose Wrap Text, and use Alt+Enter for breaks you control. If you are adding a heading across the top, the guide to merging cells in Excel shows how.

Wrapping text in Excel, answered

How do I start a new line in an Excel cell?: While editing the cell, press Alt+Enter on Windows or Option+Return on a Mac where you want the new line.
Why does my row not get taller?: The row has a fixed height, or the cells are merged. Use AutoFit Row Height, or drag the row taller yourself.
Can I wrap text in a whole column?: Yes. Click the column letter to select it, then select Wrap Text. New entries in that column wrap too.
How do I unwrap text?: Select the cells and select Wrap Text again to turn it off. Line breaks added with Alt+Enter stay until you delete them.

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Worked Every step, start to finish · Elias Brandt and Daniel Okonkwo Team 19 October 2026

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Steps performed and confirmed 19 October 2026 3 days ago

When you need this

To fit long text inside an Excel cell instead of spilling into the next one, select the cells and turn on Wrap Text. Alt+Enter adds a line break exactly where you want it.

Describes: Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows · Excel for the web
Takes: A few seconds
Platforms: Windows · macOS · Web
Published: 21 October 2026
Facts checked: 10 October 2026

Steps repeated and verified by Elias Brandt and Daniel Okonkwo on 19 October 2026