How To Set Column Width In Google Sheets

Last Updated on October 30, 2023 by Jake Sheridan

How To Set Column Width In Google Sheets

When you’re working with different types of data in Google Sheets, sometimes the default column width is too narrow or too wide to properly display the data in that column.

If you need to set the width of a column or columns in Google Sheets, follow these steps:

Step 1

Highlight the column or columns you want to select.

To highlight multiple items, hold down Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac while you select the columns

Step 2

Right click on the columns and select Resize Column:

 

Step 3

In the dialog that appears, type in the new column width.

Widths are set in pixels with the default being 100 pixels.

You can also choose the Fit To Data option to let Google Sheets select a column width based on the data currently in that column.

Step 4

Click OK when you’re done to resize the columns

A Fit to Data Shortcut

There’s a faster way to resize columns in Google Sheets if you want to use the Fit To Data option.

Instead of bringing up the column Resize dialog and selecting Fit To Data every time, you can follow these steps:

Step 1

Hover your mouse over the right-hand border of the column header until the border highlights blue and your cursor turns into a double horizontal arrow:

Step 2

Without moving your mouse, double click on the highlighted border

The column will resize to fit its data

Step 3

If you want to use this method for multiple columns, simply select all the columns first, then use this method on the any of the columns within the selection and all columns in the selection will resize:

Summary

Example Spreadsheet: Make a copy of the example spreadsheet

In this tutorial, I covered how to set column width in Google Sheets. Want more? Check out all the Google Sheets Tutorials.