Text, Alignment, and Reusable Formatting

Font Size

Font size should reflect importance, not decorate individual cells. Change size to establish structure — title, header, data, note — and keep each level consistent throughout the table.

Text Alignment

• Horizontal alignment: text → left-aligned. Numbers → right-aligned (decimal points line up, making columns easier to compare). Status labels → center works well;
• Vertical alignment: Excel defaults to bottom alignment. When you expand a row height, content drops to the bottom — switch to middle for a cleaner look.

Wrap Text

• Wrap text off: the long note spills over adjacent cells, covering other data and disrupting the table layout;
• Wrap text on: the note stays inside its cell. Row height expands automatically. All other columns remain undisturbed;

Format Painter

Copies all formatting (font size, alignment, wrap, color) from one cell and applies it to any other. Faster and more reliable than manually repeating each step.

1. Select the cell whose formatting you want to copy;
2. Click Format Painter in the Clipboard group on the Home tab.
3. Click (or drag across) the target cell or range. Formatting is applied instantly.

Cell Styles

Built-in formatting presets for titles, headers, totals, warnings, and accents. Useful when you want a professional result without building each style manually. Hover over a style to preview it before applying.

1. Select the cell or range;
2. Home tab → Cell Styles → hover to preview → click to apply;
3. You can return to manual formatting at any point.