Formatting is an incredibly broad term when it comes to document and spreadsheet processing. There are literally thousands of different formatting options. Luckily, it’s not as difficult as that makes it seem. Join us in this detailed step-by-step guide that shows you exactly how to format cells in Google Sheets to learn everything you need to know to get started.
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There are plenty of formatting tips and tricks in Google Sheets. And like calculating compound interest in a cell, you can do almost all of it quite easily. All you have to do is:
There are several ways to start formatting in Google Sheets. Let’s take a look at some of them. Starting off with the simplest—formatting text in Google Sheets.
Changing the font size of cells makes them easier to read and can focus attention on the most important content inside your spreadsheet.
Using a bigger font, let’s look at how we can ensure the header cells stand out. To do this:
Using a font different from the rest of the spreadsheet helps you separate the important parts (or just makes your whole sheet fancier). For example, you can change the font of the header cells, so it is different from the other cells in your spreadsheet.
Here is how to format in Google Sheets by changing the font style:
You can also select Default (Arial) again to remove the different formatting.
You can change the text color to make the reader aware of a property of the text without needing to look at it. One example is representing a passing student’s name in green while a failing student’s name is shown in red.
Here is how to change the color of the text:
Typographical emphasis allows you to increase the impact of a word by using a different font style. Some commonly used typographical emphasis include bold, italics, underline and strikethrough.
Here is how to do this:
Don’t forget. You can use these options together as well.
To make your content fit in the cells, you must increase and decrease the row and column sizes. Here is how you can do this:
You can also select the whole row or a column by clicking on the header of the row or column. Right-click and select the header to resize the row or column. You can also double-click, which enables Google Sheets to resize the width and height of the cells automatically.
Cell borders help the spreadsheet to create defined boundaries along the different parts of the spreadsheet.
To add cell borders:
Adding cell borders can be very useful if you’re looking to make a table in Google Sheets.
The fill color changes the color of the background, which can help you know what data a cell contains without the need to read it.
Here are the steps on how you can do this:
You can also use Google Sheets conditional formatting based on another cell to show different fill colors based on specific criteria.
Changing data formats in Google Sheets is crucial as it allows you to represent numerical values properly. Here’s a few different ways you can format numbers in Google Sheets.
Spreadsheets are often used to hold financial information. Assume you wish to represent the prices of some items. Using the price of $100 makes much more sense than just having 100 there. This is why converting currency into the proper format is very useful.
Here is how you can do this:
The symbols of the currency give clues to the users that the numbers on the spreadsheet are different from the standard USD.
Here are the steps to show how you can change the currency symbol:
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One thing you need to remember is that this feature does not automatically convert the currency. It just changes the symbol of the currency. In the example above, we used the Euro symbol.
Changing the format and how your data is shown is relatively easy. Here is how you can do this:
Use the Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut to select all the cells you and apply the formatting you want from the main toolbar towards the top of the screen. To change the sizes of the cells, click and drag across the headers and right-click on them.
Here are some of the keyboard shortcuts you should know for formatting in Google Sheets:
We hope you found this beginner’s guide showing you how to format cells in Google Sheets helpful. We have plenty of other guides available to help you become a spreadsheet master. Check out some of our related content below to keep learning. Or, consider taking a course, so your learning is more structured.
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