How to wrap text in google sheets – step by step guide

If you’re looking to learn how to wrap text in Google Sheets, this guide will help you. Enhance Your Google Sheets Experience. Formula Builder Although you can store a considerable amount of content in a spreadsheet cell, lengthy text strings can occasionally spill over into neighboring cells.

This not only hampers readability and comprehension but also makes your spreadsheet appear cluttered and untidy.

How the Wrap Text Option in Google Sheets Functions

When you enable the wrap text feature, Google Sheets ensures that all the text fits within the cell’s boundaries. If the text reaches the cell’s edge, any additional text will continue on the next line within the same cell.

Google Sheets will automatically adjust the cell’s height to accommodate the wrapped text. You can easily switch the text wrap option on or off as needed. Utilizing wrapped text helps to keep your spreadsheets organized and readable, facilitating quicker insights and analysis.

How to Wrap Text in Google Sheets on Mobile

Text wrapping in the Google Sheets mobile app is straightforward. To wrap text on your iOS or Android device, follow these steps:

Once these steps are completed, any lengthy text that was previously overflowing into other cells will now be neatly wrapped within its own cell.

Wrapping text in Google Sheets helps keep your data organized and presentable. It’s particularly useful for formatting long text entries such as addresses, links, or descriptions. By following these simple steps, you can easily wrap text in Google Sheets on both desktop and mobile platforms.

Top 6 Techniques to Wrap Text in Google Sheets

Here are the best techniques for wrapping text in Google Sheets, along with step-by-step instructions for each method.

1. Using the Format Menu

Before we explore the first technique, let’s start with a sample dataset to practice with.

How to Wrap Text in Google Sheets Using the Format Menu

Wrapping text in Google Sheets ensures that all content is visible within a cell without overflowing into adjacent cells. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it using the Format menu:

1. Select the Cells:
   • Highlight the cells that you want to apply text wrapping to.
2. Access the Format Menu:
   • In the top menu bar, click on “Format.”
3. Choose Text Wrapping:
   • From the dropdown menu, hover over “Text wrapping.”
4. Select Wrap:
   • Click on “Wrap” from the sub-menu that appears.

By following these steps, your text will automatically adjust to fit within the cell boundaries, making your spreadsheet more organized and readable.

2. Using the Google Sheets Toolbar

Another convenient way to wrap text in Google Sheets is through the toolbar located below the top menu. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Select the Cells:
   • Highlight the range of cells you want to apply text wrapping to.
2. Locate the Text Wrapping Icon:
   • In the toolbar, find and click on the text wrapping icon.
3. Choose the Wrap Option:
   • From the dropdown menu, select the wrap option (the middle one).

Once selected, Google Sheets will automatically adjust the row and column sizes to fit the text within each cell, making your spreadsheet look much cleaner and organized.

3. Keyboard Shortcut

Google Sheets automatically wraps text based on column width, but you can manually control text wrapping using a keyboard shortcut. Here’s how to insert a line break:

1. Select the Cell:
   • Click on the cell where you want to insert the line break.
2. Position the Cursor:
   • Place the cursor at the specific point in the text where you want the line break to occur.
3. Insert the Line Break:
   • Hold the ALT key and press Enter (ALT+Enter).

This shortcut will insert a line break, splitting the text into separate lines before and after the break. Although this method requires manual input, it is especially useful for wrapping text at precise locations within the cell.

4. Create a Keyboard Shortcut to Wrap Text Using Macros

1. Select the Cells:
   • Highlight the cells you want to wrap.
2. Record the Macro:
   • Go to the top menu, click on Extensions, then select Macros > Record macro.
3. Choose Reference Type:
   • Select Use relative reference to ensure the macro applies to any selected cells.
4. Wrap the Text:
   • Use your preferred method to wrap the text (such as the format menu or toolbar option).
5. Save the Macro:
   • Click Save to record your action.
6. Name and Assign Shortcut:
   • Give your macro a name and assign a shortcut key (for example, zero). Click Save.

Now, you can quickly wrap text using your custom keyboard shortcut.

If you know how to code, you can customize the macro script further. To edit the macro script, navigate to Extensions > Macros, and click Manage macros.

1. Edit the Script:
   • Click on the three vertical dots icon next to your macro and select Edit script.
2. Google Apps Script:
   • This will take you to Google Apps Script. Click on macros.gs under Files and modify the code as needed.

Using macros can be an excellent option if you need a unique shortcut for wrapping text.

6. Google Apps Script

Google Apps Script is a cloud-based JavaScript platform that enables you to extend and automate the functionality of Google products, including Google Sheets.

Here’s an overview of the Apps Script commands you can use to wrap text in Google Sheets:

• getWrap(): Determines if the text within a cell is wrapped.
• setWrap(): Sets the cell wrap for an individual cell.

For example, the following code wraps the text in cell H3:

javascript

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// Example code to wrap text in cell H3

var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();

var cell = sheet.getRange(“H3”);

cell.setWrap(true);

For instance, the code below sets H1 to be clipped, H2 to be wrapped, H3 to be clipped, and H4 to overflow:

javascript

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// Example code to set wrap strategies for different cells

var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();

sheet.getRange(“H1”).setWrapStrategy(SpreadsheetApp.WrapStrategy.CLIP);

sheet.getRange(“H2”).setWrapStrategy(SpreadsheetApp.WrapStrategy.WRAP);

sheet.getRange(“H3”).setWrapStrategy(SpreadsheetApp.WrapStrategy.CLIP);

sheet.getRange(“H4”).setWrapStrategy(SpreadsheetApp.WrapStrategy.OVERFLOW);

Using Apps Script provides a powerful way to automate text wrapping in Google Sheets and customize the behavior to suit your needs.

how to wrap text in google sheets shortcut

• Double-click the right edge of a column header to automatically adjust the column width for wrapped text content.
• Use keyboard shortcuts for quick text wrapping: Ctrl + Alt + Enter (Windows) or Command + Option + Enter (Mac).

how to wrap text in google sheets on iphone

• Here’s how to wrap text in Google Sheets on your iOS or Android device:
• Tap to select the cell(s) containing your text.
• Tap the Format icon at the top of the screen (letter “A” with a horizontal line).
• Click the Cell tab.
• Toggle the Wrap text button on.

shortcut for wrap text in google sheets mac

• Here are the steps to create a custom shortcut key for wrapping text in Google Sheets on Mac:
• Press ⌘ + ⌥ + Shift + (your preferred number).
• Use this custom shortcut key to wrap text in your selected cells.

how to wrap text in google docs table

• Here are the steps to wrap text in a table using Google Docs 
•        Right-click on the table.
• Click on “Table properties” and then select “Table.”
• Under the “Style” section, choose “Wrap text.”
• Depending on your preference, you can:
• Adjust the space between the table and wrapped text by moving the margin size under “Margins from document text.”
• Keep the table in the same position with its wrapped text by selecting “Move with text” under the “Position” options.
• Keep the table fixed in position on the page by choosing “Fix on page” under the “Position” options.

how to unwrap text in google sheets

• Select all the cells you want to modify.
• Right-click and choose “Overflow” under the text wrapping options.
• Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + O (Cmd + Option + O on Mac) to toggle between “Wrap” and “Overflow” options swiftly.