How to Change Row Height in Excel: Every Method, Shortcut, and AutoFit Fix

To change row height in Excel, select the row or rows, go to Home > Format > Row Height, type a value in points, and select OK; to fit the contents instead, choose Home > Format > AutoFit Row Height or double-click the boundary below the row heading. Row height is measured in points: the default is 15, the maximum is 409, and a height of 0 hides the row.

Row height in Excel sounds trivial until a long string of text gets clipped or a row stubbornly refuses to grow. The default of 15 points suits a single line of normal text, but wrapped text, bigger fonts, and merged cells can outgrow it. This guide walks through the ways to adjust row height: dragging, double-click AutoFit, ribbon dialog entry, Key Tips, and VBA.

Row height is measured in points, the same unit used for fonts. Column width, by contrast, is measured in characters of the default font, which is why row and column sizing feel a little inconsistent. Excel's limit for row height is 409 points, so a value above that will not work. For more on resizing both axes together, see our guide to resizing cells in Excel.

Method 1: Drag the Row Border With Your Mouse

This is the fastest way to change a single row. Hover over the boundary below the row heading you want to resize, then click and drag down to make the row taller or up to make it shorter. To resize several rows at once, select their row headings first, then drag the boundary below any one of the selected headings and every selected row takes the new height.

Method 2: Set an Exact Height From the Ribbon

When you need a precise value rather than an eyeballed drag, use the ribbon dialog. Select the row or rows you want to change, go to Home > Cells > Format, and under Cell Size select Row Height. Type the value in the Row height box and select OK. Microsoft lists 15.00 points as the default, 0 as the minimum, and 409 as the maximum.

Method 3: Keyboard Access on Windows

Microsoft's shortcut list does not include a dedicated one-key command for row height, but Key Tips give keyboard access to the same commands. Press Alt to display the Key Tips, press the letter shown for the Home tab, and follow the on-screen letters through Format to Row Height or AutoFit Row Height. The letters on your own screen are the reliable guide. Many readers pair this with the essential Excel keyboard shortcuts for navigation and formatting.

Method 4: Row Height on Mac

In Excel for Mac, select the row, then choose Format from the menu bar, point to Row, and click Height. You can also drag the separator beneath a row heading, or double-click it to fit the row to its contents. Microsoft's Mac instructions cover Excel for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Excel 2024, and Excel 2021 for Mac.

Method 5: AutoFit Row Height

AutoFit sizes a row to its contents instead of a value you guess. To trigger it, double-click the boundary below the row heading, or select the rows and choose Home → Format → AutoFit Row Height. Microsoft's quick tip for the whole sheet is to click Select All and double-click the boundary below one of the row headings.

AutoFit is also the fix for wrapped text. Microsoft advises that when wrapped text is not fully visible, you use Home → Format → AutoFit Row Height or adjust the height manually. Our deep dive on AutoFit in Excel covers the edge cases.

Method 6: Set Every Row at Once

To give every row on the worksheet the same height, click Select All, then drag the boundary below any row heading, or open Home → Format → Row Height and type a value. Microsoft documents both approaches for changing all rows on the worksheet.

Method 7: VBA Macro for Bulk Row Height

For hundreds of rows or a repeatable workflow, use VBA. Open the Visual Basic Editor with Alt+F11, insert a module, and paste a short routine. The RowHeight property sets the height, in points, for all rows in a range: Rows.RowHeight = 25 for the whole sheet or Range("A1:A100").RowHeight = 30 for a range.

To fit rows to their contents, use the Range.AutoFit method on a row or range of rows, for example Rows("1:100").AutoFit. Microsoft notes that RowHeight can return Null when the rows in a range differ, which includes ranges containing merged cells. Save the workbook as .xlsm to keep the macro.

Row Height Quick Reference

These are the row-height facts documented by Microsoft Support.

Sources: Change the column width or row height, Excel specifications and limits, and Excel for Mac row height.

When Row Height Will Not Change

Sometimes a row will not fit its text or a height will not stick. A few causes are worth checking first.

Merged cells. Microsoft states that you cannot use AutoFit on rows or columns that contain merged cells. For those rows, set the height manually through Home → Format → Row Height. Our guide to Excel merge cells explains the alternatives.

Protected sheet. A worksheet protected with Review → Protect Sheet only allows the actions its author ticked, so formatting commands may be unavailable. Unprotect the sheet (Review → Unprotect Sheet, entering the password if one was set), resize, then reapply protection.

Wrapped text. If wrapped text is cut off, apply AutoFit Row Height or type a taller value. Microsoft's wrap-text article describes both options.

Row Height vs Column Width

Row height is in points, from 0 to 409. Column width is measured in characters of the default font, with a limit of 255 characters. The two units do not convert directly, so set each in its own dialog. Our guide to adjusting column width covers the column side in depth.

Hidden Rows and Zero-Height Rows

A row with a height of 0 is hidden. To bring it back, select the rows on both sides, right-click the selection, and choose Unhide, or double-click the double line between the two row headings. When consecutive rows are hidden, Microsoft notes you cannot unhide only some of them: unhide all, then hide the ones you want out of view.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The biggest trap is relying on AutoFit for merged cells. Microsoft states AutoFit cannot be used there, so wrapped text inside a merge can print clipped unless you set the height by hand. The second trap is dragging when you need consistency: type the exact value into the Row Height dialog instead.

Power-User Tips

Use AutoFit as a final pass after you have entered all your data and applied wrap text. Pair row height with Wrap Text for long-form text columns such as notes and descriptions. Remember that row height changes only how a row is displayed, not the values in its cells, so formulas and sort order are unaffected.

Putting It All Together

For one row, drag the boundary or double-click it for AutoFit. For many rows, select first, then drag once or AutoFit once. For an exact value, use Home → Format → Row Height. For bulk changes across hundreds of rows, use VBA. When something will not resize, check for merged cells or sheet protection first. If you are getting deeper into Excel formatting, our Excel Practice Test page brings together the guides on the site with practice questions for certification prep.