How to wrap text in Excel and add a line break in a cell
Select the cells and click Home > Wrap Text. The text flows onto multiple lines within the column width, and the row height adjusts.
To start a new line exactly where you want, double-click the cell, place the cursor and press Alt+Enter on Windows (on Mac, Option+Return, or Control+Option+Return in some versions).
Applies to Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2016-2024, Excel for Mac and Excel for the web.
Wrap text step by step
Turn on Wrap Text
- Select the cell, column or range.
- On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, click Wrap Text.
- Adjust the column width; the text re-wraps automatically.
Add a manual line break
- Double-click the cell (or press F2) to edit it.
- Click where you want the break.
- Press Alt+Enter (Windows) or Option+Return (Mac).
- Press Enter to finish. Wrap Text is switched on automatically.
Row height doesn't adjust
- Rows with a manually set height don't auto-grow. Select the rows and choose Home > Format > AutoFit Row Height, or double-click the boundary below the row number.
- Merged cells never auto-fit. Unmerge or set the row height manually.
- A row can't be taller than 409 points, so very long text may be cut off - split it across cells or widen the column.
Remove line breaks
Use Find and Replace (Ctrl+H): in Find what, press Ctrl+J (it inserts the line-break character - the box looks empty), put a space in Replace with, then Replace All. Or use a formula: =SUBSTITUTE(A2,CHAR(10)," ").
Other options
- Shrink to fit (Ctrl+1 > Alignment) makes text smaller to fit the cell instead of wrapping.
- In formulas,
CHAR(10)adds a line break:=A2&CHAR(10)&B2(turn on Wrap Text to see it).
Frequently asked questions
What's the shortcut for Wrap Text?
On Windows press Alt, H, W one after another.
Why doesn't Alt+Enter work?
You must be editing inside the cell (double-click or F2) first. On Mac use Option+Return.
How do I wrap text in Google Sheets?
Select cells and choose Format > Wrapping > Wrap. Line break: Ctrl+Enter (Cmd+Enter on Mac) while editing.