Excel Justify
If we have a lengthy set of text that we wish to contain between columns C through L, we need to highlight what we’ll call a “containment zone”; the area we wish to hold the paragraph-style text.
Since we are unsure as to the number of rows we’ll need to accommodate this text, we will highlight from column C to column L and down as many rows as we believe are necessary.
With the destination cells highlighted, select
Home (tab) -> Editing (group) -> Fill -> Justify.
Excel has figured out where all the necessary break-points are to create a paragraph-look for our text.
This is different from the Text Wrapping feature where the text is contained in a single cell; Justify breaks the text into segments and positions each segment in a separate cell.
Updating the Justified Text
If you need to update the text to include or remove text, you’ll find that the existing break-points no longer work for the updated information.
To fix this, re-highlight the cells that should act as the “containment zone” and reapply the Justify feature.
Altering the Paragraph Dimensions
If you change your mind and wish for the paragraph to be spread across fewer (or greater) columns, highlight the new “containment zone” dimensions and reapply the Justify feature.
A Note and a Warning
Note on Row Selections
If you select fewer rows that can contain the supplied text, you will receive a message indicating that the selected range will be extended.
You can either accept this adjustment or reject it.
Warning – Character Count Limitation
The Justify feature supports a maximum of 255 characters. Any text after the 255th character position will be discarded.
If you Justify the text, then reverse the Justify feature, the lost text does not return.
Leila Gharani
I’ve spent over 20 years helping businesses use data to improve their results. I've worked as an economist and a consultant. I spent 12 years in corporate roles across finance, operations, and IT—managing SAP and Oracle projects.
As a 7-time Microsoft MVP, I have deep knowledge of tools like Excel and Power BI.
I love making complex tech topics easy to understand. There’s nothing better than helping someone realize they can do it themselves. I’m always learning new things too and finding better ways to help others succeed.
