Introduction

When working with large Excel workbooks, the default formatting can make your data look plain and hard to read. Luckily, Excel offers a wide range of cell formatting tools that allow you to customize fonts, colors, borders, and alignment. By learning how to format cells properly, you can make your spreadsheets more professional, easier to understand, and visually appealing.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the most important formatting options in Excel, step by step.

1. Changing the Font Size in Excel

By default, Excel uses a standard font size that may not always suit your needs. Adjusting the font size helps highlight important data or make text more readable.

Steps to change font size:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.
2. Go to the Home tab.
3. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Font Size command.
4. Choose your desired size (e.g., 24 for larger text).
5. The text will instantly update.

Tip: You can also use the Increase Font Size and Decrease Font Size buttons or type a custom size directly.

2. Changing the Font Style in Excel

Excel’s default font is Calibri, but you can choose from many other fonts to give your worksheet a unique look.

Steps to change font style:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.
2. On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to the Font command.
3. Select your preferred font (e.g., Century Gothic).
4. The text will update to the new style.

3. Changing the Font Color in Excel

Adding color to your text makes it stand out and improves readability.

Steps to change font color:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.
2. On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to the Font Color command.
3. Choose your desired color (e.g., Green).
4. For more options, click More Colors at the bottom of the menu.

4. Applying Bold, Italic, and Underline

Basic text styling can emphasize important information in your worksheet.

Steps to apply text styles:

1. Click Bold (B), Italic (I), or Underline (U) on the Home tab.
2. Alternatively, use keyboard shortcuts:
3. Ctrl + B -> Bold
4. Ctrl + I -> Italic
5. Ctrl + U -> Underline

5. Adding Cell Borders and Fill Colors

Borders and fill colors help separate sections of your worksheet and make headers stand out.

To add a fill color:

1. Select the cell(s).
2. On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to Fill Color.
3. Choose your desired color (e.g., dark gray).
4. Adjust font color (e.g., white) for better readability.

To add a border:

1. Select the cell(s).
2. On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to Borders.
3. Choose a border style (e.g., All Borders).
4. Use Draw Borders tools for custom line styles and colors.

6. Using Cell Styles in Excel

Instead of formatting each cell manually, Excel offers pre-designed cell styles for quick, professional formatting.

Steps to apply a cell style:

1. Select the cell(s).
2. On the Home tab, click Cell Styles.
3. Choose a style (e.g., Title, Heading, Accent).
4. The selected style will apply instantly.

Note: Applying a cell style replaces existing formatting (except alignment).

7. Adjusting Text Alignment in Excel

By default, text aligns to the bottom-left and numbers to the bottom-right. Adjusting alignment improves readability and presentation.

Horizontal alignment:

1. Select the cell(s).
2. On the Home tab, choose Left Align, Center Align, or Right Align.

Vertical alignment:

1. Select the cell(s).
2. On the Home tab, choose Top Align, Middle Align, or Bottom Align.

8. Using the Format Painter in Excel

The Format Painter is a powerful tool that lets you copy formatting from one cell to another.

Steps to use Format Painter:

1. Select the cell with the formatting you want to copy.
2. On the Home tab, click Format Painter.
3. Drag over the cells where you want to apply the same formatting.

This saves time and ensures consistency across your worksheet.

Conclusion

Formatting cells in Excel is more than just making your spreadsheet look good — it improves readability, highlights important data, and makes your work more professional. From changing fonts and colors to using borders, alignment, and the Format Painter, these tools give you full control over how your data is presented.