How To Change Text Direction In Excel

In Microsoft Excel, you tin rotate text, angle information technology, or display it vertically. Hither'due south how to modify the orientation of the text in your canvass.

Whether for appearance or space, you tin can easily rotate text in Excel. You lot have elementary means to angle it, make it display vertically, or rotate it up or downward. And if you lot have a precise setting yous desire to use, you lot can customize the text using an verbal number of degrees.

Hither, we'll show yous how to utilise these settings to display your text in Microsoft Excel to fit your preference.

How to Rotate Text at an Angle in Excel

Using an angle for your text can be visually pleasing, peculiarly for column and row headers. You lot can quickly rotate the text to an angle counterclockwise or clockwise.

Select the cells containing the text you want to angle. This can exist a column, row, cell, or range of cells.
Go to the Dwelling house tab and click the Orientation button in the Alignment department of the ribbon.
Cull one of the top two options for Angle Counterclockwise or Bending Clockwise.

You'll then encounter your sheet immediately update with your newly aligned text. In the screenshot below, nosotros angled our column headers clockwise.

How to Display Text Vertically in Excel

Displaying your text vertically may not be an orientation you use oftentimes but can exist useful in certain circumstances. This can be helpful if you utilize row headers that cover several rows. You can optionally merge the cells and and then apply the alignment; we'll prove you how to exercise both.

Merge the cells

Select the cells yous want to merge.
Go to the Dwelling tab and click the Merge button in the Alignment section of the ribbon.
Cull either Merge & Center or Merge Cells per your preference.

The text in the group of cells now resides in a single prison cell.

Employ the alignment

Select the prison cell(south) containing the text you desire to display vertically.
Go to the Dwelling house tab and click the Orientation push button.
Choose Vertical Text.

Your merged cell will so brandish the text or characters vertically. This places the characters below each other and can be read from top to bottom.

How to Rotate Text Up or Down in Excel

Perchance you lot like the vertical alignment just don't want the characters displayed from top to bottom. Yous can rotate the text upwards or down to be read sideways. This is also helpful if yous use merged cells. Then follow the steps above if you'd like to merge your cells starting time. So, do the post-obit to employ the alignment.

Select the cell(south) containing the text you want to rotate.
Go to the Home tab and click the Orientation push button.
Cull either Rotate Text Upward or Rotate Text Downward per your preference.

And like the other alignment settings, y'all'll see your prison cell(s) update with the new layout.

How to Rotate Text Using Exact Degrees in Excel

When you use any of the above orientations to your text, yous can as well use an exact number of degrees. This can assistance you get just the correct angle or spacing for the text. You can also employ the following feature right from the outset rather than following the previous steps if you adopt.

For this example, nosotros're going to adjust text where we practical the Align Clockwise orientation. We want to subtract the angle slightly.

Select the jail cell(southward) containing the text you want to adjust.
Become to the Habitation tab and click the Orientation push button.
Choose Format Jail cell Alignment.
In the Orientation section of the pop-upwards window, brand your aligning. You can elevate the punch, use the up and downwards arrows, or enter the number of degrees in the box.
When y'all end, click OK.