Bottom Line: Learn how to change the drop-down box width and font size for data validation lists in cells.
Skill Level: Beginner
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Widening Drop-down Lists
When working with drop-down lists, one common question I get is “How do I make it wider?” That's because oftentimes users are unable to read the longer selections in the drop-down menu. The length of the drop-down box is not big enough to display the entire text.
The simple solution is to widen the column that the drop-down box is in.
You can adjust the column manually by dragging the border of the column header. If you want to auto-fit the column, however, you should check your source list to see which entry is longest, then choose that entry in the drop-down, and then auto-fit by double-clicking the border of the column header.
Merge & Center Your Drop-down List
Sometimes simply widening the column is not a good solution because it may mess with the format of cells further down the worksheet. For example, in the form below, widening the column for the drop-down list changes the size of other form fields.
A workaround/alternative for this problem is to use the Merge & Center feature. I can select one or more of the cells adjacent to the drop-down cell and then select Merge & Center on the Home tab. In my example, I am merging B7, C7, and D7.
By merging the cells together, you've basically created one really long cell to fit the text of your longer drop-down entries.
You can change the alignment back to the left if the centering doesn't work well for your form.
Note: Even though you have merged and centered cells, you are still able to resize the columns as needed. The merged cell will adjust as you resize.
Some people strongly dislike using Merge & Center because it can cause issues in other areas. If you are one of those people, feel free to comment why specifically it gives you headaches. Perhaps we will make a post about the pros and cons of Merge & Center using your feedback.
Increasing the Font Size of a Drop-down List
Confession: the heading above is a little misleading because technically you cannot change the font of a drop-down list. However, we can make the menu bigger and easier to read using a workaround.
The solution for increasing the readability of drop-down text is to change the zoom level on the sheet.
To adjust the zoom level, you can:
- Use the slider in the bottom right-hand corner of the your worksheet.
- Hold Ctrl and scroll your mouse wheel.
- Click the Zoom button on the View tab. (Or the 100% button to bring it to 100% zoom.)
I hope these tips have been helpful. Here are a few related posts that you might be interested in reading:
In addition, I've got a really handy tool called the List Search Add-In that helps you search the contents of any drop-down list. This is especially helpful when your drop-down list is quite extensive. Click here to download the List Search Add-in.
If you have any questions or feedback about increasing the width or font of the drop-down menus you create, be sure to leave a comment!