Belinda, of Phoenix asks, "I use Excel for spreadsheets, but do not like using headers. Is there a way to center text across my spreadsheet?"
In this Excel 2007 Tip, I'll show you that not only is this possible, but Excel 2007 has improved the "Merge & Center" option.
With previous versions of Excel, users were able to highlight data in multiple cells and click on the "Merge & Center" button to merge the data across the highlighted cells. Not only was the data merged into one cell, but the data was also centered.
Excel 2007 has the same "Merge & Center" button, but it has been improved.
Follow these instructions to use the "Merge & Center" button.
Let's use an example – see the image above and left.
Data for classes is kept by a teacher. Each spreadsheet contains data for a specific subject matter. The header provides the subject matter, so that anyone reading the report knows that the data will only be covering that specific subject.
The teacher wants the header cells, "Mathematics Classes," to be merged into one cell. However, she does not want or need the text to be centered across the columns.
Simply highlight cells A1 through C1 and click on the "Merge & Center" drop down arrow.
NOTE: Do not click on the "Merge & Center" button unless you want the text to be centered across the cells, which is the default option.
From the drop down menu click on the "Merge Across" option. See image above and left.
This will merge the highlighted cells, but keep the text left justified.
The option also allows users to select the justification they prefer. After the cells have been merged, select any of the justification selections in the "Alignment" group on the "Home" tab.
The alignment of the text is now justified across cells A1 through C1.
This may not be how some users prefer to use the "Merge & Center," but it is a nice upgrade that Excel 2007 has provided options.
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