# Solved: Excel - Cell height autosize



## davidpat (Aug 23, 2005)

Excel XP, 2003, & 2007
What is the max size for auto-size height?
I have a spreadsheet for customer issues that I track. I add to one of the cells weekly and it auto sizes automatically...until...it hits a specific height. I've seen this in the past too.
1) What is that height?
2) Where is it set?
3) Can I change it?

I also have a cell that always adds an extra line in height. It is NOT an extra carriage return.
Why is that happening?


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## jimr381 (Jul 20, 2007)

I do not know about the max height, but the maximum number of characters is 255 or 256. Maybe you are hitting that instead? I usually just leave an empty row underneath and move whatever does not show into that row. I then change my borders so it looks like it is one big cell when you print it out or view it.


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## The Villan (Feb 20, 2006)

As a guide
In Excel 2003, the following are the maximum allowed

Column width 255 characters 
Row height 409 points 
Length of cell contents (text) 32,767 characters. Only 1,024 display in a cell; all 32,767 display in the formula bar.


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

Excellent numbers, Villan - I never knew the limits for individual cells before. And just as an aside, but seeing that davidpat asks about 2007 also, it has much great capabilities - but if you want to share a file and have it backwards-compatible, don't exceed the 2003 limits.


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## jimr381 (Jul 20, 2007)

I tested the numbers out, just to play around with it. Thanks again for the numbers V. It seems that it will display over 255 wide, but it will not print out more than 255.


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## The Villan (Feb 20, 2006)

Not really sure what you mean there Jim.

Excel allows you to have a column width of 255.However, it then prints it our on more than 1 page because it is too wide.

However, if you have a look at revised attachment you will see that there is more than 255 characters now and I have wrapped the text and norrowed the column, and it will print on one page width.

Les


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## jimr381 (Jul 20, 2007)

I inputted 260 something characters into the cell and checked to see if it would truncate at 255, but it still seems to display all of the characters at the end and the beginning. I use the LEN function underneath to verify my count. This was done with text wrapping turned off. I guess what I am getting at is that I thought that it would not display over 255, but for some reason it was still displaying over the 255 in my spreadsheet. When I went into print preview it did indeed truncate the values within the preview.


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## The Villan (Feb 20, 2006)

Jim
It just won't let you have a column width of greater than 255, but the cell can take 32767 characters. If there is nothing in the cells to the right, then the text wil flow into those cells, but the data is in only one cell.
Les


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## jimr381 (Jul 20, 2007)

What I was trying to specify was that I can widen up the column to accomodate up to 278 characters without text wrapping or overflow.  I thought it was the same thing as you said before, but when I went to check it out then it seems to be larger. Are you running Office 2003 SP3?


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## The Villan (Feb 20, 2006)

I am using Excel 2002 and am not sure.


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## The Villan (Feb 20, 2006)

Just wondering if font size comes into it


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## jimr381 (Jul 20, 2007)

Hmm that might be it. I will have to dig around a little bit and see what I can find.


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

Text size seems not to matter...but then screen size might. In 2003 I can enter 30000 non-wrapped characters into the formula ba (and in a merged cell)r before it refuses to take anymore, but if I enter into a non-merged cell just until the text wraps in the formula bar, that is only 116 characters. However, if I make the cell wider, I can enter 156 characters into the cell without wrapping in the cell I can get 156 characters into it - the text wraps in the formula bar, but not in the cell itself....


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## davidpat (Aug 23, 2005)

Wow...I didn't know I was starting such a popular thread...I guess I need to explain more.
1) This isn't a print issue...just a viewable issue.
2) jimr381 - I have used the additional cell trick, I was just looking to see if there was a "cleaner" way to do it
3) the cell I'm using is Width: 64.00 (453 Pixels)
the test is:
Happens with calls to IP based phones ALWAYS. And on long-distance calls occasionally. Noticed on IP set to long-distance too.
02/06 -- We were not able to recreate this issue in the lab. I will talk to the XXX support team and see if they have seen this issue. If not I will open a CASE.
02/13 -- XXX has not seen this issue. I posted it on a technical forum to see if anyone else has experienced the issue, but I don't think it is related to OCS.
02/20 -- We need to get traces from the XXX client and at the called party.
02/27 -- Waiting on traces
03/05 -- I received the traces and have opened a CASE 123456-12345
03/26 -- XX has opened a CASE with XX and are currently working the issue with James Bond
04/16 -- Peter worked with XX 
04/23 -- I advised Frick & Frack that I think the best thing to do to get everyone together..."Our XXX people cannot talk to the XX people directly because of the type of support contract…blah blah blah! BUT!!! You can conference them together if you'd like, as this would be you managing two of your vendors! Your CASE is 123456-12345 -- AB1234: XX22: XXX: client only gets 12 ringbacks and is owned by Roger Staubach - 1-919-555-1212"
04/30 -- lookout for falling rocks and do not skateboard on the sidewalk. Always wear clean underwear too.​The last line doesn't show.

The cell Height maxes at Height:255.00 (340 Pixels) 
It is 241 words 
Wrap is on
I can widen the cell and it will fit, but I don't want to do that!


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## davidpat (Aug 23, 2005)

How about this...I just took a cell and added
1
2
...
...
...
40

Only 2 - 33 showed!


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## The Villan (Feb 20, 2006)

Does it have to be in a cell, or can it be in a text box as per attached file.


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## davidpat (Aug 23, 2005)

I'd prefer it in one cell...and frankly I can manually resize the box...I just hate having to do it everytime I exceed the "limit".


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## The Villan (Feb 20, 2006)

What about insert it as a comment for a cell. See attached file. Just hover over cell A1


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

a few things - the absolute number of words is not the point - it is the number of characters, including spaces. For instance, your post #14, from "02/06..." to "...clean underwear too." is 1156 characters (with spaces). Removing the few line breaks brings it down to 1148 characters.
AS for the 1-40, well, if you have a return after each number, that is actually just 110 characters (with spaces - 74 without spaces) but all the data is there - it is merely a matter of the default display of the cell - go to format cells, Alignment and change the Vertical to Either Top or Justify and you will see 1-32.


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

Given the size of your cell, I pasted your data in (the "04/06...clean underwear too") and then changed the font to Arial Narrow 9. It all fits....


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## The Villan (Feb 20, 2006)

And they say that size isn't important


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## davidpat (Aug 23, 2005)

I could see that would work for a time...but eventually that would get hit too. What is the restriction? I hear characters + spaces, but the 1-40 maxes at 546 pixels...Why? Where is that set? Can it be changed.
I appreciate all of the suggestions, but I'M NOT LOOKING FOR WORK AROUNDS.
I have a work around...I manually resize it, or I can merge 2 cells.


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