14 min read

Cell Formatting

Bold headers, borders, column width, alignment, and wrap text.

Make Budgets Readable

Raw numbers in B2:E6 are correct but hard to read in a governor meeting. Cell formatting — bold headers, borders, column width — makes NorthgateBudget.xlsx print-ready without changing any formula. James Okonkwo formats the Budgets sheet so =SUM(B2:E2) results in column F sit inside a clear grid with bold labels in row 1.

Select A1:K1 (the entire header row). Home \to Font \to Bold (or Ctrl+B). Home \to Alignment \to Centre (optional for number columns). Headers Department, Q1 (£), Annual Total (£) stand out from the data rows below.

Select A1:K6 (headers plus data through Status). Home \to Font \to Borders (dropdown) \to All Borders . Expected result: A clear grid around the budget table. Borders are display only — they do not affect =SUM(B2:E2) or other formulas.

Move the mouse to the border between column A and B headers. When the cursor becomes a double arrow, double-click to AutoFit column A. Or drag the border to widen Department manually. Widen F and J if Annual Total or With contingency is cut off. Cut-off text in K1 (Status) hides the column purpose — AutoFit avoids that.

Long header text in J1 (With contingency (£)) may overlap column K . Select A1:K1, then Home \to Alignment \to Wrap Text so labels stay inside their cells. Leave amount columns B2:E6 right-aligned (default for numbers). Department names in A2:A6 stay left-aligned as text.

Bold headers, borders, and fitted columns prepare A1:K6 for the print area you set later. Formatting does not replace Page Layout \to Print Area — it makes the selected block legible on paper. Click Home tab \to Font group \to Bold after selecting the header row — not from the File menu.

Practice

Where do you click Bold to format the header row?

Make Budgets Readable

Raw numbers in B2:E6 are correct but hard to read in a governor meeting. Cell formatting — bold headers, borders, column width — makes NorthgateBudget.xlsx print-ready without changing any formula. James Okonkwo formats the Budgets sheet so =SUM(B2:E2) results in column F sit inside a clear grid with bold labels in row 1.

Adjust Column Width

Move the mouse to the border between column A and B headers. When the cursor becomes a double arrow, double-click to AutoFit column A. Or drag the border to widen Department manually. Widen F and J if Annual Total or With contingency is cut off. Cut-off text in K1 (Status) hides the column purpose — AutoFit avoids that.

Formatting Before Print

Bold headers, borders, and fitted columns prepare A1:K6 for the print area you set later. Formatting does not replace Page Layout \to Print Area — it makes the selected block legible on paper. Click Home tab \to Font group \to Bold after selecting the header row — not from the File menu.

Practice

Where do you click Bold to format the header row?