Microsoft Excel: Copy Cell Formatting, Including Column Widths

Problem: You have one section of a report set up, including custom column widths, as shown in Fig. 1271.

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As shown in Fig. 1272, when you copy and paste to a new section of the workbook, the column widths do not get pasted.

Strategy: Use the Format Painter icon. This is a cool trick, but it is hard to use. Carefully follow these steps.

1) Select the columns with the original formatted data. Choose the Format Painter icon, which looks like a whiskbroom, as shown in Fig. 1273.

2) Use the scroll bars to move so that you can see all of the new range in the window. Even if it would be more convenient to navigate using the Arrow or Tab keys, you have to avoid selecting any cells or columns until the next step.

3) Click on the first new column and drag to select the same number of columns. As you are dragging, the mouse pointer changes to the whiskbroom icon, as shown in Fig. 1274.

4) When you release the mouse button, the formats, including font, colors, borders, and cell height, and width, will be copied, as shown in Fig. 1275.

Summary: Use the Format Painter tool to copy formats, including column widths.

Commands Discussed: Format Painter tool

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