Wrap Text in Excel: show long text on several lines

Long text spills across neighbouring cells or gets cut off. Wrap Text keeps it inside its own cell on as many lines as needed.

Steps

1. Select the cells (or click the column letter to do the whole column).
2. On the Home tab click Wrap Text.

The row grows taller to fit.

Check it worked

Make the column narrower by dragging its right edge. The text re-flows onto more lines instead of disappearing.

Start a new line exactly where you want

While typing in the cell, press Alt + Enter (Mac: Control + Option + Return). This also turns Wrap Text on for that cell.

The row will not grow

Someone set a fixed row height. Select the rows, then Home › Format › AutoFit Row Height.

Turn it off

Select the cells and click Wrap Text again.

Wrapped text looks stuck at the bottom

Wrapped cells align to the bottom by default. On the Home tab click Top Align so every cell starts at the top of the row.

Merged cells

AutoFit ignores merged cells, so a merged wrapped cell stays one line tall. Unmerge it or drag the row height by hand.