- Vertical text is ideal to sub-label groups of data once you've used the first row as main headers. To insert vertical text on the right of a column, type it normally, like this:
Tip: center your cell both horizontally and vertically for best visual impact.
- In the ribbon's Home tab, click on the Text Orientation button and pick "Rotate Text Down" to move it 90 degrees clockwise: its "top" will now be facing the right side of your data.
You may need to merge and center your vertical header cell so that it spans multiple rows: select it and click on the button pictured. You can also add a few spaces for padding.- To rotate text counter-clockwise as left header, pick "Rotate Text Up" instead - the difference:
- The "Vertical Text" option keeps all letters horizontal, but stacks them vertically: this takes up more vertical space (spans more rows), but is also less legible, especially with a long header.
- To display text at an angle, choose "Angle Counterclockwise" (easier to read), or "Angle Clockwise". By default, Excel 2010 rotates the cell's content 45 degrees.
Note: if the row doesn't resize automatically, increase its height by dragging down its lower border on the left of your spreadsheet - or right-click in that area and choose "Row Height".
- For a custom rotation angle, pick "Format Cell Alignment" (last one in text orientation dropdown). Drag the end of the needle and/or type an actual number of "Degrees" in the text box:
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