How to indent in excel

Answer

To indent text in Excel, use the Increase/Decrease Indent controls on the Home ribbon or set an indent value in Format Cells → Alignment.

Quick methods (applies to single cells or ranges)

1. Select the cell or range you want to indent.

2. On the Home ribbon, click Increase Indent (right-pointing arrow icon) to move content right one step per click.

3. Click Decrease Indent (left-pointing arrow icon) to move content left one step per click.

Exact spacing using Format Cells

1. Select the cell or range.

2. Press Ctrl+1 (Windows) or press Command+1 (Mac) to open Format Cells.

3. Choose the Alignment tab.

4. Under Indent, enter a whole-number level (0, 1, 2, 3, …).

5. Click OK.

Keyboard shortcuts

1. On Windows, press Alt, then H, then 6 to Increase Indent.

2. On Windows, press Alt, then H, then 5 to Decrease Indent.

3. On Mac, use the Home ribbon buttons or Format Cells → Alignment → Indent, because a universal single-key sequence is not available across all Mac Excel versions.

Are indents applied to entire cells or to individual lines inside a cell?

Yes. Indents apply to the entire cell.
An indent setting affects the whole cell contents; one cannot apply a built-in Alignment indent to only the second line inside the same cell. Use manual spaces for line-specific indentation.

How to simulate a second-line indent inside one cell

1. Double-click the cell (or press F2) where you want a multi-line entry.

2. Type the first line.

3. Press Alt+Enter (Windows) or Option+Return (Mac) to insert a line break.

4. Type one or more spaces at the start of the next line to simulate indentation.

5. Press Enter to confirm.

How to indent numbers or align numbers with text

1. Numbers align right by default and text aligns left by default.

2. To move numeric values horizontally, use Increase Indent or Format Cells → Alignment → Indent.

3. Use number formats or custom number formats for visual spacing when precision is required.

How to indent using formulas (for special cases)

1. Use =REPT(" ",n) & A1 to prepend n spaces to the contents of cell A1.

2. Replace n with the number of spaces required.

3. Paste values if you need static, indented text instead of a formula.

When should I choose each method?

1. Use Increase/Decrease Indent for fast, on-the-fly indentation across many cells.

2. Use Format Cells → Alignment → Indent when you need a consistent, repeatable indent level or when preparing templates.

3. Use REPT(" ",n) when you must control exact spaces inside formulas or when exporting text where formatting may not carry over.

Common pitfalls and fixes

1. Indent looks different when cell has Wrap Text on; wrap can move text to new lines while keeping the same indent level.

2. Cell padding from indent is visual only; copy-pasting to plain text may remove indentation.

3. Very large indent numbers may make content appear cut off; widen the column or reduce indent.

Tips for Windows vs Mac differences

1. Windows supports the ribbon key sequence Alt → H → 6 (Increase) and Alt → H → 5 (Decrease) across Excel versions.

2. Mac lacks a single universal ribbon-key sequence across all versions, so use the Home ribbon buttons or Format Cells → Alignment → Indent.

3. Dialog access Ctrl+1 works on Windows; Command+1 works on Mac for Format Cells.

Final note

1. Use the ribbon buttons for speed and Format Cells for consistency.

2. Use formula-based space padding only when formatting must survive export or when programmatic control of spacing is necessary.

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