To make the font bigger in Google Sheets, select the cells, then click the + button next to the font size box in the toolbar, or click the number in that box, type a new size, and press Enter. To remove strikethrough (a line drawn through the middle of text), select the cells and click the Strikethrough button, or press Alt + Shift + 5 on Windows or a Chromebook, or Command + Shift + X on a Mac.
These steps cover Google Sheets in a desktop web browser and the Google Sheets app for Android, iPhone, and iPad. You need edit access to the spreadsheet. The toolbar options are listed on Google’s Edit & format a spreadsheet help page, and the key combinations come from Google’s keyboard shortcuts for Google Sheets page.
How to Make the Font Bigger in Google Sheets on a Computer
- Open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
- Select the cells you want to change. Click one cell, drag across several cells, or hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click cells that are not next to each other.
- Find the font size box in the toolbar above the sheet. It is a number, usually 10 in a new spreadsheet, with a minus button on one side and a plus button on the other.
- Click + to go up one size per click. To jump straight to a size, click the number, type the size you want, such as 14, and press Enter.
The text in every selected cell changes right away. Click any of those cells and the font size box shows the new number, which is how you confirm it worked. To go back, press Ctrl + Z (Command + Z on a Mac) to undo, or click the – button until you are back at the old size.
Select a whole row, column, or sheet first
You do not have to drag across hundreds of cells. Google lists these selection shortcuts, and each one works before you change the size:
- Whole column: click the column letter, or press Ctrl + Space.
- Whole row: click the row number, or press Shift + Space.
- Whole sheet: press Ctrl + A (Command + A on a Mac), or click the empty box where the row numbers and column letters meet.
Use the Format menu instead
If you prefer menus, select your cells, click Format at the top of the window, point to Font size, and pick a size from the list. You can open the Format menu from the keyboard with Alt + O in Chrome on Windows (Alt + Shift + O in other browsers) or Ctrl + Option + O on a Mac.
Change the size of only part of a cell
Google says you can format part of the text in a cell. Double-click the cell, drag to highlight only the words you want bigger, and then change the font size. The rest of the cell keeps its old size. This is handy for a label where one word needs to stand out.
Is there a keyboard shortcut for font size?
Google’s shortcut list for Sheets does not include one for making text bigger or smaller. Some guides mention Ctrl + Shift + > and Ctrl + Shift + <, but those are not on Google’s list, so they may not work for you. The Format menu shortcut above is the documented keyboard route.
How to Make the Font Bigger in the Google Sheets Mobile App
The steps are the same in the Android app and the iPhone and iPad app.
- Open the spreadsheet in the Google Sheets app.
- Tap a cell. To select more, drag the blue markers across the nearby cells.
- Tap Format, the letter A icon at the top of the screen.
- On the Text tab, find the text size option and raise the number.
- Tap the sheet to close the panel and save the change.
If you make a mistake, tap Undo at the top of the screen.
How to Remove Strikethrough in Google Sheets
Strikethrough is a toggle, which means the same button or shortcut turns it on and off. Removing it uses the same steps as adding it.
- Select the cells that have a line through the text. Use the row, column, or whole-sheet selection methods above if there are a lot of them.
- Click the Strikethrough button in the toolbar. It looks like the letter S with a line through it.
- Or use the keyboard: Alt + Shift + 5 on Windows or a Chromebook, or Command + Shift + X on a Mac.
The line disappears from the selected cells. If you press the shortcut and the line appears instead, the cells did not have strikethrough to begin with. Press it again to remove it.
Here are the strikethrough shortcuts Google lists for each type of computer:
| Computer | Strikethrough shortcut |
|---|---|
| Windows PC | Alt + Shift + 5 |
| Mac | Command + Shift + X (Google also lists Command + 5 and Ctrl + 5) |
| Chromebook | Alt + Shift + 5 |
Many guides give Option + Shift + 5 as the Mac shortcut. That key combination is not on Google’s current Mac list for Sheets, so use Command + Shift + X.
Other ways to remove strikethrough
- Format menu: select the cells, then click Format > Text > Strikethrough.
- Part of a cell: double-click the cell, highlight only the crossed-out words, and click the Strikethrough button.
- Mobile app: select the cells, tap Format, and on the Text tab tap the Strikethrough button (the S with a line through it). Tap the sheet to save.
- Remove everything at once: press Ctrl + \ (Command + \ on a Mac) to clear formatting from the selected cells.
Be careful with that last option. Clearing formatting also removes bold, colors, borders, and the font size you set, not only the line through the text. Our guide on how to clear formatting in Google Sheets explains what gets reset. If you are not sure why text was crossed out in the first place, read what strikethrough means before you remove it from a shared file.
Troubleshooting
The strikethrough comes back or will not go away
A conditional formatting rule may be adding it. Conditional formatting changes how a cell looks automatically when it meets a condition, such as a checked box in a to-do list. To check, select the cells and click Format > Conditional formatting. A panel opens on the right and shows the rules for that range. Click a rule to edit it and turn off strikethrough in its formatting style, or point to the rule and click Remove to delete it. Deleting a rule removes all the formatting it applied, so edit it instead if you want to keep its colors. Google’s conditional formatting page covers how rules work, and we have an example in our guide to making cells red if a number is less than zero.
The font size did not change
Check what is selected. If a cell is open for editing with a blinking cursor, only highlighted text changes. Press Enter to leave the cell, click it once, and try again.
The font size box or Strikethrough button is missing
- Hidden menus: the Ctrl + Shift + F shortcut switches Sheets to compact controls. Press it again, or see how to unhide the menu in Google Sheets.
- Narrow window: some toolbar buttons may move into a three-dot More menu at the end of the toolbar. Widen the browser window or use the Format menu.
- No edit access: if you can only view or comment on the file, the formatting tools will likely be unavailable. Ask the owner for edit access, or make your own copy.
Bigger text is cut off
Larger text may not fit the column. Make the column wider by dragging the edge of its letter, or wrap text in Google Sheets so it flows onto more lines.
Font Size or Zoom: Which One Do You Need?
Changing the font size changes the spreadsheet itself. Everyone who opens the file sees the bigger text, and it prints bigger too. If the text is only hard to read on your own screen, zoom is the better choice because it makes the sheet look larger without changing any cell formatting. Sheets has a zoom percentage box in the toolbar, and it works much like when you change the zoom level in Google Docs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make all the text in a Google Sheet bigger at once?
Press Ctrl + A (Command + A on a Mac) to select the whole sheet, then click + next to the font size box or type a new size. Each tab in a spreadsheet is separate, so repeat this on the other tabs.
Can I change the default font size in Google Sheets?
Google does not document a default font size setting for Sheets. Themes (Format > Theme) change the text font and colors across a spreadsheet, but Google’s list of what a theme affects does not include font size. The reliable method is to select the whole sheet and set the size yourself.
What is the shortcut to remove strikethrough in Google Sheets?
Select the cells and press Alt + Shift + 5 on Windows or a Chromebook, or Command + Shift + X on a Mac. The same shortcut adds strikethrough to cells that do not have it.
Can I use a font size that is not in the list?
Yes. Click the number in the font size box, type the size you want, and press Enter. Typing lets you enter a size that the Format menu list does not offer.
Does changing font size or strikethrough affect formulas?
No. Both are text formatting, so they change how a cell looks and leave its value and formula alone.
Related Guides
Once your text is the right size, these guides cover other common formatting jobs:
- How to left align and center text in Google Sheets
- How to format currency (or remove dollar signs) in Google Sheets
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
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