Pressing Enter in Excel moves you to the next cell, which is frustrating when you want an address or a list inside one cell. Alt+Enter adds a line break without leaving the cell.
Step by step
- Double-click the cell or press F2 to start editing.
- Place the cursor where you want the new line.
- Press Alt+Enter, then keep typing.
- Press Enter when you're finished.
Tips & troubleshooting
- Excel turns on Wrap Text automatically, so the row height grows to show every line.
- In formulas, use CHAR(10) to create a line break, e.g. =A1&CHAR(10)&B1 (with Wrap Text on).
Line break or Wrap Text?
They solve different problems. Wrap Text lets Excel decide where lines break, based on the column width, and the breaks move when the column is resized. Alt+Enter puts a break exactly where you choose and it stays there. Use Wrap Text for long descriptions and Alt+Enter for addresses, short lists and two-line column headings such as Sales on one line and (£000) on the next.
Remove line breaks from many cells
Data exported from other systems often arrives full of unwanted line breaks. Find and Replace can strip them out.
- Select the cells and press Ctrl+H.
- Click in Find what and press Ctrl+J. The box looks empty apart from a small blinking dot; that is the line break character.
- Type a space, or a comma and a space, in Replace with.
- Choose Replace All.
Line breaks in formulas
CHAR(10) is the line break character on Windows. To stack a name over a job title, use =A2&CHAR(10)&B2 and switch Wrap Text on for the cell, otherwise everything appears on one line. In Microsoft 365, =TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10),TRUE,A2:A5) stacks a whole range, and =TEXTSPLIT(A2,,CHAR(10)) does the reverse, spilling each line into its own cell.
Common problems
- The second line is hidden. The row height was set by hand, so it no longer grows. On the Home tab choose Format, then AutoFit Row Height.
- Alt+Enter does nothing. You have to be editing the cell first: press F2 or double-click.
- The text is all on one line after pasting elsewhere. The break is still there, but Wrap Text is off in the destination.
On a Mac
In Excel for Mac press Option+Return, or Control+Option+Return, while editing the cell.