Changing Datasheet Column Widths

Table fields are automatically all the same width and some may appear too narrow to display data adequately. However, you can change the widths of columns to better fit your data. In this task, you'll learn to use the field selector to resize a column by clicking and dragging the field boundary. You will also use the field selector to select an entire column, then use the Column Width command to change the field size to its optimum width.

To change the width of columns in Datasheet view:

1. To resize a column manually, click the right boundary of the field selector, and then drag it left to make the column smaller or to the right to make the column wider.
2. To use the column width command, select the column by clicking the field selector. To select more than one column, click the field selector, and then drag the mouse to select adjacent columns.
3. With the column selected, open the Column Width dialog from the Format menu. Click the Best Fit button to automatically resize the column to be only as wide as it needs to be to display the field data.

Double-clicking the right boundary of the field selector is a shortcut to resize the column for best fit.

You can change the height of rows just like you can change the width of columns. Move your mouse to the top or bottom edge of the record selector. When the cursor changes to a double arrow, click and drag to resize the row. All rows in the table will automatically change to be the same height. You can also use the Row Height command from the Format menu to resize rows or restore the standard height.

The Column Width command is available from the shortcut menu that appears when you right-mouse click in a column that is selected.