Google Sheets offers an easy way to rotate text, which can help you organize your data, create visually appealing headers, or simply make your spreadsheets more readable. Whether you want to rotate your text at a standard angle or set a custom rotation, Google Sheets gives you flexible options.
This guide will walk you step by step through rotating text in Google Sheets, from locating the correct icon to applying your preferred angle. Follow these instructions to quickly enhance your spreadsheets.
Rotating Text Using the Toolbar Icon
Open your spreadsheet in Google Sheets and select the cells containing the text you want to rotate. Go to the toolbar at the top of the page. Look for the Text rotation icon—it resembles a slanted letter "A". Click the Text rotation icon to open the rotation menu. From the dropdown, you see several angle options such as Tilt up, Tilt down, Stack vertically, or Rotate up and Rotate down. You can pick any of these preset options to automatically apply that angle to your selected text.
Setting a Custom Angle
If you'd like to set a specific rotation angle, click Custom angle at the bottom of the rotation menu. This opens a small input box where you can enter any value between negative 90 degrees (-90) and positive 90 degrees (90). Type your desired angle value. For example, you can enter -45 to tilt the text up to the left, or 30 to tilt it downward and to the right.
Press Enter or click anywhere outside the input box to apply your custom rotation. Your text instantly changes to the chosen angle.
Tips and Checkpoints
You can apply text rotation to individual cells, rows, columns, or entire sections by selecting the appropriate range before clicking the Text rotation icon.
If you make a mistake or want to remove a rotation, return to the Text rotation menu and select None to reset the text orientation.
Custom angles between -90 and 90 degrees allow you to fine-tune the appearance and layout of your data. Experiment with different values to find what works best for your sheet.
Rotated text is especially useful for fitting long headers into narrow columns, improving the overall look and space efficiency of your spreadsheet.
Changes you make to text rotation update in real-time, so you can immediately see the effect in your spreadsheet.
Summary
Rotating text in Google Sheets can make your spreadsheets clearer and more organized.
Use the Text rotation icon to choose from preset angles, or set a custom angle by entering a value of your choice.
You can rotate text from -90 to +90 degrees, giving you flexibility to arrange your headers or data for best readability.
If you want to reset, simply select None from the same menu.
