How to use Center Across Selection in Excel
By the Analistable team · Updated · 2 min read
Type the heading in the first cell, select it together with the cells to the right, press Ctrl+1, and on the Alignment tab set Horizontal to Center Across Selection. The text is centred over the whole selection, but every cell stays separate — so unlike Merge & Center, it doesn't break sorting, filtering, copying or selecting columns.
Part of our guide: How to merge cells, columns and text in Excel
Step by step
- Type the text in the left-most cell (A1). Leave the other cells empty.
- Select A1:F1.
- Press Ctrl+1 (Cmd+1 on a Mac) to open Format Cells.
- On the Alignment tab, choose Horizontal → Center Across Selection.
- Click OK.
The text centres across A–F as long as B1:F1 stay empty; typing in one of them ends the centring at that cell.
Merge & Center vs Center Across Selection
| Merge & Center | Center Across Selection | |
|---|---|---|
| Looks centred over several columns | Yes | Yes |
| Cells stay separate | No | Yes |
| Sort and filter the columns | Often fails | Works |
| Select a single column | Selects the merged range | Works |
| Works vertically | Yes | No (horizontal only) |
| On the ribbon | Yes | Only via Format Cells |
Make it quicker
- Use the Format Painter to copy the alignment to other headings.
- Create a cell style: Home → Cell Styles → New Cell Style, set the alignment, and apply it with one click.
- Record a short macro that sets
Selection.HorizontalAlignment = xlCenterAcrossSelectionand add it to the Quick Access Toolbar.
Limits
It only works horizontally — there's no vertical equivalent, so for a label spanning rows you'll need to merge or repeat the label. In Google Sheets there's no Center Across Selection; leave headers unmerged or accept a merge. More context: merging cells, columns and text.
Worked example: a report title
| Cell | Content | Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Q3 Sales by Region | Center Across Selection (A1:F1) |
| B1:F1 | (empty) | Center Across Selection (A1:F1) |
| A2:F2 | Region, Jul, Aug, Sep, Q3, Change | Normal headers |
You can still select column C, sort A2:F20, and filter — none of which work cleanly when A1:F1 is merged.
Remove it
Select the cells, press Ctrl+1, and set Horizontal back to General. The text returns to cell A1 only.
Center Across Selection in other places
Excel for the web and Excel for Mac both support it through Format Cells → Alignment. In Excel tables (Ctrl+T), where merging isn't allowed at all, it's the only way to centre a title above the columns — put the title in a row above the table.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Center Across Selection in Excel?
- Format Cells (Ctrl+1) → Alignment → Horizontal → Center Across Selection.
- Why isn't my text centring across the cells?
- The other cells in the selection must be empty. Any value in them stops the centring.
- Does Google Sheets have Center Across Selection?
- No. Google Sheets only offers merging for this layout.