In this article, I will show you how to resize column width and row height in Google Sheets without using your mouse. More specifically, you will learn how you can use Excel’s native shortcuts in Sheets to autofit and set column widths and row heights. Believe it or not, you CAN use Alt + H + O + I to autofit column width in Google Sheets. While these shortcuts do not exist natively in Sheets, there are two main ways to get around this.
Method #1: SheetWhiz Chrome Extension (Free!) The best way to resize columns & rows in Google Sheets is to use the SheetWhiz Chrome Extension. The extension is free to use, works on both PC and Mac, and brings many other core Excel functions over from Sheets, including insert columns & rows, borders, paste special, and trace precedents.
Below is a video of the tool in action resizing columns and rows:
Once you’ve installed SheetWhiz, you will be able to browse through a list of shortcuts, including autofit columns and rows, by clicking the big SheetWhiz button on any Google Sheet.
The resizing shortcuts are in the “Columns/Rows” section:
To trigger the shortcuts, you must press and release the keys in the order they are listed. Because I’m writing this on a Mac, the shortcuts in the above screenshot are for a Mac user. The shortcuts will adjust if you are on a PC. Luckily, the default shortcuts in SheetWhiz are the default Excel shortcuts. See the full list below:
Autofit Column Width:
PC: Alt + H + O + I
Mac: Option + H + O + I
Autofit Row Height:
PC: Alt + H + O + A
Mac: Option + H + O + A
Set Column Width:
PC: Alt + H + O + W
Mac: Option + H + O + W
Set Row Height:
PC: Alt + H + O + H
Mac: Option + H + O + H
You can also customize a shortcut in SheetWhiz if there are keystrokes that are more convenient for you. You can do this by clicking on the shortcut in the menu and changing the key:
I would highly recommend using SheetWhiz not just for sizing columns and rows, but also for its other functionalities including its other Excel shortcuts, trace precedents, and cycling functionalities
Method #2: Record a Macro (Imperfect Solution)
The other way to create a shortcut to resize columns and rows would be to record a macro. Note, this is not a perfect solution for a number of reasons.
Why macro recording is not a great solution:
You cannot customize the shortcut to the native Excel shortcuts. Every shortcut must begin with either Ctrl + Alt + Shift on a PC or Command + Option + Shift on a Mac, followed by a single digit number
You are limited to 10 workable macros
Macros are Sheet-specific. You will need to create the same macro for every new Sheet you work on
You will need to create multiple macros for different versions of sizing. For example, you will need a macro for when you want to autosize a single column and another to autosize two columns, etc.
If you want to record a macro, you can do it by going to Extensions → Macros → Record macro
From there, if you wish to autofit columns, left click on a cell and hit “Resize column”
Then click “Fit to data” and “OK”
Click “Save” for the new macro, making sure you’ve selected “Use relative references” (default) versus “Use absolute references”
Save the new macro and set the shortcut and that’s it! You should now be able to use the macro in the sheet you’re in to do the specific action that you defined, in this case autosizing a column
Resizing columns and rows is a huge headache in Google Sheets today. You can resize columns by clicking or dragging columns / rows, but you’re out of luck if you’re looking for a shortcut to resize columns natively in Google Sheets. This is why I wanted to present two potential options for resizing columns and rows in Google Sheets 1) SheetWhiz and 2) Record a Macro. Good luck!