Zoom in Excel: Change Your Worksheet Magnification

By
Ted French
Ted French
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Former Lifewire writer Ted French is a Microsoft Certified Professional who teaches and writes about spreadsheets and spreadsheet programs.
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Updated on July 21, 2019
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The zoom feature in Excel changes the scale of a worksheet. When you want to see more or less of a worksheet, use Zoom to increase or decrease the magnification.

The information in this article applies to Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, and Excel 2007.

Choose Your Zoom Method

There are three different ways to zoom in on a worksheet:

  • The Zoom slider located on the status bar.
  • The Zoom tool found on the View tab of the Excel ribbon.
  • The Zoom on roll with IntelliMouse option.

Use the Zoom Slider

When you want to quickly change the magnification of a worksheet, use the Zoom slider. You'll find the Zoom slider in the bottom right corner of the Excel window. To use the Zoom slider, drag the slider to the right or to the left.

Screenshot of Excel showing the zoom slider

To zoom in, drag the slider to the right. Everything on the worksheet gets larger and you see less of the worksheet.

To zoom out, drag the slider to the left. Objects in the worksheet get smaller and you see more of the worksheet.

An alternative to using the slider is to select Zoom Out or Zoom In located at either end of the slider. The buttons zoom the worksheet in or out in increments of 10%.

Adjusting the zoom level does not affect the actual size of a worksheet. Printouts of the current sheet remain the same, regardless of the selected zoom level.

Set a Custom Zoom Magnification

On the View tab, the Zoom group contains three options to quickly adjust your view of the spreadsheet: Zoom, 100%, and Zoom to Selection.

Screenshot of Excel showing zoom options on the ribbon

Select Zoom to open the Zoom dialog box. The Zoom dialog box contains pre-set magnification options ranging from 25% to 200%, as well as choices for custom magnification and zooming to fit the current selection.

Zoom With Shortcut Keys

Keyboard key combinations that zoom in and out of a worksheet involve using the ALT key. These shortcuts access the zoom options on the View tab of the ribbon using keyboard keys rather than the mouse.

Here are the zoom shortcut keys:

  • ALT+W+J: Activates the 100% zoom option on the ribbon.
  • ALT+W+G: Activates Zoom to Selection on the ribbon.
  • ALT+V+Z: Opens the Zoom dialog box.
  • ALT+W+Q: Opens the Zoom dialog box.

When you're working in the Zoom dialog box, press one of the following keyboard shortcuts to change the magnification level:

  • 0+Enter: 200% zoom
  • 1+Enter: 100% zoom
  • 7+Enter: 75% zoom
  • 5+Enter: 50% zoom
  • 2+Enter: 25% zoom

Using these keyboard keys to activate the Custom zoom option requires additional keystrokes in addition to those needed to open the Zoom dialog box.

After typing ALT+W+Q+C, enter numbers such as 33 for a 33% magnification level. Complete the sequence by pressing Enter.

Zoom on Roll With IntelliMouse

If you frequently adjust the zoom level of worksheets, you might want to use the Zoom on roll with IntelliMouse option.

Screenshot of Excel showing IntelliMouse option

When activated, this option allows you to zoom in or out using the scroll wheel. The option is activated using the Excel Options dialog box.

  1. Select File.

  2. Select Options to open the Excel Options dialog box.

  3. Select Advanced in the left-hand panel of the dialog box.

  4. Select Zoom on roll with IntelliMouse in the right panel to activate this option.

Zoom out to Display Named Ranges

If a worksheet contains one or more named ranges, zoom levels below 40% display these named ranges surrounded by a border. This provides a quick and easy way to check their location in a worksheet.

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