How to Get a New Line in Same Cell in Google Sheets

PDF download Download Article
Add line breaks to a cell using easy keyboard shortcuts and formulas
PDF download Download Article

When using Google Sheets, you may sometimes want to start a new line within one cell instead of going to different cells. This is doable with a shortcut or a formula.

Things You Should Know

  • Press the Alt and Tab keys at the same time in a cell to insert a line break.
  • You can also use the CHAR function to insert a line break in a cell.
  • When using the CHAR function, you can add a specific number of line breaks by nesting it within the REPT function.
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Keyboard Shortcuts

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Double click on the cell where you want multiple lines.
  2. Step 2 If the cell contains text, move the cursor to the position where you want the break and press Alt+↵ Enter.
    Advertisement
  3. Step 3 If the cell doesn't contain any text, double click the cell.
    Press Alt+↵ Enter key and repeat it for multiple lines.
    4. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using a Function

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Go to the cell and type the formula =char(10).
    It will insert a new line in same cell. But you can't see it.
    • If you want to see it, then copy the formula and right click on the same cell and apply Paste Special > Value Only.
  2. Step 2 When you want to insert multiple blank lines in same cell, tweak the formula above little bit.
    • Go to the cell and type the formula =rept(chart(10),5). It will insert five blank lines in same cell.
    • Apply the paste special as above to see the result. Change the number from 5 to any digit to get additional number of lines.
    3. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement

Video

Tips

  • If you type =rept(D5&char(10),6), this will insert 6 lines in same cell, but not blank; it will repeat text or number in cell D5.
    Thanks
    Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0


Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Submit
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement

You Might Also Like

1
How to

Manually Create a Line Break in Microsoft Word
2

The Best Ways to Make & Format Lists in Excel
Expert
3
How to

Add a Vertical Line in Google Docs: 4 Quick Ways
4

3 Quickest Ways to Insert Rows in an Excel Spreadsheet
5
How to

Add or Delete Rows in Microsoft Excel: 4 Simple Ways
6
How to

Copy the Same Text to Multiple Cells in Excel: Desktop & Mobile
7
How to

Add Rows in Excel with a Formula
8
How to

Add a Horizontal Line in Microsoft Word: Step-by-Step
9
How to

Use Google Sheets: The Ultimate Guide for Getting Started
10
How to

Keep Text in One Cell in Excel
11

4 Easy Ways to Indent Text in Microsoft Excel
12
How to

Copy Paste Tab Delimited Text Into Excel
13
How to

Draw a Line in Word: Quick Guide to Add Lines to Doc
Expert
14

4 Easy Ways to Add the Time and Date Automatically in Sheets
Advertisement

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 176,061 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 5
Updated: March 6, 2025
Views: 176,061
Categories: Google Applications
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 176,061 times.

Is this article up to date?

Advertisement