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That is because the default horizontal alignment (General) right-aligns numbers and dates. Right.It is most useful to right-align information if you are formatting cells containing text.You can also center information by using the Center tool on the toolbar. If there is anything in the cells on either side of the centered cell, the text will not extend into the occupied cell. If text is centered and it needs more space than is available in the cell, it will overrun the left and right cell boundaries in order to be displayed. Center.Center alignment aligns all information in the middle of the cell.In Excel 2000 and later versions you can also set an indent, in characters, if you use Left alignment.
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You can also left-justify information by using the Align Left tool on the toolbar. This will not happen if there is anything in the cell to the right of the cell containing the wide text. When text is left justified, text that will not fit within the width of the column will overrun the right cell border. That is because the default alignment (General) aligns all text to the left side of the cell. Unless you have a need to align your numbers or dates to the left, there is no real need to use this alignment option.
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You set the alignment by first selecting the cells you want to format and then choosing Cells from the Format menu. Excel provides many different ways you can align information from left to right (horizontally) within a cell.
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