Indention is an excellent way to clarify data, especially when visualizing different levels of information. While Google Sheets does have an indentation function, we’ll show you two simple methods to work around it.
Indentation using Custom Number Formatting in Google Sheets
To illustrate our methods, we’ve created a sample sheet in Google Sheets. Click here to access it and follow along at home.
Step 1: Select the Cells to Indent
Choose the cells that you want to apply indentation to. In Google Sheets, you can select multiple non-contiguous cells by holding down the Ctrl key during selection on Windows or the Command key on Mac. For our example, we’ll select all the cells corresponding to our sub-category list.
Step 2: Select Format > Number > Custom Number Format
In the top toolbar, select “Format”. This will display a drop-down menu. Choose “Number” from this menu. Another menu will appear, and at the bottom of it, click on Custom Number Format.
Step 3: Enter the Indentation Parameters
A pop-up window will appear. In the field labeled Custom number format, enter 3 spaces followed by the @ symbol. The @ symbol will not be displayed in your data, while the spaces will serve as the indentation.
Step 4: Click Apply and See the Results
Click the Apply button, and you’ll now see the indentation applied to your previously selected cells. Note that the data remains the same, but the visual appearance is indented.
Applying to All Cells in a Column
Sometimes in Google Sheets, we need to apply indentation to all cells in a column. To do this, we can select an entire column by clicking on the column header at the top. This will select all the cells in the column.
Next, we can apply custom number formatting to each cell in the entire column. Once the custom number formatting is applied, you’ll notice that every cell in the specified column will have the applied indentation.
Increasing Indentation / Multiple Indentation Levels in Google Sheets
We can increase or decrease indentation levels in Google Sheets by modifying the amount of spaces placed before the @ symbol in custom number formats. Every time we create an indentation, Google Sheets saves it in the number menu accessible through the Format option in the top toolbar. This allows us to create multiple levels of indentation.
Indenting by Adding a Column in Google Sheets
In Google Sheets, we can also add indentation to our data by adding a column. This method initially requires splitting your list, but once done, it becomes extremely easy to manage as it uses column width adjustments to increase or decrease indentations, automatically indenting future data based on column widths.
To split a list, we use multiple columns as shown in the image below. All main category items are in the first column, and sub-categories are in the second column. Remember to leave space in the first column for the secondary column items to move into.
From the divided list, adjust the width of the first column by hovering your mouse between the two columns. The mouse cursor will change to a ↔ symbol. Hold the selection and drag your column to the desired width. By doing this, you’ll achieve indentation using columns in Google Sheets.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve covered the easiest method to add indentation to your data, including adjusting the amount of indentation and using multiple levels.
Did you know that you can also create indentations by creating an indentation option using a Google Apps script? It’s a bit complicated, but if you’d like to give it a try, you can find detailed instructions on Crawlan.com.
We hope this article has helped you gain a better understanding of how to indent in Google Sheets. You might also enjoy our articles on highlighting in Google Sheets and underlining in Google Sheets.
To optimize your workflow, we recommend having a copy of our contact list template for Google Sheets and trying out our asset management software!
Other Articles on Google Sheets Formatting
- How to Strikethrough Text in Google Sheets
- How to Remove Gridlines in Google Sheets
- How to Underline in Google Sheets
- How to Create a Hyperlink in Google Sheets
- How to Add Bullets in Google Sheets
- Google Sheets Dark Mode
- Adding Line Breaks in Google Sheets
- Word Count Tool in Google Sheets
- Alternating Row Colors in Google Sheets
