Formatting long strings of text isn't Google Sheets' strongest suit. If you press Enter while editing a cell in Google Sheets, rather than adding a line break, it will move on to the cell below.

This causes problems when you want to add data to a single cell on multiple lines. Fortunately, there are various methods you can use to add line breaks in Google Sheets. Let's take a look at three simple methods.

1. Text Wrapping

If your text is overflowing, you can alter a simple text wrapping setting to have it show in multiple lines instead.

Text wrap setting in Google Sheets

Here's how you can do that:

  1. Select the cell.
  2. Click on Text wrapping in the toolbar. If you can't find this setting, take a look at the screenshot above.
  3. Select Wrap.
Wrapped text in Google Sheets

Google Sheets will now adjust the cell's height and display the text in multiple lines, effectively preventing it from overflowing. As a disclaimer, this won't add line breaks to your text. If you take a look at the formula bar, the text is still in a single line.

2. The Keyboard Combination

An easy method to add line breaks wherever you want in Google Sheets, is using the Ctrl + Enter keyboard combination. If you're a Mac user, you can use Cmd + Enter instead.

Overflowing text in Google Sheets
  1. Select the cell.
  2. In the formula bar, press Ctrl + Enter wherever you want a line break.
Line break added to a Google Sheets cell with the keyboard combination

This method will add actual line breaks to your text, and the line breaks will stay regardless of the text wrapping settings or the cell's dimensions. The text in the formula bar will have line breaks as well.

3. The CHAR Function

If you're looking to use formulas to add line breaks in Google Sheets, then the CHAR function is the way to go. CHAR is a Google Sheets function that takes in the code for a character, and then outputs the character itself.

        =CHAR(code)
    

CHAR communicates with your computer's character set, and your computer's character sets have a lot in common with ASCII. This means that you can use CHAR to output all sorts of characters, including non-printable characters such as line break. Since the ASCII decimal code for null is 10, inputting this code in CHAR will output a line break. You can use this feature to add line breaks in Google Sheets cells.

With CHAR being a function, you'll have to use it in a formula. Remember that text strings need to be inside quote marks ("") for Google Sheets to realize they're text, and you need to put an ampersand (&) between the strings. Since that's too much to consider at once, here's how you can add line breaks in Google Sheets using CHAR step by step:

  1. Select a cell
  2. Type in an equal sign (=) to initiate your formula.
  3. Type in the first part of your text inside quote marks.
  4. Add an ampersand (&).
  5. Add CHAR(10) followed by another ampersand (&).
  6. Type the last part of your text inside the quote marks.
  7. Press Enter.
Adding line breaks in Google Sheets with the CHAR function

Now your text will appear in two lines. Your final formula should look something like this:

        ="This text needs" & CHAR(10) & "a line break!"
    

But why go through all this and use the CHAR function to add line breaks? The answer to that question lies in the question itself: Because CHAR is a function! This means that you can use CHAR to add line breaks in various scenarios, and of course, combine it with other functions.

For instance, the formula below combines CHAR with the SUBSTITUTE function to add line breaks:

        =SUBSTITUTE(A1, " ", CHAR(10))
    
A formula using CHAR and SUBSTITUTE in Google Sheets

The formula asks SUBSITUTE to look through A1 and replace spaces (" ") with CHAR(10). Thus replacing the spaces with line breaks, and then outputting A1 in multiple lines.

Give Your Cells a Break

Typing long strings of text into Google Sheets cells will cause the text to overflow, giving your spreadsheet a messy look. You can't add line breaks in Google Sheets the way you would in a text editor, but you can do it through other methods.

Text wrapping settings and the Ctrl + Enter combination can easily add line breaks to your cells and keep them from overflowing. If you want to use a formula, you can add line breaks with the CHAR function in Google Sheets. Now that you know how to add line breaks in Google Sheets through three different methods, it's high time you fix those overflowing strings and give your cells a break.