Google Sheets doesn’t have Excel’s Center Across Selection option. The closest built-in alternative is to merge the cells and center the text: select the cells, click Format > Merge cells > Merge horizontally, then click the center-align button. If you’d rather avoid merged cells, which can get in the way of sorting and copying, you can type the heading in the middle cell of the range and center it, so the text spills evenly into the empty cells on either side.
Below are both methods, step by step, along with the pros and cons of each and what happens when you bring an Excel file that uses Center Across Selection into Sheets.
What Center Across Selection does in Excel
In Excel, Center Across Selection displays text centered over several columns while each cell stays separate. It looks just like a merged and centered heading but avoids the problems merged cells cause, such as being unable to select a single column or sort a range. Google Sheets has no equivalent setting, so you need a workaround.
Method 1: Merge and center
- Type your heading in the leftmost cell of the range, for example A1.
- Select the cells you want the heading to span, such as A1:E1.
- Click Format > Merge cells > Merge horizontally. You can also use the merge button in the toolbar.
- Click the Horizontal align button and choose Center, or press Ctrl + Shift + E (Command + Shift + E on a Mac).
If the other cells contain data, Sheets warns that only the top-left value will be kept. Move any data you need before merging.
Unmerge later
Select the merged cell and choose Format > Merge cells > Unmerge.
Method 2: Center text over empty neighbors (no merging)
- Find the middle cell of the range. For A1:E1, that’s C1.
- Type the heading in C1.
- Make sure the cells on both sides (A1, B1, D1, E1) are empty.
- Select C1 and click Horizontal align > Center.
- Make sure text wrapping is set to Overflow (Format > Wrapping > Overflow).
Because the neighboring cells are empty, the centered text overflows evenly in both directions and appears centered across the range. This works best when the range has an odd number of columns of similar width.
Merge vs. overflow: which should you use?
| Merge and center | Overflow from middle cell | |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect centering | Yes | Close, depends on column widths |
| Sorting and filtering | Can cause errors | No problems |
| Selecting single columns | Awkward | Normal |
| Copying and pasting | Can fail on merged areas | Normal |
| Fill color across the range | Easy | Color each cell separately |
For report titles at the top of a sheet that you won’t sort, merging is fine. For headings inside data tables, the overflow method avoids headaches.
Opening Excel files that use Center Across Selection
When you upload or open an Excel file in Google Sheets, headings formatted with Center Across Selection may lose that alignment and appear as normal text in the first cell. Re-create the look with one of the methods above. If you need to keep the formatting for people using Excel, edit the file in Office editing mode instead of converting it to a Google Sheet.
Merge and center on Android and iPhone
- Open the sheet in the Google Sheets app and select the cells you want to combine.
- Tap the Merge cells icon in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the Format icon (the letter A with lines), open the Text tab, and choose center alignment.
Another option: a title above the grid
For a dashboard or printable report, you can also place a drawing with your title over the top rows using Insert > Drawing. Drawings float over the cells, so they don’t affect sorting at all. The downside is that they don’t print reliably in every layout and won’t move if you insert rows, so cell-based headings are usually the more dependable choice.
Tips for clean headings
- Make headings bold and slightly larger so they stand out from the data.
- Freeze the heading row with View > Freeze > 1 row so it stays visible while you scroll.
- Use a fill color across the full width of the table so the heading looks like a banner.
- Keep titles short so they don’t overflow past the table’s edge.
Related: How to highlight in Google Sheets.
Related: How to change cell color in Google Sheets.
Frequently asked questions
Is Center Across Selection available in Google Sheets?
No. It’s an Excel-only feature. Merge and center, or the overflow method, are the closest options.
Why can’t I sort my data after merging cells?
Sorting requires every row in the range to have the same structure. Unmerge the cells or exclude the merged heading from the sort range.
Can I vertically center text too?
Yes. Use Vertical align in the toolbar and choose Middle.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.