{"id":462689,"date":"2025-08-19T16:53:45","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T15:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/?p=462689"},"modified":"2025-08-28T16:50:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T15:50:55","slug":"stop-using-merge-center-use-this-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/stop-using-merge-center-use-this-instead\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop using \u201cMerge &#038; Center\u201d \u2013 use this instead"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Over the years, Excel has become an indispensable companion for anyone working with data. Among its many features is one that may not get as much attention as formulas or charts, but still plays an important role when it comes to presenting and formatting data \u2013 <strong data-start=\"312\" data-end=\"339\">Center Across Selection<\/strong>. This feature allows you to organize and highlight your data in a worksheet in a simple and visually appealing way.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<span id=\"heading-what-is-center-across-selection\"><h2 data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"36\">What is \u201cCenter Across Selection\u201d?<\/h2><\/span>\n<p data-start=\"38\" data-end=\"505\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">\u201cCenter Across Selection\u201d is a formatting feature in Excel that allows you to center the contents of one or more cells both horizontally and vertically across a selected range. This means the cell content is positioned in the middle of the selection, creating a balanced and visually appealing layout. This feature is particularly useful when formatting headings, title cells, or specific areas of your worksheet where you want to achieve a visually prominent effect.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-254625\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-centrera-over-markering.png\" alt=\"excel-centrera-over-markering\" width=\"682\" height=\"625\" data-wp-editing=\"1\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-centrera-over-markering.png 682w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-centrera-over-markering-300x275.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\" \/><\/p>\n<article class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-turn-id=\"request-WEB:fd5067c1-b679-48cc-8008-8c8c0306f731-127\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-174\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\">\n<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] @[37rem]:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] @[72rem]:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\">\n<div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:32rem] @[34rem]:[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @[64rem]:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"6985a2eb-0d73-424d-959d-f3e62ba60f0b\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-mini\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full break-words light markdown-new-styling\">\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"185\"><em>Image 1: To select Center Across Selection, press Ctrl + 1, go to the Alignment tab, and then choose Center Across Selection from the Horizontal dropdown list.<\/em><\/p>\n<span id=\"heading-how-do-i-use-center-across-selection\"><h3 data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"41\">How do I use \u201cCenter Across Selection\u201d?<\/h3><\/span>\n<p data-start=\"43\" data-end=\"289\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">To use this feature, select the cells over which you want to center the content, including the cell that contains the information. Then press Ctrl + 1, go to the Alignment tab, and under Horizontal, choose Center Across Selection.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-254659\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-centrera-over-markering-2.png\" alt=\"excel-centrera-over-markering-2\" width=\"1127\" height=\"652\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-centrera-over-markering-2.png 1127w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-centrera-over-markering-2-300x174.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-centrera-over-markering-2-1024x592.png 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-centrera-over-markering-2-768x444.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1127px) 100vw, 1127px\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"85\"><em>Image 2: To center text across the selected cells, use Center Across Selection.<\/em><\/p>\n<span id=\"heading-why-you-should-use-center-across-selection-instead-of-merge-center\"><h2 data-start=\"87\" data-end=\"161\"><strong data-start=\"87\" data-end=\"159\">Why you should use Center Across Selection instead of Merge &amp; Center<\/strong><\/h2><\/span>\n<p data-start=\"163\" data-end=\"405\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">A good rule of thumb is to almost never use Merge &amp; Center, especially in areas where calculations are performed. In the example below, it becomes very clear why Merge &amp; Center should be avoided and what distinguishes the two functionalities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex min-h-[46px] justify-start\">\n<div style=\"width: 640px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-462689-1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Centrera-over-markering-i-Excel.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Centrera-over-markering-i-Excel.mp4\">\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Centrera-over-markering-i-Excel.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mt-3 w-full empty:hidden\">\n<div class=\"text-center\">\n<span id=\"heading-closing-remarks\"><h2 style=\"text-align: left;\" data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"21\"><strong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"19\">Closing Remarks<\/strong><\/h2><\/span>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" data-start=\"23\" data-end=\"387\">Center Across Selection is one of those small\u2014but incredibly valuable\u2014features in Excel, in my opinion. It can make a significant difference when it comes to improving the presentation and readability of your data. By creating a more attractive and organized layout, you can make your data easier to understand and communicate your insights more effectively.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" data-start=\"389\" data-end=\"598\">Next time you work in Excel, don\u2019t forget to take advantage of this simple yet powerful feature to give your data the attention it deserves. What you should forget, however, is how to use Merge &amp; Center.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" data-start=\"600\" data-end=\"620\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">\/ Niklas at Learnesy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"pointer-events-none h-px w-px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-edge=\"true\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn more about Center Across Selection!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90966,"featured_media":467796,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-462689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90966"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462689"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":467799,"href":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462689\/revisions\/467799"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learnesy.com\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}