I am quite lost with this talk of implicit, explicit, solid green box etc. etc. I only wonder about one thing. Both of us use 2003, how come I don't see a little square with CHAR(10) before formatalignmentwrap text? However, I won't waste time on this and I'll just let it go.

Epinn

wrote in message ups.com...
Epinn wrote:
wrote:
I find that sometimes, I must select the cell and press F2 in order to
get the desired effect. I do not know why.

I format the cell as suggested and it works fine now. No F2 needed.
Which version do you have? Do you see that little square that RD mentioned?

I am using Office Excel 2003; and yes, when the alt-Enter is
ineffective, I see a little square in the text. Perhaps F2 is never
needed when Wrap Text is selected explicitly (checkmarked). But it is
needed occassionally (and seemingly unpredictably) when Excel selects
Wrap Text implicitly -- which is indicated by a solid green box instead
of a checkmark next to Wrap Text under Format Cells Alignment.

Excel seems to select Wrap Text implicitly when alt-Enter is typed
initially. Since I cannot cause the alt-Enter to be ineffective
predictably, I do not know if the implicit Wrap Text is deselected when
that happens. But if I deselect Wrap Text explicity (leaving the
option uncheckmarked), the alt-Enter is ineffective, of course.
Pressing F2 causes Wrap Text to be selected implicitly again. So I do
suspect when F2 is needed, it is because Excel had selected Wrap Text
implicitly, then deselected it implicitly for some inexplicable reason.

The point is: If things work fine initially when you type alt-Enter,
then later they do not work, either selecting the cell and typing F2,
or explicitly selecting Wrap Text format should remedy the situation.