Tip of the Day | Wednesday 28 October 2026

Discover new tools to get things done.

Find Columns Showing #### Errors (Too Narrow)

This tool checks your active worksheet for columns that are too narrow to display numbers or dates in full.

When a column is too narrow, Excel shows crosshatches (####) in the cell instead of the actual value.
This tool helps you quickly find those issues, so that you can fix them before printing, exporting, or sharing your file.

How it works:

  • It scans your worksheet for cells displaying #### due to column width.
  • When it finds a cell that is too narrow, it shows a message telling you which column and cell are affected and that cell is selected.
  • You can then choose to continue searching or fix the issue immediately.

This is useful when you want to:

  • Quickly find and correct columns with #### errors
  • Ensure all numbers and dates are fully visible
  • Prepare a clean and readable worksheet

Note:
This tool only detects problems with numbers and dates that can't be displayed in full due to narrow columns.
Cut-off text values are not detected, because Excel does not show an error when text is too long.

Starting this tool

Specify a Keyboard Shortcut: ASAP Utilities  › My Tools & Shortcuts › Manage My Tools & Shortcuts...

Tip:Alt+P for the previous tool.