Excel: Number of Characters Allowed in a Text Box

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 3.0, 4.0, 4.0a, 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 3.0, 4.0, 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for OS/2, version 3.0

SUMMARY

The maximum number of characters allowed in a text box in Microsoft Excel is 10,240. If you enter more than 10,240 characters in a text box, you receive the following error message:

Text is too long

MORE INFORMATION

To place a text box object on a worksheet, use the Text Box tool. (The Text Box tool is located on the Drawing toolbar.)

Attempting to add more than 10,240 characters to a text box with the TEXT.BOX() macro command causes a macro error.



If you are running Microsoft Excel under Microsoft Windows, the maximum number of carriage returns allowed in a text box is 254. Data does not appear on the 255th row of the text box and carriage returns are not allowed beyond the 255th row.

To determine the size of your text box, use the TEXT.BOX macro function. For more information about the TEXT.BOX macro function, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   Excel and Text and Box and Count 

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Excel User's Guide 1," version 4.0, pages 282-283
"Microsoft Excel Function Reference," version 4.0, page 432

Additional query words: limit limits textbox

Keywords          : kberrmsg 
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0,4.0,4.0a,5.0; os/2:3.0; MACINTOSH:3.0,4.0,5.0
Platform          : MACINTOSH OS/2 WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbinfo 

Last Reviewed: March 30, 1999