How to Change Measurement Type in Excel (with pictures + video!)

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Depending on what you’re working on or the type of unit of measurement you feel comfortable with, you may need to change the measurement type in Excel.

For example, change from centimeters to inches or vice versa. You can also choose millimeters.

Changing the unit of measurement will affect the rulers and row/column size adjustments displayed in Page Layout View.

What is Page Layout View in Excel?

Available in Excel 2007 and newer, the Page Layout View is an Excel Workbook view option that lets you see:

• Rulers in your worksheet that use common measurement units
• Row and column size adjustments in common measurements units
• A clear outline of where your page begins and ends and
• How your Headers and Footers look as you edit them

The measurements units available are:

• Inches
• Centimeters
• Millimeters

Your default unit of measurement is set based on your operating system’s regional settings.

You’ll find Page Layout Workbook View in the View tab of your Excel Ribbon, in the Workbook Views section.

How to Change the Unit of Measurement in Excel

WATCH: Change the Unit of Measurement in Excel’s Page Layout View (video tutorial)

You can change the type of measurement from your Excel Options.

FYI: you can access your Excel Options from the File menu on your spreadsheet.

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Need to convert measurement units in Excel? Make sure to watch our tutorial on how to use the CONVERT function.

FYI, this was created using the desktop version of Excel in Microsoft 365.

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