Microsoft KB Archive/95791

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Excel: Number of Characters Allowed in a Text Box

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The information in this article applies to:


 * 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

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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

Note: Carriage returns are considered characters.

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