Data Import & Export

How to Find Excel Cells Containing Alt+Enter Line Breaks

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to locate specific Excel cells that contain manual line breaks created using the Alt+Enter keyboard shortcut.

Product: Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Searching a spreadsheet to identify or edit cells that have multiple lines of text within a single cell.
Observed behavior: Needs to know the specific hidden keystroke or character code to input into the Find and Replace dialog to successfully locate line breaks.

Before you start

Ensure your Excel worksheet is open and completely clear any previous search terms from the Find and Replace dialog box to avoid search errors.

Solution 1Recommended

Use the Ctrl+J Shortcut in Find and Replace

The standard and fastest method to locate line breaks is using the Ctrl+J shortcut, which represents the invisible carriage return character in Excel's search field.

This method works seamlessly across all modern versions of Excel and doesn't require a dedicated numeric keypad.

Open Find and Replace

Press Ctrl+F on your keyboard to open the Find and Replace dialog box.

Place Cursor in the Search Box

Click inside the 'Find what' text box to position your text cursor.

Insert the Line Break Character

Press Ctrl+J. You will not see a standard letter appear; instead, a tiny blinking dot or an invisible character will register in the box, representing the Alt+Enter line break.

Execute the Search

Click 'Find All' to display a list of all cells containing line breaks, or click 'Find Next' to jump to them one by one.

Clear the search box first: Make sure the 'Find what' box is completely empty before pressing Ctrl+J. Even a single hidden space will cause the search to return zero results.

Solution 2

Use the Numeric Keypad Alt Code

If the Ctrl+J shortcut is not working on your device, you can manually insert the ASCII line break code using a numeric keypad.

Find and Replace Line Breaks Easily in WPS Spreadsheet

WPS Spreadsheet provides a highly compatible and user-friendly interface for managing complex data, making it incredibly easy to find and replace special characters like line breaks.

1. Open your file: Launch WPS Office and open your spreadsheet document.
2. Open Find and Replace: Press Ctrl+F to bring up the Find dialog box.
3. Enter the line break character: Click into the search field and press Ctrl+J to input the line break character.
4. Execute the search: Click 'Find All' to instantly display a list of all cells containing line breaks.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls) file formatsSupports standard Excel shortcuts like Ctrl+J and Alt+Enter nativelyFree, lightweight, and fast processing for large datasets

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I replace Alt+Enter line breaks with a space or comma?

Open the Find and Replace dialog by pressing Ctrl+H. In the 'Find what' box, press Ctrl+J to enter the line break character. In the 'Replace with' box, type a single space or a comma. Finally, click 'Replace All'.

Why isn't Ctrl+J working in my Find and Replace box?

This usually happens if there are hidden spaces, formatting, or old search characters already present in the 'Find what' box. Clear the box completely by pressing the Backspace or Delete key several times before trying Ctrl+J again.

How do I remove all manual line breaks in a worksheet?

Press Ctrl+H to open Find and Replace. Enter Ctrl+J in the 'Find what' field, leave the 'Replace with' field completely empty, and click 'Replace All'. This will delete the line breaks and join the text together.

Excel & Data Problems