when export to excel from SSRS report, sometimes header height does not grow and header text is hided

In SSRS Tags Published 11/16/2025

when export to excel from SSRS report, sometimes header height does not grow and header text is hided. I asked this to ChatGPT as it's my first go-to export. 

ChatGPT list many potential causes. 

Cause Description
1. Fixed header row height SSRS uses exact height (e.g., 20pt) from RDL design; Excel doesn’t auto-resize rows.
2. CanGrow disabled Textbox has CanGrow = False, so it won’t expand even if text wraps.
3. Merged cells Headers with merged cells prevent Excel from automatically adjusting row height.
4. WordWrap off Textbox doesn’t wrap lines, hiding overflowed text.
5. Extra padding or hidden items Internal padding or hidden rectangles may lock the rendered height.

 

These didn't work for me. 

Asked to Claude, my second peer developer. Claude listed a few potential fixes. 

For Separate Header Rows:

Fix Steps
Enable CanGrow on header textboxes - Select each textbox in header row<br>- Properties → CanGrow = True
Remove fixed row height - Right-click header row → Row Properties<br>- Height: Set to minimum (e.g., 0.25in) or leave blank<br>- Do NOT use exact fixed height
Check textbox properties - CanGrow = True<br>- CanShrink = False<br>- Reduce Top/Bottom padding if needed
Verify table properties - Tablix Properties → General<br>- Ensure "Keep together on one page" is unchecked

 

None of these worked. I pulled my hair a bit and almost gave up. 

And finally, I got the answer from Google, which actually ran Gemini and show me the answer as below. 

When exporting an SSRS report to Excel, and finding that header height does not grow sufficiently to display all text, resulting in hidden or truncated text, the issue often relates to how SSRS handles dynamic sizing and Excel's rendering limitations.
To address this:
  • Set CanGrow and CanShrink to False: For all textboxes within the header row of your Tablix or table, set both the CanGrow and CanShrink properties to False. This prevents SSRS from attempting dynamic height adjustments that Excel may not interpret correctly

In short, Set CanGrow and CanShrink to False did a trick for me. 

What i've learned again by this is: Do not trust LLM. Or, I should cross check with multiple LLMs with each other. 

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