Abstract: A method of and apparatus for changing the secondary cooling during continuous casting of steel, especially when changing the shape or format, wherein the strand surface is impinged by cooling agent jets produced by means of spray nozzles, the impingement of the cooling agent jets being in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the cast strand. Upon changing the format of the strand to be cast there is altered the perpendicular distance of the nozzles from the strand surface and thus the cooling. According to the invention upon changing this distance and/or the spray angle of at least two nozzles located adjacent one another and transversely with respect to the strand, the mutual deviations of the impinged surfaces at the strand brought about by such change and the thus brought about change in the cooling are compensated by adjusting the distance between the nozzles.