When you’re working with spreadsheets, your data will be organized into rows and columns. As you begin making changes, it’s often useful to add new columns to your file. That’s easy to do, and helps you insert additional data quickly. Let’s learn how to add a column in Microsoft Excel.
How to Add a Column in Microsoft Excel
Imagine that you’re working in Microsoft Excel with a set of data spread over several columns. You may find yourself wanting an additional column within the dataset. In it, you can place additional details, formulas, references, and more. Fortunately, Excel makes the process of adding a column effortless. Let’s look at how.
Consider a dataset featuring four columns of data. You want to place a new column in the middle. The current columns A and B will be on one side, and columns C and D will be on the other.
Before you get started, it helps to understand how Excel analyzes columns like this. Excel’s Insert Column commands always look to the left. In other words, if you want to split columns A and B from columns C and D, you’ll need to select column C. Excel will insert columns on the left, not the right, side.
Click on the column C row header to select the row. You’ll see it highlight in green. Then, go to the Home tab on Excel’s ribbon.
There, click on the Insert button on the right side. Excel will automatically insert a new column, to the immediate left of the one you have selected.
This works for multiple columns as well. If you need to insert two new columns, simply select two columns by holding down Shift on your keyboard. When you click Insert, two new columns will appear to the left of your selection.
As you can see, Excel makes adding a column quick and easy.
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