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How to add a column in Excel

There are several methods one can use to add a column in Excel. Below explain these methods.

Option 1:

To add a column in Excel:

  • Find the column where you want to insert the new column.  For example, if you want to insert a new column in column F, that’s the column you should target. In other words, if you want to insert a new column between column E and F, column F is where you should target. And to insert between column F and G, column G is where you should target.
  • Right-click the column header at the top of the sheet. A shortcut menu appears.
  • Choose Insert from the shortcut menu.

See screenshot:

How to add a column in Excel

How to add multiple columns

  • Highlight as many columns you wish to insert.
  • Then right-click and select Insert from the shortcut menu.

Excel will insert the new columns based on the number of columns you select. However, all the selected columns will be pushed to the right when those new columns are inserted.

See screenshot:

How to add a column in Excel

Option 2:

  • Click any cell in the column you wish to insert.
  • Then go to Home→Cells→Insert→Insert Sheet columns
How to add a column in Excel

In either option, Excel inserts a new column and automatically push all the other columns to the right. Thus, if you add a column after column B, the old column C becomes column D, the old column D becomes column E, and so on.

Even though the number of Excel columns is fixed, you can still insert new columns to make room for additional information. However, this operation doesn’t change the number of columns in Excel. Instead, inserting new columns shift the other columns to the right.

NOTE: You can only insert new columns on condition that the last column doesn’t contain any data. In this case, attempting to add a column will fail with the following dialog box:

How to add a column in Excel