Excel allows users to organize datasets in tabular form. Users can arrange their data across thousands of rows and columns. If you have a small table with a limited number of rows and columns, it is easy to remember the purpose of each.
But what if you are dealing with hundreds of rows and columns?
Users can easily rename the columns header by simply double-clicking on existing names.
In some cases, properly named columns can be used across various formulas to perform complex calculations and prepare dynamic reports.
Welcome to this guide, where we will discuss how to rename columns in Excel. Please read this article till the end because we will discuss many tricks that can take your Excel skills to the next level.
Why to Rename a Column in Excel
Renaming a column in Excel includes modifying the header or label of the column in a worksheet. You can also define column headers and use them in formulas for any further calculations.
For example, if you’re calculating the sales for a specific item, you can give clear, meaningful names to the ranges or columns and even individual cells to use them in formulas.
Download the Example Excel Sheet
Before we dive deep into the article, consider downloading the following Excel sheet. Make sure you follow me along as we move through this article.
This way, you will become a pro at renaming the column headers and performing various calculations based on them. You can skip downloading the above file if you have your dataset ready.
How to Rename Columns in Excel
This is a straightforward method. All you need to do is select the first cell of the column and start typing.
Consider the following dataset, which contains employee names along with their joining date and annual salary.
Our task is to rename the column headers as follows,
- “Employee Name” to “Full Name”
- “Joining Date” to “Hire Date”
Let’s begin,
- Select the cell “A1”, which contains the first header
- Double-click on it to edit
- Press “Backspace” on your keyboard several times to erase the existing header name
(“Employee Name”) - Type “Full Name”
- Press the “Enter” key
- Next, select the cell “B1” and double-click on it using the mouse
- Using the “Backspace” key, erase the old header name from the cell B1
- Type “Hire Date”
- Press the “Enter” key
After following the steps above to change the column headers, our new table will look like below.
You have seen how easy it is to change the name of the column. All you need to do is select the cell, double-click on it, erase the existing name, and then start typing your new header name.
How to Rename Columns Using the Formula Bar
This is a second method of renaming the column headers in Excel.
Have you ever noticed a name box that appears below the main menu? Refer to the following image.
Consider the above example dataset. Our task is to change the first column header name to “Employee Name.”
Let’s begin,
- Select the cell “A1”, which contains the first header named “Full Name”
- Look for the name box that is located on the higher-rightmost side of the table, above the column letters
- Click inside the Name Box and delete any existing text
- Type in the new name for the column that is “Employee Name”
- Press “Enter” on your keyboard
That’s it!
You can see how straightforward it is to change the column heading using the Name Box in the GIF below.
How to Rename Columns to Use in Excel Formula
In this method, we will assign a static name to the entire column, which can be used further in various formulas to perform calculations, sort datasets, and much more.
Excel offers two features,
- Define Name
- Name Manager
They help you easily create and manage entire columns across any number of formulas.
Using the “Define Name” Feature to Rename Columns in Excel
Consider the following dataset where we have employee details, including their name, salary, and month in which the compensation was paid.
Our task is to rename the column header (“Money Paid”) using the Define Name and find the sum of the total salary processed in January 2023.
Here are the steps,
- Select the entire column as shown below by clicking on the letter “C”
- Hover over the main menu and look for the “Formulas” tab
- In the “Defined Names” section, click on the “Define Name” feature. Refer to the following image,
- A new popup will appear on your screen, as shown below,
- Type the range name as “Salary” in the “Name” field
(Note that you can only use characters and numbers here. It doesn’t accept names that contain special characters and space) - In the “Scope” dropdown, make sure to select the “Workbook” option
- In the “Refers to” field, check the reference and correct it if required
- Press the “OK” button
We have successfully named our column. Now, the name “Salary” can be directly used in formulas.
Let’s see how
- Create a new table as shown below
- Click on the cell “F1”
- Type “=SUM”
- Select the first option from the popup or press “Tab” on your keyboard
- Type “Salary”
(As can be seen, Excel has already recognized the newly named column header. You can either write the full name or select the first option from the popup, as shown in the image below) - End the formula with closing parenthesis “)”
- Press the “Enter” key
Excel allows you to define names for every column. If your dataset has a huge number of columns, you need to rename each column one by one by following the steps above.
It involves a lot of manual work. But that’s worth it!
Using the “Name Manager” feature to Rename Columns in Excel
The “Name Manager” feature also does the same job compared to the Define Name.
But the difference is that the Name Manager allows you to view, edit, and delete all the defined names in one place, providing a comprehensive management interface for all your named ranges.
We will consider the same example. Our task is to rename the column header from “Money Paid” to “Salary” using the Named range and then find the sum of the total salary processed in January month.
Here are the steps,
- Select the entire column as shown below
- Hover over the main menu and look for the “Formulas” tab
- In the “Defined Names” section, click on the “Name Manager” icon as shown below,
- A new dialog box will appear on your screen
- Press the “New” button as shown below,
- A new popup will appear on your screen
- Enter the name as “Salary” in the Name field
- In the Scope dropdown, choose the “Workbook” option
- In the “Refers to” field, specify the range for the column you want to rename
- Click on the “OK” button
Once we have defined a static name for our desired column, the next task is to find the sum of the total salary issued in January month.
Let’s begin,
- Create a new table as shown below
- Click on the cell “F1”
- Type “=SUM”
- Select the first option from the popup or press “Tab” on your keyboard
- Type “Salary”
- Complete the bracket using “)” on your keyboard
- Press the “Enter” button
As mentioned earlier, you can assign static names to any number of columns. You should use the Name Manager tool if dealing with multiple columns.
To add a name to the next column, you just need to click on the “New” button, as shown below.
For more tips and tricks on how to use Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets like a pro, make sure to explore our blog section, which is full of valuable information.