Column name from number excel

MS Excel columns have a pattern like A, B, C, …, Z, AA, AB, AC, …., AZ, BA, BB, … ZZ, AAA, AAB ….. etc. In other words, column 1 is named “A”, column 2 as “B”, and column 27 as “AA”.
Given a column number, find its corresponding Excel column name. The following are more examples.

Input          Output
 26             Z
 51             AY
 52             AZ
 80             CB
 676            YZ
 702            ZZ
 705            AAC

Thanks to Mrigank Dembla for suggesting the below solution in a comment.
Suppose we have a number n, let’s say 28. so corresponding to it we need to print the column name. We need to take the remainder with 26. 

If the remainder with 26 comes out to be 0 (meaning 26, 52, and so on) then we put ‘Z’ in the output string and new n becomes n/26 -1 because here we are considering 26 to be ‘Z’ while in actuality it’s 25th with respect to ‘A’.

Similarly, if the remainder comes out to be non-zero. (like 1, 2, 3, and so on) then we need to just insert the char accordingly in the string and do n = n/26.

Finally, we reverse the string and print. 

Example: 
n = 700
The remainder (n%26) is 24. So we put ‘X’ in the output string and n becomes n/26 which is 26. 
Remainder (26%26) is 0. So we put ‘Z’ in the output string and n becomes n/26 -1 which is 0.

Following is the implementation of the above approach.

Z
AY
AZ
CB
YZ
ZZ
AAC

Time Complexity: O(log₂₆n), as we are using a loop and in each traversal, we decrement by floor division of 26.

Auxiliary Space: O(50), as we are using extra space for storing the result.
Method 2 
The problem is similar to converting a decimal number to its binary representation but instead of a binary base system where we have two digits only 0 and 1, here we have 26 characters from A-Z.
So, we are dealing with base 26 instead of base binary. 
That’s not where the fun ends, we don’t have zero in this number system, as A represents 1, B represents 2 and so on Z represents 26. 
To make the problem easily understandable, we approach the problem in two steps:

1. Convert the number to base 26 representation, considering we have 0 also in the system.
2. Change the representation to the one without having 0 in its system.

HOW? Here is an example

Step 1: 
Consider we have number 676, How to get its representation in the base 26 system? In the same way, we do for a binary system, Instead of division and remainder by 2, we do division and remainder by 26.

Base 26 representation of 676 is : 100 

Step2
But Hey, we can’t have zero in our representation. Right? Because it’s not part of our number system. How do we get rid of zero? Well it’s simple, but before doing that let’s remind one simple math trick:

Subtraction: 
5000 - 9, How do you subtract 9 from 0 ? You borrow
from next significant bit, right.  

• In a decimal number system to deal with zero, we borrow 10 and subtract 1 from the next significant.
• In the Base 26 Number System to deal with zero, we borrow 26 and subtract 1 from the next significant bit.

So Convert 100₂₆ to a number system that does not have ‘0’, we get (25 26)₂₆ 
Symbolic representation of the same is: YZ 

Here is the implementation of the same:

Z
AY
AZ
CB
YZ
ZZ
AAC

Time Complexity: O(log₂₆n), as we are using a loop and in each traversal, we decrement by floor division of 26.

Auxiliary Space: O(10000), as we are using extra space for the array.

Method 3:

We can use a recursive function which definitely reduces the time and  increase the efficiency:

Alphabets are in sequential order like: ‘ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ’. You have experienced while using excel when you see columns and rows numbering are done in  Alphabetical ways.

Here’s How I purposefully think about the logic of how it is arranged.

(In Mathematical  terms, [a , b ] means from ‘a’ to ‘b’).

[1,26] = [A,Z] (Understand by ‘1’ stands for ‘A’ and ’26” stands for “Z”). For [27,52] ,it will be like [AA,AZ], For [57,78] it will be [BA,BZ]

Logic is to append an Alphabet sequentially whenever it ends up numbering at 26.

For example, if the number is ’27’ which is greater than  ’26’, then we simply need to divide by 26, and we get the remainder as 1, We see “1” as “A” and can be recursively done.

we will be using python for this.

Algorithm is:

1. Take an array and Sort the letters from A to Z . (You can also use the import string and string function to get “A to Z” in uppercase.)

2. If the number is less than or equal to ’26’, simply get the letter from the array and print it.

3. If it is greater than 26, use the Quotient  Remainder rule, if the remainder is zero, there are 2 possible ways, if the quotient is “1”, simply hash out the letter from the index [r-1]( ‘r’ is remainder), else call out the function from the num =(q-1) and append at the front to the letter indexing [r-1].

4. If the remainder is not equal to “0”, call the function for the num = (q) and append at the front to the letter indexing [r-1].

The code concerned with this is:

Z
AY
AZ
CB
YZ
ZZ
AAC

Time Complexity: O(log₂₆n), as we are using recursion and in each recursive call, we decrement by floor division of 26.

Auxiliary Space: O(1), as we are not using any extra space.
Related Article : 
Find the Excel column number from the column title
This article is contributed by Kartik. Please write comments if you find anything incorrect, or if you want to share more information about the topic discussed above.

This Excel tutorial explains how to change column headings from numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) back to letters (A, B, C, D) in Excel 2016 (with screenshots and step-by-step instructions).

Question: In Microsoft Excel 2016, my Excel spreadsheet has numbers for both rows and columns. How do I change the column headings back to letters such as A, B, C, D?

Answer: Traditionally, column headings are represented by letters such as A, B, C, D. If your spreadsheet shows the columns as numbers, you can change the headings back to letters with a few easy steps.

In the example below, the column headings are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 instead of the traditional A, B, C, D values that you normally see in Excel. When the column headings are numeric values, R1C1 reference style is being displayed in the spreadsheet.

To change the column headings to letters, select the File tab in the toolbar at the top of the screen and then click on Options at the bottom of the menu.

When the Excel Options window appears, click on the Formulas option on the left. Then uncheck the option called «R1C1 reference style» and click on the OK button.

Now when you return to your spreadsheet, the column headings should be letters (A, B, C, D) instead of numbers (1, 2, 3, 4).

1. from random import randint.
2. # Function to convert a given number to an Excel column.
3. def getColumnName(n):
4. # initialize output string as empty.
5. result = “”
6. while n > 0:
7. # find the index of the next letter and concatenate the letter.
8. # to the solution.

How do I number a column in Excel?

Show column number

1. Click File tab > Options.
2. In the Excel Options dialog box, select Formulas and check R1C1 reference style.
3. Click OK.

What is the column name for 28 column in Excel sheet?

Excel Columns AA-AZ

What is column formula in Excel?

The COLUMN function returns the column number of the given cell reference. For example, the formula =COLUMN(D10) returns 4, because column D is the fourth column.

How do you create a list of columns in Excel?

You create a list in much the same way you create a worksheet. You enter information into a list by entering data into cells….Method

1. In the first cell of the first row of the list, enter a column label.
2. Move one cell to the right.
3. Enter the second column label.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until finished.

What is column name in Excel?

In Microsoft Excel, the column headers are named A, B, C, and so on by default. Some users want to change the names of the column headers to something more meaningful. Unfortunately, Excel does not allow the header names to be changed.

How do I make a column header row value in Excel?

With a cell in your table selected, click on the “Format as Table” option in the HOME menu. When the “Format As Table” dialog comes up, select the “My table has headers” checkbox and click the OK button. Select the first row; which should be your header row.

How do you add a header to a formula in Excel?

Click in your table, select Design under Table Tools on the ribbon, and then uncheck “Header Row”. That should allow you to enter a formula in the cell above your table data.

How do I sort data in an Excel chart?

Hover over the top edge of a chart until you see sort by in the upper-left corner, then the name of a field, and then either asc or desc. Click the field name to sort on a different value. Click asc or desc to sort in the opposite direction. Chart sorted descending on the CountryRegion category value by default.

How do you reverse the order of a bar graph?

Right-click and select the option on very bottom of the pop-up menu called Format Axis. Then, on the Format Axis window, check the box for Categories in Reverse Order. That’s a jargony name with a straightforward purpose. It just re-sorts your bar chart in the opposite order of your table.

How do you reverse data in a bar graph?

Tip: In bar chart, reserve the x axis with righting click the x axis and selecting the Format Axis from context menu, then checking the Values in reverse order in the Format Axis dialog box. 3. Close the dialog, now the y axis order is reversed.

How do you mirror a graph on Excel?

On the Insert tab of the ribbon, in the Charts group, click on the Insert Bar Chart button and in the opened menu, click on the second option, which is Stacked Bar, among the 2-D Bar charts. This inserts a mirror bar chart into the worksheet. 3. Move the vertical axis labels to the left of the chart.

Why is my Excel backwards?

This happens because a setting in the Excel options menu called “Show sheet right to left” has been turned on. …

Convert an Excel column number to a column name or letter: C# and VB.NET examples

Excel worksheet size has increased dramatically from Excel 2000 to Excel 2007. In fact, the number of rows an Excel 2013 worksheet can support has increased 16 times and the number of columns 64 times more than the number Excel 2000 could handle. Below is a table displaying the number of columns and rows the different versions of Excel can contain:

• Getting the column letter by column number
• Getting the column index by column name

Getting the column letter by column index

There are a lot of examples floating around on the internet on how to convert Excel column numbers to alphabetical characters. There are a few ways to get the column letter, using either vanilla C# or VB.NET, Excel formulas or the Excel object model. Let’s take a look at some of the solutions.

Using C# or VB.NET

C# example:

static string ColumnIndexToColumnLetter(int colIndex)
{
    int div = colIndex;
    string colLetter = String.Empty;
    int mod = 0;
 
    while (div > 0)
    {
        mod = (div - 1) % 26;
        colLetter = (char)(65 + mod) + colLetter;
        div = (int)((div - mod) / 26);
    }
    return colLetter;
}

C# usage:

string columnLetter = ColumnIndexToColumnLetter(100); // returns CV

VB.NET example:

Private Function ColumnIndexToColumnLetter(colIndex As Integer) As String
    Dim div As Integer = colIndex
    Dim colLetter As String = String.Empty
    Dim modnum As Integer = 0
 
    While div > 0
        modnum = (div - 1) Mod 26
        colLetter = Chr(65 + modnum) & colLetter
        div = CInt((div - modnum)  26)
    End While
 
    Return colLetter
End Function

VB.NET usage:

Dim columnLetter As String = ColumnIndexToColumnLetter(85) ' returns CG

Using an Excel formula to convert a column number to column letter

Of course, if you’re in Excel and need to get the column letter based on a number, you can always use the ADDRESS function. The function is pretty straight forward; it requires a row and column number, and in our case, we need to specify the abs_num parameter, which can be one of four possible options:

Consider the following formula:
=ADDRESS(1,5,1)

By changing the abs_num parameter, you’ll see the following result:

Notice that in all the four cases, we get the column letter, in this case E, back as well as the row number. By setting the abs_num parameter to 4 and replacing the row number, we can effectively return the column letter using the following formula:

=SUBSTITUTE(ADDRESS(1,5,4),”1″,””)

Using the Excel Object Model to convert column numbers to alphabetic format

Of course, you could always use the Excel object model to get the column letter. Much like the ADDRESS function, you use the Address property of the Range object to determine the address of the column and then simply replace the row number as illustrated below:

C# example:

private void columnLetterRibbonButton_OnClick(object sender,
    IRibbonControl control, bool pressed)
{
    Worksheet sheet = null;
    Range range = null;
    string colLetter = string.Empty;
 
    try
    {
        sheet = (Worksheet)ExcelApp.ActiveSheet;
        range = sheet.Cells[1, 50] as Excel.Range;
        colLetter = range.Address[false, false, XlReferenceStyle.xlA1];
        colLetter = colLetter.Replace("1", "");
        MessageBox.Show(String.Format(
            "Column letter for column number 50 is : {0}", colLetter));
    }
    finally
    {
        if (sheet != null) Marshal.ReleaseComObject(sheet);
        if (range != null) Marshal.ReleaseComObject(range);
    }

VB.NET example:

Private Sub GetColumnLetterRibbonButton_OnClick(sender As Object, _
    control As IRibbonControl, pressed As Boolean) Handles _
    GetColumnLetterRibbonButton.OnClick
 
    Dim sheet As Excel.Worksheet = Nothing
    Dim range As Excel.Range = Nothing
    Dim colLetter As String = String.Empty
 
    Try
        sheet = DirectCast(ExcelApp.ActiveSheet, Excel.Worksheet)
        range = TryCast(sheet.Cells(1, 50), Excel.Range)
        colLetter = range.Address(False, False, Excel.XlReferenceStyle.xlA1)
        colLetter = colLetter.Replace("1", "")
        MessageBox.Show(String.Format( _
            "Column letter for column number 50 is : {0}", colLetter))
    Finally
        If sheet IsNot Nothing Then
            Marshal.ReleaseComObject(sheet)
        End If
        If range IsNot Nothing Then
            Marshal.ReleaseComObject(range)
        End If
    End Try
End Sub

Getting the column index by column letter

What should you do in order to reverse the scenario? How do you get the Excel column letter when all you have is the column index? Let’s take a look at how you can accomplish this using C#, VB.NET, an Excel formula and the Excel object model.

Using C# or VB.NET

C# example:

public static int ColumnLetterToColumnIndex(string columnLetter)
{
    columnLetter = columnLetter.ToUpper();
    int sum = 0;
 
    for (int i = 0; i < columnLetter.Length; i++)
    {
        sum *= 26;    
        sum += (columnLetter[i] - 'A' + 1);
    }
    return sum;
}

C# usage:

int columnIndex = ColumnLetterToColumnIndex("XFD"); // returns 16384

VB.NET example:

Public Function ColumnLetterToColumnIndex(columnLetter As String) As Integer
    columnLetter = columnLetter.ToUpper()
    Dim sum As Integer = 0
 
    For i As Integer = 0 To columnLetter.Length - 1
        sum *= 26
        Dim charA As Integer = Char.GetNumericValue("A")
        Dim charColLetter As Integer = Char.GetNumericValue(columnLetter(i))
        sum += (charColLetter - charA) + 1
    Next
    Return sum
End Function

VB.NET usage:

Dim columnIndex As Integer = ColumnLetterToColumnIndex("ADX") ' returns 703

Using an Excel formula to get the column number

Getting the column index directly in Excel is very easy. Excel has a built-in COLUMN() function. This function accepts a column reference, which is the column address. One catch though, is you have to combine the row number with the column address in order for it to work, e.g.:
=COLUMN(ADX1)

Using the Excel Object Model to convert a column letter to column number

Getting the column index is easily accomplished using the Excel object model. You first need to get a reference to a range object and then get the column number via the Column property of the Range object.

C# example:

private void getColumnIndexRibbonButton_OnClick(object sender,
    IRibbonControl control, bool pressed)
{
    Worksheet sheet = null;
    Range range = null;
    int colIndex = 0;
 
    try
    {
        sheet = (Worksheet)ExcelApp.ActiveSheet;
        range = sheet.Range["ADX1"] as Excel.Range;
        colIndex = range.Column;
        MessageBox.Show(String.Format(
            "Column index for column letter ADX is : {0}", colIndex));
    }
    finally
    {
        if (sheet != null) Marshal.ReleaseComObject(sheet);
        if (range != null) Marshal.ReleaseComObject(range);
    }
}

VB.NET example:

Private Sub GetColumnIndexRibbonButton_OnClick(sender As Object, _
    control As IRibbonControl, pressed As Boolean) Handles _
    GetColumnIndexRibbonButton.OnClick
 
    Dim sheet As Excel.Worksheet = Nothing
    Dim range As Excel.Range = Nothing
    Dim colIndex As Integer = 0
 
    Try
        sheet = DirectCast(ExcelApp.ActiveSheet, Excel.Worksheet)
        range = TryCast(sheet.Range("ADX1"), Excel.Range)
        colIndex = range.Column
        MessageBox.Show([String].Format( _
            "Column index for column letter ADX is : {0}", colIndex))
    Finally
        If sheet IsNot Nothing Then
            Marshal.ReleaseComObject(sheet)
        End If
        If range IsNot Nothing Then
            Marshal.ReleaseComObject(range)
        End If
    End Try
End Sub

Thank you for reading. Until next time, keep coding!

Available downloads:

This sample Excel add-in was developed using Add-in Express for Office and .net:

Sample add-ins and applications (C# and VB.NET)

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Long long time ago, when I was building some Excel VBA spreadsheet tool for a leading retailer, I was having some cheat-sheet in Excel, in order to find the number of the column in Excel – e.g. A-1, B-2, C-3 etc.

Today I was building something similar and I was really close to build that cheat sheet again, but I remembered that in my e-mail signature is written “Developer”, so building a cheat sheet for something like this should not be the case.

Thus, I managed to find in google the VBA function that I need to get the column name in Excel 🙂 After some time it worked and I managed to make the reverse function by myself. It all took me about 10 minutes, while building a cheat sheet would have taken 2. Anyway, it looks better this way. Here lies the code:

How the code works? If you are in trouble, you may write ?GiveCol(“B”) in the immediate window and you will get the result 2. For the first function, if you write GetCol(3), you will get C. As simple as that, if you know what you are looking for. Otherwise, have fun making cheat sheets and using them.

Note:

The GetCol function was found initially here:
http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/excel-questions/16444-getting-column-name-given-column-number.html

I simply changed some of the code, but the idea stays the same.

My column headings are labeled with numbers instead of letters

1. On the Excel menu, click Preferences.
2. Under Authoring, click General .
3. Clear the Use R1C1 reference style check box. The column headings now show A, B, and C, instead of 1, 2, 3, and so on.

Change numbers with text format to number format in Excel for the…

1. Select the cells that have the data you want to reformat.
2. Click Number Format > Number. Tip: You can tell a number is formatted as text if it’s left-aligned in a cell.

How do I show column numbers in Excel?

Show column number

1. Click File tab > Options.
2. In the Excel Options dialog box, select Formulas and check R1C1 reference style.
3. Click OK.

How do I convert text to values in Excel?

Use the Format Cells option to convert number to text in Excel

1. Select the range with the numeric values you want to format as text.
2. Right click on them and pick the Format Cells… option from the menu list. Tip. You can display the Format Cells…
3. On the Format Cells window select Text under the Number tab and click OK.

How do I convert a column of numbers to column names in Excel?

To convert a column number to an Excel column letter (e.g. A, B, C, etc.) you can use a formula based on the ADDRESS and SUBSTITUTE functions. With this information, ADDRESS returns the text “A1”.

How do I change the number format in Excel?

You can use the Format Cells dialog to find the other available format codes:

1. Press Ctrl+1 ( +1 on the Mac) to bring up the Format Cells dialog.
2. Select the format you want from the Number tab.
3. Select the Custom option,
4. The format code you want is now shown in the Type box.

Why does Excel have numbers for columns?

Cause: The default cell reference style (A1), which refers to columns as letters and refers to rows as numbers, was changed. Solution: Clear the R1C1 reference style selection in Excel preferences. On the Excel menu, click Preferences.The column headings now show A, B, and C, instead of 1, 2, 3, and so on.

How do I show columns and row numbers in Excel?

On the Ribbon, click the Page Layout tab. In the Sheet Options group, under Headings, select the Print check box. , and then under Print, select the Row and column headings check box .

How do I get columns and row numbers in Excel?

It is quite easy to figure out the row number or column number if you know a cell’s address. If the cell address is NK60, it shows the row number is 60; and you can get the column with the formula of =Column(NK60). Of course you can get the row number with formula of =Row(NK60).

How do I get row numbers in Excel?

Use the ROW function to number rows

1. In the first cell of the range that you want to number, type =ROW(A1). The ROW function returns the number of the row that you reference. For example, =ROW(A1) returns the number 1.
2. Drag the fill handle. across the range that you want to fill.

How do I format numbers in Excel?

Formatting the Numbers in an Excel Text String

1. Right-click any cell and select Format Cell.
2. On the Number format tab, select the formatting you need.
3. Select Custom from the Category list on the left of the Number Format dialog box.
4. Copy the syntax found in the Type input box.

What are the different ways in formatting numbers?

How to change number formats. You can select standard number formats (General, Number, Currency, Accounting, Short Date, Long Date, Time, Percentage, Fraction, Scientific, Text) on the home tab of the ribbon using the Number Format menu. Note: As you enter data, Excel will sometimes change number formats automatically.

How do I change the column title in Excel?

Select a column, and then select Transform > Rename. You can also double-click the column header. Enter the new name.

How do I change rows and column names in Excel?

Rename columns and rows in a worksheet

1. Click the row or column header you want to rename.
2. Edit the column or row name between the last set of quotation marks. In the example above, you would overwrite the column name Gold Collection.
3. Press Enter. The header updates.

How do I change Excel columns from numbers to alphabets?

To change the column headings to letters, select the File tab in the toolbar at the top of the screen and then click on Options at the bottom of the menu. When the Excel Options window appears, click on the Formulas option on the left. Then uncheck the option called “R1C1 reference style” and click on the OK button.

How do I get rid of column 1 headers in Excel?

Go to Table Tools > Design on the Ribbon. In the Table Style Options group, select the Header Row check box to hide or display the table headers. If you rename the header rows and then turn off the header row, the original values you input will be retained if you turn the header row back on.

How do I change the row numbers in Excel?

Here are the steps to use Fill Series to number rows in Excel:

1. Enter 1 in cell A2.
2. Go to the Home tab.
3. In the Editing Group, click on the Fill drop-down.
4. From the drop-down, select ‘Series..’.
5. In the ‘Series’ dialog box, select ‘Columns’ in the ‘Series in’ options.
6. Specify the Stop value.
7. Click OK.

What is an Xlookup in Excel?

Use the XLOOKUP function to find things in a table or range by row.With XLOOKUP, you can look in one column for a search term, and return a result from the same row in another column, regardless of which side the return column is on.

Why can’t I see row numbers in Excel?

In order to show (or hide) the row and column numbers and letters go to the View ribbon. Set the check mark at “Headings”. That’s it!

How do I add a numbered list in Excel?

Click the Home tab in the Ribbon. Click the Bullets and Numbering option in the new group you created. The new group is on the far right side of the Home tab. In the Bullets and Numbering window, select the type of bulleted or numbered list you want to add to the text box and click OK.

How do I automatically number in sheets?

Use autofill to complete a series

1. On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
2. In a column or row, enter text, numbers, or dates in at least two cells next to each other.
3. Highlight the cells. You’ll see a small blue box in the lower right corner.
4. Drag the blue box any number of cells down or across.