Excel column is number not letter

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).

If your Microsoft Excel application has column numbers instead of letters, then you may be wondering not only how that happened, but how you can fix it.

We get used to certain things remaining consistent in the computer applications that we use regularly, and that’s especially true of Excel.

So if you have Excel column number labels at the tops of your columns instead of letters, then you can follow our steps below to switch them back.

How to Switch Excel Column Number to Letter

1. Open your spreadsheet.
2. Select the File tab.
3. Choose Options.
4. Click the Formulas tab.
5. Uncheck the R1C1 reference style box.
6. Click OK.

Our guide continues below with additional information to answer the question of why are my columns in Excel numbers, including pictures of these steps.

When you refer to a cell in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, such as with a subtraction formula, you are likely accustomed to doing so by indicating the column, then the row number.

For example, the top-left cell in your spreadsheet would be cell A1. However, you might be using Excel and find that the columns are labeled with numbers instead of letters.

This can be confusing if you were not expecting it, and have not worked with this setup before.

This cell reference system is called R1C1, and is common in some fields and organizations.

However, it is just a setting in Excel 2013, and you can change it if you would prefer to use the column letters with which you are familiar.

Our guide below will show you how to turn on the R1C1 reference style so that you can go back to column letters instead of numbers.

Read our convert to number Excel guide for information on switching text to numbers in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.

How to Change Excel 2013 Column Labels from Numbers Back to Letters (Guide with Pictures)

The steps in this article assume that you are currently seeing Excel column labels as numbers instead of letters, and that you would like to switch back. Note that this setting is defined for the Excel application, meaning that it will apply to every spreadsheet that you open in the program.

Step 1: Open Excel 2013.

Step 2: Click the File tab at the top-left corner of the window.

Step 3: Click Options at the bottom of the column on the left side of the window.

Step 4: Click the Formulas tab at the left side of the Excel Options window.

Step 5: Scroll down to the Working with formulas section of the menu, then uncheck the box to the left of R1C1 reference style. Click the OK button at the bottom of the window to apply your changes.

Now that you know how to switch Excel column numbers to letters you will be able to fix this problem again in the future, should you encounter it.

You should now be returned to your spreadsheet, where the column labels should once again be letters instead of numbers.

Are you having trouble fixing the constant issues that seem to occur whenever you try to print a spreadsheet? Our Excel printing tips can provide you with some helpful pointers and settings that can make printing your data a little less frustrating.

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Excel has an option for showing column letters instead of number. This can be useful, for example, when you work with VBA macros or when you have to count columns (e.g. VLOOKUP). But in most cases, you would prefer letters. In this article we learn how to change column numbers to letters and the other way around in Excel.

Effect of numbers instead of letters in column headings

If you see numbers instead of letters for the column headings, you will also notice the following effect: All cell references are replaced by numbers. This style is called R1C1 reference style. 

Instead of ‘=$A$2’, you will find ‘=R1C2’ for row 1 and column 2. If we remove the dollar signs, this formula might look completely different as it will always show the distance from the current cell.

Steps for changing from column letters to numbers

You can switch from column letters to numbers quite easily in Excel (the following numbers are referring to the picture above):

1. Go To File and click on Options. 
2. Select Formulas on the left hand side.
3. Tick “R1C1 reference style”.

Switching back from numbers to letters works the same way. Only in the last step, you have to remove the tick from “R1C1 reference style”.

Please note that all references within formulas will be replaced by numbers.

Henrik Schiffner is a freelance business consultant and software developer. He lives and works in Hamburg, Germany. Besides being an Excel enthusiast he loves photography and sports.

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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.

Some times we get the need of converting given column number into the column letter (A, B, C,..), since the excel addressing function works with column letters.
So there’s no function that converts the excel column number to column letter directly. But we can combine SUBSTITUTE function with ADDRESS function to get the column letter using column index.

Generic Formula

Column_number: the column number of which you want to get column letter.

Example: Covert excel number to column letter
Here we have some column numbers in B2:B5. We want to get corresponding column letter (A, B, C, etc) from that given number (1, 2, 3, etc.).

Apply above generic formula here to get column letter from column number.

Copy down this formula. You have the column letters in C2:C5.

How it works?
Well, this is a quite simple formula. The aim is to get first cell address of given column number. Then remove the row number to have only the column letter. We get the address of first cell of given column number using ADDRESS function.

ADDRESS(1,B2,4): Here B2 contains 1. This make translates to ADDRESS(1,1,4). The address FUNCTION returns the address at coordinate 1st row, 1st Column in relative format (4). This give us A1.

Now SUBSTITUTE function has SUBSTITUTE(A1,1,””). It replaces 1 with nothing (“”) from A1. This gives us A.

So yeah guys this how you can convert number to letter of column in excel. In our next tutorial, we will learn how to convert column letter to number. Till than, if you have any doubts regarding this article or any other topic in advanced excel, let us know in the comments section below.

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This post explains that how to convert a column number to a column letter using formula in excel. How to convert column number to a column letter using user defined function in VBA.

Convert column number to letter using excel formula

if you want to convert column number to letter, you can use the ADDRESS function to get the absolute reference of one excel cell that contains that column number, such as, you can get the address of Cell B1, then you can use the SUBSTITUTE function to replace row number with empty string, so that you can get the column letter. So you can write down the following formula using the SUBSTITUTE function and the ADDRESS function.

=SUBSTITUTE(ADDRESS(1,B1,4),"1"," ")

Let’s see how this formula works:

=ADDRESS(1,B1,4)

The ADDRESS function returns an absolute reference for a cell at a given row and column number. And this formula returns A1. The returned address goes into the SUBSTITUTE function as its Text argument.

=SUBSTITUTE(ADDRESS(1,B1,4),”1″,” “)

This formula will replace the old_text “1” with empty string for a string of cell reference returned by the ADDRESS. So it returns a letter.

Convert column number to letter with VBA user defind function

You can also create a new user defined function to convert column number to  a column letter in Excel VBA:

1# click on “Visual Basic” command under DEVELOPER Tab.

2# then the “Visual Basic Editor” window will appear.

3# click “Insert” ->”Module” to create a new module named

4# paste the below VBA code into the code window. Then clicking “Save” button.

Public Function ConNumToLetter(Collet)
    ConNumToLetter = Split(Cells(1, Collet).Address, "$")(1)
End Function

5# back to the current worksheet, then enter the below formula in Cell C1:

= ConNumToLetter(B1)

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