Excel column letter to number one

Earlier, we learnt how to convert the column number to the letter. But how do we convert column letter to number in excel? In this article, we learn to convert excel column to number.

So we have a function named COLUMN that returns the column number of supplied reference. We will use the COLUMN function with INDIRECT function to get the column number from a given column letter.
Generic Formula to convert letters to numbers in excel

Col_letter: it is the reference of the column letter of which you want to get column number.
Var2:

Let’s see an example to make things clear.
Example: Create an excel column letter to number converter
Here we have some column letters in B2:B5. We want to get corresponding column number (1, 2, 3, etc.) from that given letter (A, B, C, etc.).

Apply the above generic formula here to get column number of a given letter.

Copy it down. You will have the column number of the given column letter in B2:B5.

How does it work?
Well, it is very simple. The idea is to get the first cell’s reference from the given column number. And then use COLUMN function to get the column number of a given column letter.
Here, INDIRECT(B2&»1″) translates to INDIRECT(“A1″). This then gives us the cell reference of A1.
Eventually, we get COLUMN(A1), which then returns the column number of a given column letter.

 
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My Comments

ARich gives a good solution and shows the method I used for a while but Sancarn is right, its not optimal. It’s a little slower, will cause errors if the wrong input is given, and is not very robust. Sancarn is on the right track, but lacks a little error checking: for example, getColIndex(«_») and getColIndex(«AE»), will both return 31. Other non-letter characters (ex: «*») sometimes return various negative values.

Working Function

Here is a function I wrote that will convert a column letter into a number. If the input is not a column on the worksheet, it will return -1 (unless AllowOverflow is set to TRUE).

Function ColLetter2Num(ColumnLetter As String, Optional AllowOverflow As Boolean) As Double
'Converts a column letter to a number (ex: C to 3, A to 1, etc). Returns -1 if its invalid.
' @ColumnLetter - the letter(s) to convert to a number.
' @AllowOverflow - if TRUE, can return a number greater than the max columns.
    On Error GoTo invalidCol
    If Len(ColumnLetter) = 0 Then GoTo invalidCol
    Dim thisChar As String
    For i = 1 To Len(ColumnLetter) 'for each character in input
        thisChar = Mid(ColumnLetter, i, 1) 'get next character
        If Asc(UCase(thisChar)) >= 65 And Asc(UCase(thisChar)) <= 90 Then 'if the character is a letter
            ColLetter2Num = ColLetter2Num + (26 ^ (Len(ColumnLetter) - i)) * (Asc(UCase(thisChar)) - 64) 'add its value to the return
        Else
            GoTo invalidCol 'if the character is not a letter, return an error
        End If
        If AllowOverflow = False And (ColLetter2Num = 0 Or ColLetter2Num > Columns.Count) Then
        'if the value is not inside the bounds of the sheet, return an error and stop
invalidCol:
            ColLetter2Num = -1 'error
            Exit Function 'stop checking
        End If
    Next i
End Function

Examples

 Sub test()
        Debug.Print ColLetter2Num("A") 'returns 1
        Debug.Print ColLetter2Num("IV") 'returns 256        (max columns for excel 2003 and prior))
        Debug.Print ColLetter2Num("XFD") 'returns -1        (invalid because IV is the last column for .xls workbooks)
        Debug.Print ColLetter2Num("XFD", True) 'returns 16384 (does not return -1 because AllowOverflow = TRUE)
        Debug.Print ColLetter2Num("A_", True) 'returns -1   (invalid because "_" is not a column)
        Debug.Print ColLetter2Num("132", True) 'returns -1  (invalid because "1" is not a column)
        
        If ColLetter2Num("A") <> -1 Then
            Debug.Print "The input is a valid column on the sheet."
        Else
            Debug.Print "The input is NOT a valid column on the sheet."
        End If
    End Sub

This post will guide you how to convert column letter to number in Excel. How do I convert letter to number with a formula in Excel. How to convert column letter to number with VBA macro in Excel. How to use a User Defined Function to convert letter to number in Excel.

• Convert Column Letter to Number with a Formula
• Convert Column Letter to Number with VBA Macro
• Convert Column Letter to Number with User Defined Function
• Convert Number to Column Letter
• Video: Convert Column Letter to Number

Convert Column Letter to Number with a Formula

If you want to convert a column letter to a regular number, and you can use a formula based on the COLUMN function and the INDIRECT function to achieve the result.

For example, you need to convert a column letter in Cell B1 to number

Just like this:

=COLUMN(INDIRECT(B1&1))

Type this formula into a blank cell such as: C1, and press Enter key, and then drag the AutoFill Handle over to other cells to apply this formula.

The INDIRECT function will convert the text into a proper Excel reference and then pass the result to Column function to get the column number for the reference.

Convert Column Letter to Number with VBA Macro

You can also use an Excel VBA Macro to achieve the result of converting column letter into its corresponding numeric value. Just do the following steps:

#1 open your excel workbook and then click on “Visual Basic” command under DEVELOPER Tab, or just press “ALT+F11” shortcut.

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

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

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

Sub ConvertColumnLetterToNumber()
    Dim myRng As Range
    Dim cNum As Double
    Set myRng = Application.Selection
    Set myRng = Application.InputBox("select one range that contain column letters", "ConvertColumnLetterToNumber", myRng.Address, Type:=8)

    For Each myCell In myRng
            cNum = Range(myCell & 1).Column
            myCell.Resize(1).Offset(0, 1) = cNum
    Next
End Sub

#5 back to the current worksheet, then run the above excel macro. Click Run button.

#6 select one range that contain column letters, such as B1:B4

#7 let’s see the result:

Convert Column Letter to Number with User Defined Function

Excel does not have a built in formula to convert column letter to a numeric number, but you can write down a User Defined Function to achieve the result. Just do the following steps:

#1 repeat the above step 1-3

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

Function ConvertLetterToNum(ColumnLetter As String) As Double
    Dim cNum As Double
        
    'Get Column Number from Alphabet
    cNum = Range(ColumnLetter & "1").Column
    
    'Return Column Number
    ConvertLetterToNum = cNum
End Function

#3 back to the current worksheet, then type the following formula in a blank cell. press Enter key.

=ConvertLetterToNum(B1)

#4 select the cell C1, and  drag the AutoFill Handle over to other cells to apply this formula.

If you want to convert column number to an Excel Column letter, you can use another formula based on the SUBSTITUTE function and the ADDRESS function. Just like this:

=SUBSTITUTE(ADDRESS(1,C1,4),"1","")

Type this formula into Cell D1, and press Enter key. And then drag the AutoFill handle over to other cells to apply this formula.

Let’s see the last result:

Video: Convert Column Letter to Number

• Excel Substitute function
  The Excel SUBSTITUTE function replaces a new text string for an old text string in a text string.The syntax of the SUBSTITUTE function is as below:= SUBSTITUTE  (text, old_text, new_text,[instance_num])….
• Excel ADDRESS function
  The Excel ADDRESS function returns a reference as a text string to a single cell.The syntax of the ADDRESS function is as below:=ADDRESS (row_num, column_num, [abs_num], [a1], [sheet_text])….
• Excel INDIRECT function
  The Excel INDIRECT function returns the cell reference based on a text string, such as: type the text string “A2” in B1 cell, it just a text string, so you can use INDIRECT function to convert text string as cell reference….
• Excel COLUMN function
  The Excel COLUMN function returns the first column number of the given cell reference.The syntax of the COLUMN function is as below:=COLUMN ([reference])….