Excel columns names as numbers

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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.

Difference between A1 and R1C1 reference styles

A1 and R1C1 cell reference styles

  1. On the Excel menu, click Preferences.

  2. Under Authoring, click Calculation .

  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.

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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.

Contents

  • 1 How do you change Excel to Numbers?
  • 2 How do I show column numbers in Excel?
  • 3 How do I convert text to values in Excel?
  • 4 How do I convert a column of numbers to column names in Excel?
  • 5 How do I change the number format in Excel?
  • 6 Why does Excel have numbers for columns?
  • 7 How do I show columns and row numbers in Excel?
  • 8 How do I get columns and row numbers in Excel?
  • 9 How do I get row numbers in Excel?
  • 10 How do I format numbers in Excel?
  • 11 What are the different ways in formatting numbers?
  • 12 How do I change the column title in Excel?
  • 13 How do I change rows and column names in Excel?
  • 14 How do I change Excel columns from numbers to alphabets?
  • 15 How do I get rid of column 1 headers in Excel?
  • 16 How do I change the row numbers in Excel?
  • 17 What is an Xlookup in Excel?
  • 18 Why can’t I see row numbers in Excel?
  • 19 How do I add a numbered list in Excel?
  • 20 How do I automatically number in sheets?

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.

While you were looking for a VBA solution, this was my top result on google when looking for a formula solution, so I’ll add this for anyone who came here for that like I did:

Excel formula to return the number from a column letter (From @A. Klomp’s comment above), where cell A1 holds your column letter(s):

=column(indirect(A1&»1″))

As the indirect function is volatile, it recalculates whenever any cell is changed, so if you have a lot of these it could slow down your workbook. Consider another solution, such as the ‘code’ function, which gives you the number for an ASCII character, starting with ‘A’ at 65. Note that to do this you would need to check how many digits are in the column name, and alter the result depending on ‘A’, ‘BB’, or ‘CCC’.

Excel formula to return the column letter from a number (From this previous question How to convert a column number (eg. 127) into an excel column (eg. AA), answered by @Ian), where A1 holds your column number:

=substitute(address(1,A1,4),»1″,»»)

Note that both of these methods work regardless of how many letters are in the column name.

Hope this helps someone else.

Excel Column to Number

Excel COLUMN to Number (Table of Content)

  • Convert Column Heading to a Number
  • How to use the COLUMN function in Excel?
  • How to Change the Excel Reference Style?
  • What is the R1C1 Reference Style?

Excel COLUMN to Number

In Excel, column headings or labels are numbers instead of alphabets. This feature is called Excel reference style.

Convert Column Heading to a Number

Excel provides a built-in COLUMN function that falls under the Lookup/Reference function category. This function returns the column number for a given cell reference.

For Example: For finding the column number of Cell A10, we will use the formula like below:

=COLUMN (A10)

Which gives 1 as a result because column A is the first column.

Formula:

column formula

Where the passing argument reference is optional.

This function accepts only one argument, which is optional. It takes cell reference or a range of cells for which we want to find the column number. It returns the numeric value.

How to Use COLUMN Function in Excel?

Let’s take some examples to understand the usage of this function.

You can download this COLUMN to Number Excel Template here – COLUMN to Number Excel Template

Example #1

We have a list of some cell addresses and a range of cells.

column to number example 1.1

Now we will apply the COLUMN function here on the above cell address, and the Result is given below:

column to number example 1.2

Explanation:

As we can see above, in cell B7, we have passed a blank argument inside the COLUMN function; hence it returns the number 2 as the COLUMN function itself exists in Column B.

Example #2

We have given below a list of references.

column to number example 2.1

Now, after applying the COLUMN function, the final result is given below:

column to number example 2.2

In the same way, we can find out the list of all column labels in excel. Below is the list from Column A: Column Z for your reference:

column to number example 2.3

In an Excel spreadsheet named “Column A to Column ZZ”, we have provided you with the Column numbers from Column A to Column ZZ.

How to Change the Excel Reference Style?

Excel displays the column labels alphabetically, but we can change them with column numbers. This whole thing is called Excel R1C1 reference style.

For changing this reference style, please follow below steps:

  • Open a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, then go to the FILE tab and click on the Options tab in the left pane window, as shown in the below screenshot.

changing excel reference option

  • It will open an Excel options dialog box and click on the Formulas tab in the left pane window, as shown in the below screenshot.

changing excel reference style 1

  • This will display some options in the right side window, as you can see in the above image. Tick on checkbox R1C1 reference style under the Working with formulas section. Refer to the below screenshot.

changing excel reference style 2

  • By clicking on this option, we enable the style of using numbers for both rows and columns. By default, Excel will display Column headings as Column alphabets. With this option, cells are referred to in this format: R1C1; click on OK.

As a result, Excel will convert the column labels into numbers. Refer to the below screenshot.

changing excel reference style 3

This R1C1 reference style option is disabled by default due to this Excel display column headings as alphabets.

What is the R1C1 Reference Style?

Excel, by default, uses the A1 reference style, which refers to Columns as letters. A is the column, and 1 in the row. Excel has a total of 256 columns and 65,536 rows.

i.e. 256 are the column headings, and 65,536 are the row numbers. For any cell address, we always start with a Column label followed by a Row number.

For Example, E65 refers to the cell where Column E and Row no. 65 intersect to each other.

We can convert the Column Labels into Column numbers by enabling the R1C1 reference style option under the FILE tab. This style is very useful when we are using rows and columns positions in macros.

In this R1C1 style, Excel refers to a cell position with “R” followed by a row a number and “C” followed by a column number.

Things to Remember About Excel Column to Number

  • Reference argument can be a single cell address or range of cells.
  • It is an optional argument, which means if we don’t pass any argument, it returns the column number of the cell where the column function exists.
  • This R1C1 reference style option is very useful when we are using row and column positions in macros.

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to Excel Column to Number. Here we discussed How to use the COLUMN function in Excel with examples and a downloadable excel template. You may also look at these useful functions in excel –

  1. COLUMN Function in Excel
  2. Column Header in Excel
  3. Excel Sort By Number
  4. VBA Columns

Here is a quick reference for Excel column letter to number mapping. Many times I needed to find the column number associated with a column letter in order to use it in Excel Macro. For a lazy developer like me, It is very time consuming 😉 to use my Math skill to get the answer so I created this quick reference lookup for myself.

Jump to specific column list

If you are looking for a specific column, click on the following links to jump to a specific list of columns

Excel Columns A-Z

Column Letter Column Number
A 1
B 2
C 3
D 4
E 5
F 6
G 7
H 8
I 9
J 10
K 11
L 12
M 13
N 14
O 15
P 16
Q 17
R 18
S 19
T 20
U 21
V 22
W 23
X 24
Y 25
Z 26

Excel Columns AA-AZ

Column Letter Column Number
AA 27
AB 28
AC 29
AD 30
AE 31
AF 32
AG 33
AH 34
AI 35
AJ 36
AK 37
AL 38
AM 39
AN 40
AO 41
AP 42
AQ 43
AR 44
AS 45
AT 46
AU 47
AV 48
AW 49
AX 50
AY 51
AZ 52

Excel Columns BA-BZ

Column Letter Column Number
BA 53
BB 54
BC 55
BD 56
BE 57
BF 58
BG 59
BH 60
BI 61
BJ 62
BK 63
BL 64
BM 65
BN 66
BO 67
BP 68
BQ 69
BR 70
BS 71
BT 72
BU 73
BV 74
BW 75
BX 76
BY 77
BZ 78

Excel Columns CA-CZ

Column Letter Column Number
CA 79
CB 80
CC 81
CD 82
CE 83
CF 84
CG 85
CH 86
CI 87
CJ 88
CK 89
CL 90
CM 91
CN 92
CO 93
CP 94
CQ 95
CR 96
CS 97
CT 98
CU 99
CV 100
CW 101
CX 102
CY 103
CZ 104

Excel Columns DA-DZ

Column Letter Column Number
DA 105
DB 106
DC 107
DD 108
DE 109
DF 110
DG 111
DH 112
DI 113
DJ 114
DK 115
DL 116
DM 117
DN 118
DO 119
DP 120
DQ 121
DR 122
DS 123
DT 124
DU 125
DV 126
DW 127
DX 128
DY 129
DZ 130

Excel Columns EA-EZ

Column Letter Column Number
EA 131
EB 132
EC 133
ED 134
EE 135
EF 136
EG 137
EH 138
EI 139
EJ 140
EK 141
EL 142
EM 143
EN 144
EO 145
EP 146
EQ 147
ER 148
ES 149
ET 150
EU 151
EV 152
EW 153
EX 154
EY 155
EZ 156

Excel Columns FA-FZ

Column Letter Column Number
FA 157
FB 158
FC 159
FD 160
FE 161
FF 162
FG 163
FH 164
FI 165
FJ 166
FK 167
FL 168
FM 169
FN 170
FO 171
FP 172
FQ 173
FR 174
FS 175
FT 176
FU 177
FV 178
FW 179
FX 180
FY 181
FZ 182

Excel Columns GA-GZ

Column Letter Column Number
GA 183
GB 184
GC 185
GD 186
GE 187
GF 188
GG 189
GH 190
GI 191
GJ 192
GK 193
GL 194
GM 195
GN 196
GO 197
GP 198
GQ 199
GR 200
GS 201
GT 202
GU 203
GV 204
GW 205
GX 206
GY 207
GZ 208

Excel Columns HA-HZ

Column Letter Column Number
HA 209
HB 210
HC 211
HD 212
HE 213
HF 214
HG 215
HH 216
HI 217
HJ 218
HK 219
HL 220
HM 221
HN 222
HO 223
HP 224
HQ 225
HR 226
HS 227
HT 228
HU 229
HV 230
HW 231
HX 232
HY 233
HZ 234

Excel Columns IA-IZ

Column Letter Column Number
IA 235
IB 236
IC 237
ID 238
IE 239
IF 240
IG 241
IH 242
II 243
IJ 244
IK 245
IL 246
IM 247
IN 248
IO 249
IP 250
IQ 251
IR 252
IS 253
IT 254
IU 255
IV 256
IW 257
IX 258
IY 259
IZ 260

Excel Columns JA-JZ

Column Letter Column Number
JA 261
JB 262
JC 263
JD 264
JE 265
JF 266
JG 267
JH 268
JI 269
JJ 270
JK 271
JL 272
JM 273
JN 274
JO 275
JP 276
JQ 277
JR 278
JS 279
JT 280
JU 281
JV 282
JW 283
JX 284
JY 285
JZ 286

Excel Columns KA-KZ

Column Letter Column Number
KA 287
KB 288
KC 289
KD 290
KE 291
KF 292
KG 293
KH 294
KI 295
KJ 296
KK 297
KL 298
KM 299
KN 300
KO 301
KP 302
KQ 303
KR 304
KS 305
KT 306
KU 307
KV 308
KW 309
KX 310
KY 311
KZ 312

Excel Columns LA-LZ

Column Letter Column Number
LA 313
LB 314
LC 315
LD 316
LE 317
LF 318
LG 319
LH 320
LI 321
LJ 322
LK 323
LL 324
LM 325
LN 326
LO 327
LP 328
LQ 329
LR 330
LS 331
LT 332
LU 333
LV 334
LW 335
LX 336
LY 337
LZ 338

Excel Columns MA-MZ

Column Letter Column Number
MA 339
MB 340
MC 341
MD 342
ME 343
MF 344
MG 345
MH 346
MI 347
MJ 348
MK 349
ML 350
MM 351
MN 352
MO 353
MP 354
MQ 355
MR 356
MS 357
MT 358
MU 359
MV 360
MW 361
MX 362
MY 363
MZ 364

Excel Columns NA-NZ

Column Letter Column Number
NA 365
NB 366
NC 367
ND 368
NE 369
NF 370
NG 371
NH 372
NI 373
NJ 374
NK 375
NL 376
NM 377
NN 378
NO 379
NP 380
NQ 381
NR 382
NS 383
NT 384
NU 385
NV 386
NW 387
NX 388
NY 389
NZ 390

Excel Columns OA-OZ

Column Letter Column Number
OA 391
OB 392
OC 393
OD 394
OE 395
OF 396
OG 397
OH 398
OI 399
OJ 400
OK 401
OL 402
OM 403
ON 404
OO 405
OP 406
OQ 407
OR 408
OS 409
OT 410
OU 411
OV 412
OW 413
OX 414
OY 415
OZ 416

Excel Columns PA-PZ

Column Letter Column Number
PA 417
PB 418
PC 419
PD 420
PE 421
PF 422
PG 423
PH 424
PI 425
PJ 426
PK 427
PL 428
PM 429
PN 430
PO 431
PP 432
PQ 433
PR 434
PS 435
PT 436
PU 437
PV 438
PW 439
PX 440
PY 441
PZ 442

Excel Columns QA-QZ

Column Letter Column Number
QA 443
QB 444
QC 445
QD 446
QE 447
QF 448
QG 449
QH 450
QI 451
QJ 452
QK 453
QL 454
QM 455
QN 456
QO 457
QP 458
QQ 459
QR 460
QS 461
QT 462
QU 463
QV 464
QW 465
QX 466
QY 467
QZ 468

Excel Columns RA-RZ

Column Letter Column Number
RA 469
RB 470
RC 471
RD 472
RE 473
RF 474
RG 475
RH 476
RI 477
RJ 478
RK 479
RL 480
RM 481
RN 482
RO 483
RP 484
RQ 485
RR 486
RS 487
RT 488
RU 489
RV 490
RW 491
RX 492
RY 493
RZ 494

Excel Columns SA-SZ

Column Letter Column Number
SA 495
SB 496
SC 497
SD 498
SE 499
SF 500
SG 501
SH 502
SI 503
SJ 504
SK 505
SL 506
SM 507
SN 508
SO 509
SP 510
SQ 511
SR 512
SS 513
ST 514
SU 515
SV 516
SW 517
SX 518
SY 519
SZ 520

Excel Columns TA-TZ

Column Letter Column Number
TA 521
TB 522
TC 523
TD 524
TE 525
TF 526
TG 527
TH 528
TI 529
TJ 530
TK 531
TL 532
TM 533
TN 534
TO 535
TP 536
TQ 537
TR 538
TS 539
TT 540
TU 541
TV 542
TW 543
TX 544
TY 545
TZ 546

Excel Columns UA-UZ

Column Letter Column Number
UA 547
UB 548
UC 549
UD 550
UE 551
UF 552
UG 553
UH 554
UI 555
UJ 556
UK 557
UL 558
UM 559
UN 560
UO 561
UP 562
UQ 563
UR 564
US 565
UT 566
UU 567
UV 568
UW 569
UX 570
UY 571
UZ 572

Excel Columns VA-VZ

Column Letter Column Number
VA 573
VB 574
VC 575
VD 576
VE 577
VF 578
VG 579
VH 580
VI 581
VJ 582
VK 583
VL 584
VM 585
VN 586
VO 587
VP 588
VQ 589
VR 590
VS 591
VT 592
VU 593
VV 594
VW 595
VX 596
VY 597
VZ 598

Excel Columns WA-WZ

Column Letter Column Number
WA 599
WB 600
WC 601
WD 602
WE 603
WF 604
WG 605
WH 606
WI 607
WJ 608
WK 609
WL 610
WM 611
WN 612
WO 613
WP 614
WQ 615
WR 616
WS 617
WT 618
WU 619
WV 620
WW 621
WX 622
WY 623
WZ 624

Excel Columns XA-XZ

Column Letter Column Number
XA 625
XB 626
XC 627
XD 628
XE 629
XF 630
XG 631
XH 632
XI 633
XJ 634
XK 635
XL 636
XM 637
XN 638
XO 639
XP 640
XQ 641
XR 642
XS 643
XT 644
XU 645
XV 646
XW 647
XX 648
XY 649
XZ 650

Excel Columns YA-YZ

Column Letter Column Number
YA 651
YB 652
YC 653
YD 654
YE 655
YF 656
YG 657
YH 658
YI 659
YJ 660
YK 661
YL 662
YM 663
YN 664
YO 665
YP 666
YQ 667
YR 668
YS 669
YT 670
YU 671
YV 672
YW 673
YX 674
YY 675
YZ 676

Excel Columns ZA-ZZ

Column Letter Column Number
ZA 677
ZB 678
ZC 679
ZD 680
ZE 681
ZF 682
ZG 683
ZH 684
ZI 685
ZJ 686
ZK 687
ZL 688
ZM 689
ZN 690
ZO 691
ZP 692
ZQ 693
ZR 694
ZS 695
ZT 696
ZU 697
ZV 698
ZW 699
ZX 700
ZY 701
ZZ 702
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Column Name to Column Number

  • Column Number to Column Name

Column Name to Column Number is nothing but converting Excel alphabetic character column name to column number. Most of the time while automating many tasks it may be required. Please find the following details about conversion of column name to column number. You can also say column string to column number. Or get alphabetic character to column number using Excel VBA. Please find the following different strategic functions to get column name to column number.

Column Number to Column Name

  • Column Name to Column Number: By Refering a Range
    • Column Name to Column Number: Example and Output
  • Using Len function and For loop
    • Column Name to Column Number: Example and Output

Column Name to Column Number: By Referring a Range

Please find the following details about conversion from Column Name to Column Number in Excel VBA. Here we are referring a range.

'Easiest Approach: By Referring a Range
Function fnLetterToNumber_Range(ByVal strColumnName As String)
    fnLetterToNumber_Range = Range(strColumnName & "1").Column
End Function

Column Name to Column Number: Example and Output

Please find the below example code. It will show you how to get column number from column name using Excel VBA. In the below example “fnLetterToNumber_Range” is the function name, which is written above. And “D” represents the Column name and “fnLetterToNumber_Range” function parameter.

Sub sbLetterToNumber_ExampleMacro1()
    MsgBox "Column Number is : " & fnLetterToNumber_Range("D")
End Sub

Output: Press ‘F5’ or Click on Run button to run the above procedure. Please find the following output, which is shown in the following screen shot.

Column Name to Column Number

Column Name to Column Number: Using Len function and For loop

Please find the following details about conversion from Column Name to Column Number in Excel VBA. Here we are referring using a ‘Len’ function and For loop.

 	
'Using Len functions and For loop
Function fnLetterToNumber_LenForLoop(ByVal strColumnName As String)
      fnLetterToNumber_LenForLoop = 0
      For i = 1 To Len(strColumnName)
          fnLetterToNumber_LenForLoop = (Asc(UCase(Mid(strColumnName, i, 1))) - 64) + fnLetterToNumber_LenForLoop * 26
      Next i
End Function

Column Name to Column Number: Example and Output

Please find the below example code. It will show you how to get column number from column name using Excel VBA. In the below example “sbLetterToNumber_ExampleMacro” is the function name, which is written above. And “DA” represents the Column name and “sbLetterToNumber_ExampleMacro” function parameter. The function has written using for loop. When you run the above example procedure, you will see the following output.

Sub sbLetterToNumber_ExampleMacro()
    MsgBox "Column Number is : " &  fnLetterToNumber_LenForLoop("DA")
End Sub

Output: Press ‘F5’ or Click on Run button to run the above procedure. Please find the following output, which is shown in the following screen shot.

Column Name to Column Number_Op2

More about Column Number to Column Name Conversion

Here is the link to more about how to convert column number to column name using VBA in Excel.

Column Number to Name Conversion

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Excel Column Headings Show Numbers

Have you ever opened an Excel workbook and found that the column headings show numbers instead of letters? The formula look strange too, showing references like RC[-1] instead of D2.

R1C1Formula

This is R1C1 reference style — a handy feature, and I use it sometimes when programming or setting up a workbook.

Numbers on the column headings make it easier to set up formulas that need a column number, such as VLOOKUP. I don’t have to get fingerprints on my screen, as I count across to column R, where the lookup value is.

Video: Change Excel Column Headings from Numbers to Letters

To see why this happens, and how to switch the column headings back to letters, watch this short video tutorial. The written instructions are below the video.

Your browser can’t show this frame. Here is a link to the page

Why It Happens

Maybe you’ve never heard of R1C1 reference style, and certainly didn’t change any settings. If you didn’t turn that option on, why did the numbers suddenly appear? Probably because someone sent you a workbook, and that’s the first Excel file that you opened today.

The first workbook that you open, when opening Excel, sets the reference style. For example, perhaps I built a workbook for you, and saved it while I was using R1C1 reference style.

I sent you the workbook overnight, and it was the first thing you opened this morning. Surprise! There are numbers in the column headings.

Turn R1C1 Reference Style On or Off

If you close Excel, then open a workbook that you created yourself, with letters in the column headings, that will change the reference style back to A1, which has letters in the column headings.

Or, to manually change the reference style, you can change the option setting.

In Excel 2010:

  1. At the left end of the Ribbon, click the File tab, then click Options.
    • Excel Options 2010
  2. Click the Formulas category.
  3. In the Working with Formulas section, add or remove the check mark from ‘R1C1 reference style’
  4. Click OK to close the Options window.

In Excel 2007:

    1. At the left end of the Ribbon, click the Office Button, then click Excel Options.
    2. Click the Formulas category.
    3. In the Working with Formulas section, add or remove the check mark from ‘R1C1 reference style’
    4. Click OK to close the Options window.

R1C1RefStyle

In Excel 2003 and earlier versions:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options and select the General tab.
  2. Add or remove the check mark from ‘R1C1 reference style’
  3. Click OK to close the Options dialog box.

R1C1

Use a Macro to Switch Headings

If you frequently change the headings from numbers to letters, or letters to numbers, you can create a macro to do the work for you.

There are instructions in this blog post: Excel VBA: Switch Column Headings to Numbers
________________________

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.
0038
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.).
0039
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.
0040
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.

So yeah, this is how to convert a column letter into a column index number. This is quite easy. Let me know if you have any doubt regarding this function or any other function in advanced excel. The comments section is all yours.

 
Download file:

 
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How to Convert Excel Column Number To Letter

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Topics Map > OS and Desktop Applications > Applications > Productivity

Microsoft Excel can be configured to display column labels as numbers instead of letters. This feature is called «R1C1 Reference Style«, and though it can be useful, it can also be confusing if inadvertently enabled.

This document contains instructions for disabling the «R1C1 Reference Style» feature in the following versions of Microsoft Office:

Office 2008/2011 (Mac)

  1. Click on the Excel menu at the top of the screen and select Preferences.

  2. Click on General.

  3. Uncheck R1C1 Reference Style.

  4. Click OK at the bottom.

Office 2010/2013 (Win)

  1. Click on the File tab at the top of the screen and select Options.

  2. Click Formulas.

  3. Uncheck R1C1 Reference Style.

  4. Click OK at the bottom of the window.

Office 2007 (Win)

  1. Click on the Office button in the top left hand corner.

  2. Click on Excel Options.

  3. Select the Formulas tab on the left.

  4. Uncheck R1C1 Reference Style.

  5. Click OK at the bottom.

Office 2003 (Win)

  1. Click on the Tools menu.

  2. Choose Options.

  3. Click on the General tab.

  4. Uncheck R1C1 Reference Style.


Keywords: excel xp 2001 2002 2003 2007 2008 column label number letter r1c1 format display header reference   Suggest keywords Doc ID: 781
Owner: Help Desk KB Team . Group: DoIT Help Desk
Created: 2000-11-21 19:00 CDT Updated: 2022-08-02 13:18 CDT
Sites: DoIT Help Desk, New Mexico State University, University of Illinois Unified, UW Oshkosh
Feedback:   12   2     Comment   Suggest a new document

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