Excel copy all columns to one column

Say, you have an Excel table and want to copy all column underneath each other so that you only have one column. For example, you have a table 2 rows by 4 columns like in the screenshot on the right-hand side. You want to copy and paste this table to one column. You often need such transformation for inserting PivotTables or to create database formats. This article provides 4 simple methods to transform a 2-dimensional table into one column in Excel.

Example

The following methods will be introduced with a simplified example as shown on the right-hand side. You have a table with numbers within the cell range A1 to G7. That means you have 7 rows and also 7 columns. In total 49 cells to be copied to one column.

Method 1: Copy table to one column manually

Like so often, copying and pasting the columns manually might be the fastest solution. Given that you are reading this article, this might not be the method you want to hear. But anyway, doing it manually is often the fastest way.

Maybe some advice to speed up the manual process might help. Try to use as many keyboard shortcuts as possible. That way you could save some time.

• Holding Ctrl and pressing one of the arrow keys makes you jump between tables and cells.
• Holding the Shift key, you can select cells and ranges.
• And – of course – with Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V you can copy and paste cells.

For more information about the keyboard shortcuts please refer to our big keyboard shortcut package.

Method 2: The INDEX formula

You can convert a two-dimensional table into just one column by using the INDEX formula. Unfortunately, it requires some preparations. But on the other hand, it’s one of the faster ways (compared to setting up the more complex OFFSET formula like in method 3 below or the INDIRECT formula).

Let’s see what you need to prepare. Basically you have to create the column and row number in additional helper columns. That way you can easily refer to the original table. The screenshot on the right-hand side shows the necessary preparations.

• You need one column containing the row number (here in column A). You always start with 1. So if you data start in row 3, the first number you write is still 1.
• You need one column containing the column number (here in column B). Also for the column number you always start with number one.
• The third column contains the actual values, pulled by the formula =INDEX($A$1:$G$7;A10;B10)  . Example: In cell C10, the INDEX formula returns the value from the first row and first column of the range A1 to G7.

Please refer to this article for more information about the INDEX formula in Excel.

Method 3: OFFSET formula

The third method uses the OFFSET formula for copying several columns underneath each other to one column. If you need some introduction to the OFFSET formula, please refer to this article.

Because the formula is – in this universal case – very long, we don’t go much into detail here. It’s based on three cells.

1. The top left cell of the table you want to convert (here: A1).
2. The bottom left cell of the table you want to convert (here: A7).
3. The heading cell of your single column, which is supposed to contain all the data from the table (here: A9)

Now you just have to replace the cell links in the following formula with your cells. Don’t forget to fix the references with the $-signs as shown in the formula below.

=OFFSET($A$1,(ROW()-ROW($A$9)-1)-(ROW($A$7)-ROW($A$1)+1)*ROUNDDOWN((ROW()-ROW($A$9)-1)/(ROW($A$7)-ROW($A$1)+1),0),ROUNDDOWN((ROW()-ROW($A$9)-1)/(ROW($A$7)-ROW($A$1)+1),0))

In order to make it easier for you to use the formula, you can use the version below. All you have to do is to give names to the three main cell as shown in the image on the right-hand side. In order to achieve this, select the top left cell of your original table (here: A1) and click into the name field. Type “TopLeftCell” and press Enter on the keyboard. Repeat this with the bottom left cell (name “BottomLeftCell”) as well as the heading cell of your new table (name “HeadingCell”).

Once done, copy and paste the following formula it the first cell (here: A10). Now just copy and paste this cell down until all columns from your original table are covered.

=OFFSET(TopLeftCell,(ROW()-ROW(HeadingCell)-1)-(ROW(BottomLeftCell)-ROW(TopLeftCell)+1)*ROUNDDOWN((ROW()-ROW(HeadingCell)-1)/(ROW(BottomLeftCell)-ROW(TopLeftCell)+1),0),ROUNDDOWN((ROW()-ROW(HeadingCell)-1)/(ROW(BottomLeftCell)-ROW(TopLeftCell)+1),0))

Method 4: Professor Excel Tools

You want to use the most convenient way? Try the Excel add-in “Professor Excel Tools”. The steps are shown in the screenshot below.

1. Select the table you want to transform into a single column.
2. Click on Copy on the left-hand side of the “Professor Excel”-ribbon.
3. Select the first cell from which Professor Excel should paste the columns underneath.
4. Click on “Paste to Single Column” on the “Professor Excel” ribbon.
5. Now you can finetune the copy-and-paste-format. Do you which to copy the formulas without changing cell references, do you which to copy them as values or do you want to insert links to the original table? Then press Start.

That’s it. Do you want to try “Professor Excel” for free? Then just follow this link for more information or start the download right away.

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This function is included in our Excel Add-In ‘Professor Excel Tools’

(No sign-up, download starts directly)

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Download

 Please feel free to download all examples shown above in one comprehensive Excel file. Just click on this link and the download starts right away.

Now your columns of data have successfully merged into your new column.

=INDEX(_my_data,1+INT((ROW(A1)-1)/COLUMNS(_my_data)),MOD(ROW(A1)-1+COLUMNS(_my_data),COLUMNS(_my_data))+1)

This post will guide you how to transpose multiple columns into a single columns with multiple rows in Excel. How do I put data from multiple columns into one column with Excel formula; How to transpose columns into single column with VBA macro in excel.

Assuming that you have a data list in range B1:D4 contain 3 columns and you want to transpose them into a single column F. just following the below two ways.

You can use the following excel formula to transpose multiple columns that contain a range of data into a single column F:

#1 type the following formula in the formula box of cell F1, then press enter key.

=INDEX($B$1:$D$4,1+INT((ROW(B1)-1)/COLUMNS($B$1:$D$4)),MOD(ROW(B1)-1+COLUMNS($B$1:$D$4),COLUMNS($B$1:$D4))+1)

#2 select cell F1, then drag the Auto Fill Handler over other cells until all values in range B1:D4 are displayed.

#3 you will see that all the data in range B1:D4 has been transposed into single column F.

Transpose Multiple Columns into One Column with VBA Macro

You can also write an Excel VBA Macro to transpose the data of range in B1:D4 into single column F quickly. Just do the following steps:

#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.

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

Sub transposeColumns()
    Dim R1 As Range
    Dim R2 As Range
    Dim R3 As Range
    Dim RowN As Integer
    wTitle = "transpose multiple Columns"
    Set R1 = Application.Selection
    Set R1 = Application.InputBox("please select the Source data of Ranges:", wTitle, R1.Address, Type:=8)
    Set R2 = Application.InputBox("Select one destination single Cell or column:", wTitle, Type:=8)
    RowN = 0
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    For Each R3 In R1.Rows
        R3.Copy
        R2.Offset(RowN, 0).PasteSpecial Paste:=xlPasteAll, Transpose:=True
        RowN = RowN + R3.Columns.Count
    Next
    Application.CutCopyMode = False
    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

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

#6 select the source data of ranges, such as: B1:D4

#7 select one single cell in the destination Column, such as: F1

#8 let’s see the last result.

• Excel INDEX function
  The Excel INDEX function returns a value from a table based on the index (row number and column number)The INDEX function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Lookup and Reference Function.The syntax of the INDEX function is as below:= INDEX (array, row_num,[column_num])…
• Excel INT function
  The Excel INT function returns the integer portion of a given number. And it will rounds a given number down to the nearest integer.  And the INT function rounds down, so if you provide a negative number, the returned value will become more negative.The syntax of the INT function is as below:= INT (number)…
• Excel ROW function
  The Excel ROW function returns the row number of a cell reference.The ROW function is a build-in function in Microsoft Excel and it is categorized as a Lookup and Reference Function.The syntax of the ROW function is as below:= ROW ([reference])….
• Excel Columns function
  The Excel COLUMNS function returns the number of columns in an Array or a reference.The syntax of the COLUMNS function is as below:=COLUMNS (array)….
• Excel MOD function
  he Excel MOD function returns the remainder of two numbers after division. So you can use the MOD function to get the remainder after a number is divided by a divisor in Excel. The syntax of the MOD function is as below:=MOD (number, divisor)….

You can write a simple formula in your cell (B9 in your example) which uses INDIRECT(ADDRESS(x,y)) where x and y are the positions of the data you need to get. In your case, it would start at (1,1).

(As noted by Scott Craner in a comment, you probably want to use INDEX() instead of INDIRECT()).

The x position is going to increment from 1 to n and then repeat. So you can use the MOD() function to do that. In our case the ROW() is the number we need to use. Since MOD() is zero based, you have to do a little bit of math, nothing major:

MOD(ROW() - 9, 1000) + 1

• The ‘-9’ is because we start on row 9. In your case, if you have 2,000 rows, it will be closer to 2,000, of course. The number must become 0 in the very first entry.
• The 1,000 is the number of columns you have in your spreadsheet.

For the y position, you use an integer division (i.e. a FLOOR()). Again, the ROW() starts at 1, so we need to take that in account.

FLOOR((ROW() - 9) / 1000) + 1

• The ‘-9’ and 1,000 are like above.

Now we have a complete formula:

=INDIRECT(ADDRESS(MOD(ROW() - 9, 1000) + 1, FLOOR((ROW() - 9) / 1000) + 1))

First verify that this works as expected for the first cell (i.e. B9) then try again for the next few cells (B10, B11) by copying the line (i.e. select B9 and N number of lines after that and then hit Ctrl-D). You should test enough cells so you start seeing the second line appearing in your new column.

Now select B9 and all the rows to copy the entire set of values vertically (so if you have 1,000 columns × 2,000 rows, you need 2,000,000 rows in that column, not too sure Excel goes that far, though)

This will copy the data vertically. If necessary, you could do that in a separate sheet instead of below the existing data. Up to you. When referencing rows, it needs to include the name of the sheet. I’m not too sure how to do that with ADDRESS but you can probably find the info in the docs. At this point, though, this is formulae and not just plain data. If you want to convert that column to plain data, save it in a CSV file where formulae do not get saved. Then reload the CSV and copy that column where you want it.

Done without VBA. (although formulae are kind of VBA expressions…)

When working with Excel spreadsheets, copying and pasting data is a frequent task.

And many times, you will need to copy and paste an entire column (or multiple columns) in Excel. It could be a copy-paste in the same worksheet, or in any other worksheet or workbook.

In this tutorial, I will cover everything that you need to know about copy-pasting columns in Excel.

There there are multiple ways to do it. You can choose to copy and paste an entire column or multiple columns as is, or only copy the values or formatting, or formulas from a column.

Let’s see how to do all this.

Copying a Column As-Is Using a Keyboard Shortcut

Suppose you have a dataset as shown below and you want to copy column A and paste it as Column D.

For the purpose of illustration, I have also highlighted Column A in yellow color.

If all you want is to copy a column and paste it, below are the steps to get this done:

1. Select the column that you want to copy. To do this, click on the column header letter (which is at the top of the column)

1. With the entire column selected, use the keyboard shortcut – Control + C (or Command + C if using Mac). This will copy the entire selected column (you will see dancing ants at the borders)
2. Select the destination column where you want to paste the copied column
3. Paste it using the keyboard shortcut – Control + V (or Command + V if using a Mac)

The above steps would copy the selected column and paste it into the destination.

Note that this would copy everything from the source column to the destination column (including values, formatting, and formulas).

In case there is conditional formatting applied in the column, it would also be copied.

For this to work, you will have to select an entire destination column. If you only select a cell or a range in the destination column (as not the whole column), you will get an error.

Note: In this example, I have used the keyboard shortcuts Control + C and Control + V. You can also get the same thing by right-clicking on the selection and then clicking on Copy or Paste options.

Copying a Column As-Is Using a Keyboard+ Mouse Trick

Another really quick way to copy a column and paste it into the destination is by using a simple keyboard and mouse combo.

Suppose you have a dataset as shown below and you want to copy column A and paste it over Column D.

Below are the steps to do this:

1. Select the column that you want to copy

1. Hold the Control key (or Command key in Mac)
2. Place the mouse cursor at the edge of the selected column. You will notice that it changes to pointed arrow with a plus sign

1. With the Control/Command key pressed, press the left mouse key and drag the column to the position where you want it copied

The above steps would copy and then paste the columns that you dragged to the destination location.

Note that this technique will also work with multiple contiguous columns, but it won’t work with non-contiguous columns. For example, if you select columns A and D, then you won’t be able to use this, but you can use this if you select columns A and B.

Copy Paste a Column using Paste Special (Copy Value or Formatting or Formula Only)

Many times, you don’t need to copy the entire column with all the data and the formatting and formulas.

You may only need to copy the formatting or only copy the values without the formatting.

This can easily be done using the paste special feature in Excel.

Paste Special allows to copy and then paste specific elements from the copied data (such as values or formulas or formatting)

Suppose you have a dataset as shown below, and you want to copy and paste only values from column A to column D.

Below are the steps to do this using Paste Special:

1. Select the column that you want to copy (column A in this example)
2. Copy the column (or the range in the column). You can do this using Control + C (or Command + C) or right-click on the selection and then click on Copy
3. Right-clcik on the destination cell (D1 in this example)
4. Click on Paste Special option. This will open the Paste Special dialog box

1. Select Values

1. Click Ok

The above steps copy the entire column A, but only paste the values and not the formatting.

If you only want to paste the formatting, you can select the ‘Formats’ option in the Paste Special dialog box.

In case you want to copy values as well as formatting (but nothing else such as formulas), you can repeat the process twice. So copy Column A, then first paste values and then paste formatting.

Shortcut to Open Paste Special dialog box: ALT + E + S

Some other options that you get when using Paste Special:

• Column width
• Formulas
• Formulas and Number formats
• Values and Number formats
• Everything except the borders
• Comments and Notes
• Data validation (drop down lists)

So these are some of the ways you can use to copy and paste columns in Excel.

If you want to copy the entire column, you can use the first two methods, and in case you want to selectively copy something from the column, then you can use the Paste Special technique.

I hope you found this tutorial useful!

Other Excel tutorials you may also find useful:

• How to Copy Conditional Formatting to Another Cell in Excel
• How to Copy Excel Table to MS Word (4 Easy Ways)
• How to Copy and Paste Formulas in Excel without Changing Cell References
• How to Quickly Copy Chart (Graph) Format in Excel
• How to Multiply in Excel Using Paste Special
• Copy and Paste Multiple Cells in Excel (Adjacent & Non-Adjacent)
• How to Cut a Cell Value in Excel (Keyboard Shortcuts)