![]() If dragging columns with a mouse does not work for you for some reason, then you can try to re-arrange several columns in your Excel table is this way: Swap multiple columns by copying, pasting and deleting Copy, paste and delete (allows moving several adjacent columns at a time).Cut and paste each column individually (probably not the best approach if you have to move a lot of columns).Drag several columns using the mouse (in my opinion, this is the fastest way).To reorder a few columns in your worksheet, choose one of the following options: If you try to do this, you will end up with the following error: The command you chose cannot be performed with multiple selections. The cut / paste method that works just fine for a single column does not allow switching several columns at a time. Press Ctrl together with the Plus sign (+) on the numeric keypad to insert the column.Select the column before which you what to paste the cut column.Select any cell in the column and press Ctrl + Space to select the whole column.If you are more comfortable with Excel shortcuts and keyboard, then you may like the following way to move columns in Excel: Select the column before which you want to insert the cut column, right click it and choose Insert Cut Cells from the pop-up menu.You can actually skip step 1 and simply right click the column's heading to choose Cut. Cut the selected column by pressing Ctlr + X, or right click the column and choose Cut from the context menu.Select the entire column by clicking on the column header.Please keep in mind that there're a few tricks here depending on whether you want to move a single column or several columns at a time: If manipulating the mouse pointer is not your technique of choice, then you can change the columns order by cutting and pasting them. Swap Excel columns by cutting and pasting Though, I guess the Microsoft Excel team will hardly ever win an award for the most user friendly interface on this feature :) It might require some practice, but once mastered it could be a real time saver. The drag and drop method works in Microsoft Excel 2016, 2013, 20 and can be used for moving rows as well. It is not possible to drag non-adjacent columns and rows in Excel. Then follow steps 2 - 4 above to move the columns, as shown in the screenshot. To select several columns, click the heading of the first column you need to move, press and hold Shift, and then click the heading of the last column. You can use the same technique to drag several columns in your Excel table. That's it! Release the mouse button, then leave the Shift key and find the column moved to a new position.You will see a faint "I" bar along the entire length of the column and a box indicating where the new column will be moved. Press and hold the Shift key, and then drag the column to a new location.But it works just fine on the right or left edge of the selected column, as shown in the screenshot. You'd better not do this anywhere around the column heading because the cursor can have too many different shapes in that area. Put the mouse pointer to the edge of the selection until it changes from a regular cross to a 4-sided arrow cursor.What I want is to switch the " License type" and " Product ID" columns so that a product ID comes right after the product name. I will use the AbleBits price list for this example. ![]() Suppose, you have a worksheet with information about your company's products and you want to quickly swap a couple of columns there. But maybe it's just my lack of sleight of hand ability :) Nevertheless, with some practice, I was able to get it to work, so you will definitely manage it too. In fact, it's one of those cases that can be classified as "easier said than done". If you try to simply drag a column name, which appears to be the most obvious way to move columns, you might be confused to find that it does not work.Īll in all, there are four possible ways to switch columns in Excel, namely:Īs already mentioned, dragging columns in Excel is a bit more complex procedure than one could expect. ![]() Surprisingly, Microsoft Excel does not provide a straightforward way to perform this common operation. Of course, you can try to hide the neighboring columns for a while, however this is not always the best approach because you may need to see data in those columns as well. For example, you might need to swap a couple of columns to view their data side-by-side. If you extensively use Excel tables in your daily work, you know that whatever logical and well thought-out a table's structure is, you have to reorder the columns every now and then. The latter is often considered unfeasible, but in fact there's a tool that allows moving non-adjacent columns in Excel 2016, 20 in a click. You will see how to drag columns with a mouse and how to move a few non-contiguous columns at a time. In this article, you will learn a few methods to swap columns in Excel.
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