We often need to insert new columns when working with data in spreadsheets. When there are multiple columns that need to be inserted, it often helps to insert them all at once, rather than one by one. Show
Google sheets provide the functionality to insert one or multiple columns at once, with just two to three clicks of your mouse. In this tutorial, we will see a few ways to quickly get this done.
Inserting a Single Column in Google SheetsIf you want to insert a single column either before or after a particular column in Google Sheets, you can use either the Insert menu or a context menu. We will take a look at both methods below. Inserting a Single Column using the Insert MenuLet us say you have a dataset as shown below and you want to insert a column before column B. Here are the steps you need to follow to insert a new column before a selected column using the Insert menu:
In case you want to insert a column after the selected column, choose the ‘Column right’ option from the ‘Insert’ menu. Inserting a Single Column using the Context MenuYou can also use the Context menu to quickly insert a new column before or after a selected column. This is a quicker way than the one shown above since you get the job done in just two clicks. Here are the steps you need to follow to insert a column before a selected column using the context menu. We are going to work on the same dataset:
In case you want to insert a column after the selected columns (after column B), you only need to select the header of column B and choose the ‘Insert 1 right’ option from the ‘Insert’ menu. Note: If you right-click on a cell, you only get an option to insert columns to the left of the cell. You don’t get the option to insert a new column to the right of the cell. Inserting Multiple Columns In Google SheetsThe Insert menu can be used to insert not just one, but even multiple columns at a time. Both the Insert menu as well as the context menu can be used to achieve this. The process remains the same as before, with just a minor difference. Inserting Multiple Columns using the Insert MenuLet us say you have the same dataset as before and you want to insert three new columns before column B. Here are the steps you need to follow to insert multiple new columns before a selected column using the Insert menu:
In case you want to insert three columns after the selected columns (after column D), you only need to select three column headers starting from and to the left of column D. Then you can choose the ‘3 Columns right’ option from the ‘Insert’ menu. Using this method you can insert any number of new columns. All you need to do is select that many numbers of column headers before using the Insert menu. Inserting Multiple Columns using the Context MenuUsing the context menu to insert multiple columns is an even quicker way. Let us now see how to insert three new columns before column B, working with the same dataset. Here are the steps you need to follow if you want to insert multiple columns before a column using the context menu:
In case you want to insert three columns after the selected columns (after column D), you only need to select three column headers starting from and to the left of column D. Then you can choose the ‘Insert 3 right’ option from the ‘Insert’ menu. Note: If you right-click on a group of cells, you only get an option to insert columns to the left of the cells. You don’t get the option to insert new columns to the right of the cells. Inserting a Large Number of Columns at OnceIf you want to insert a really large number of columns, then Google Sheets has a great option that lets you insert 26 columns at a time. You can then just keep adding columns in multiples of 26 at a time. Here’s how you can insert 26 columns at once at the start of your spreadsheet:
This happens because, by default, Google Sheets only displays 26 columns. So when you select all, you are allowed to add 26 more columns at a time. In case you want to insert 26 columns at the end of your spreadsheet, then choose the ‘26 Columns right’ option from the Insert menu. Note: When you use the context menu to add new columns, you only get an option to insert columns at the start of the spreadsheet. You don’t get the option to insert new columns at the end. In this tutorial, we showed you different ways in which you can insert either a single or multiple columns in your worksheet. The Insert menu provides options for you to insert columns either before or after a selected column. To get this done even quicker, you can right-click on a column and insert columns from the context menu that appears. If you want to insert multiple columns with non-adjacent columns (say one column to the left of column B, E, and G), you can’t do it at one go. You will have to do this one by one. Finally, we showed you how you can insert a large number of columns, 26 at a time using the Select All shortcut. We hope this tutorial has been helpful to you. Other Google Sheets tutorials you may like:
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