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    Home»Office»Excel»How to Add a Column in Excel

    How to Add a Column in Excel

    Jabin ManandharBy Jabin ManandharApril 19, 2023 Excel 8 Mins Read

    Usually, when working with a dataset in Excel, especially a large one, it’s quite normal to miss or require column (s) that need to be added later.

    In the following example, the marks of the English subject are missing so we need to add a new column for it.

    Missing-column-example

    Inserting a new column at the end (after the Total Marks column) is relatively easy. But, what if you need to add it somewhere in the middle to accurately calculate the Total Marks?

    On top of it, what if you need to add multiple columns at once?

    How to Add Column on a Regular Cell Block (Non-Table Data)?

    If you are looking to insert a column between regular columns, you can use the methods below. However, for a table, you can directly jump to the next section.

    Using the Shortcut Key 

    1. Click the main column header (A, B, C…) to select an entire column. Here, we are trying to add an “Address” column between the Name and Email columns.
      Add-a-column-between-two-columns
    2. Then, press the shortcut key Ctrl + Shift + + or Alt + I + C. For Mac users, use the shortcut key Cmd + Shift + + instead.
    Note: Excel will add the new column on its left side. So, select the column accordingly.

    Using the Home Ribbon 

    1. Select a column next to which you want to add the new column.
    2. Click the Home tab.
    3. Then, select Insert > Insert Sheet Columns. 
      Insert-Sheet-Columns

    Using the Right-Click Method

    1. Select a column or any cell under it and right-click on it.
    2. Then, select Insert. Alternatively, use Insert > Entire column if you have selected certain cells only.
      Insert new column using right-click method

    How to Add a Column in an Excel Table?

    Inserting a column in an Excel table is pretty much the same, with some additional options. 

    However, unlike in the regular cell block, you cannot add multiple new columns between non-adjacent columns at once. But, you can still re-arrange each column order after opening the table in the Power Query editor.

    Using the Resize Handle

    1. Hover the bottom-left corner of the last cell inside the table. You can use the keyboard shortcuts; Ctrl + Right arrow and Ctrl + Down arrow, to move between the last column and row of the table.
    2. Hover over the cell border. Once the cursor turns into a small double-arrow icon, click and drag it on the right side to add one or more columns. 
      Extend-table-with-new-column
      extend table
    Note: Using this method, you can only insert columns at the end of the table and not somewhere in-between.

    Enter New Input

    1. Just select any adjacent cell right next to the last column of the table.
    2. Start typing the column header name or a cell input and press Enter.
      Add-new-column-by-typing
    3. Additionally, you can even paste cell values directly next to the table.

    Using Resize Table Option

    1. Select any cell inside the table where you want to add one or more columns.
    2. Under the Table Design tab, click Resize Table.
      Resize-table-method
    3. On the next prompt, replace the old cell reference and drag across the table to add as many columns as you like.
      Extend-table-with-resize-table-method
    4. Click OK when done.

    Using the Home Ribbon

    1. Select the table column header next to which you want to insert the new column.
    2. Under the Home tab, select Insert > Insert Table columns to the Left.
      Insert-table-columns-on-its-left
    3. Alternatively, choose the Insert Table columns to the right option if you are adding the new column next to the last column.
    4. To add multiple columns, select two or more adjacent cells and insert columns using Step 2.

    Using the Right-Click Method 

    1. Select the column header next to which you want to insert the new column.
      Select-column-header
    2. Right-click and select Insert > Table columns to the Left. Alternatively, you can just press the shortcut key, Alt + I + C.
    3. To insert multiple columns, select the respective adjacent column header or any cells of such columns. Then, use the shortcut or right-click method.
      Select-column-headers-to-add-multiple-columns

    Using Power Query

    1. Select any cell on the table where you want to add new columns.
    2. Then, under the Data tab, click From Table/Range. You can find it in the Get & Transform Data section.
      Open-table-in-Power-Query
    3. On the Power Query editor, select the Home tab and click Enter Data.
      Enter-datar-in-Power-Query
    4. On the Create Table window, select and replace the new default Column 1 column with your preferred column header name. Here, we are adding the Address column.
      New-column-using-Power-Query
    5. To add more tables, click the plus icon next to the new column.
      New-table-column
    6. Enter the new table name and click OK.
    7. Now, click the Append Queries under the Home tab.
      Append-Queries
    8. Next, select an appropriate option (Two tables, Three or more tables) depending on how many tables you want to combine.
    9. Under the Table to append section, click the dropdown menu and select other tables to get a single table with the newly added columns.
      Select-another-table-to-append
    10. Additionally, right-click on the new column header and select the Move option to rearrange its position. Or, just drag it across columns to the preferred position.
    11. Also, select the appropriate type for the new field values next Data Type field. By default, every new column will have the TEXT value type.
    12. Click Close and Load > Close & Load To.
      Close-and-load-Power-Query
    13. On the next prompt, choose where you want the whole table with the new appended column (s) and click OK.
    Note:While in the Power Query editor, you can even use a formula to create a new column based on the existing columns. For this, you can go to the Add Column tab and use the Custom Column option.

    How to Add Multiple Columns in Excel?

    Similar to adding a single column, you can even add multiple columns at once. 

    As we have already covered steps for adding multiple columns in tables, you can follow the steps below for regular cell blocks.

    1. Select the same number of columns you want to add. For instance, select two columns to insert two columns to the left, and likewise.
      Select-multiple-columns
    2. Press the shortcut key Alt + I + C. Or, right-click and select Insert > Entire Column.
    Note:You can select multiple non-adjacent columns by pressing the Ctrl key while clicking their column headers. However, a new column will appear on the left of the respective columns.

    How to Add a New Column without Affecting Other Columns/Fields?

    The above methods will insert a column for the entire worksheet. Meaning, you get an entire column such as A, B, C, or other depending on where you have inserted the column.

    By default, an Excel table prevents you from inserting a new field when you have other tables below.

    However, this can become a major issue in cases where you have multiple cell blocks in the same worksheet. 

    For instance, 

    Here, we have two cell blocks with separate fields in the same worksheet. Now, if we try to add a column using the above methods, Excel could insert it for both of them.

    As we can notice that we wanted the Age column only on cell block 1. But Excel inserted it for Cell Block 2 as well. 

    To avoid this issue,

    1. Select only the cells of the desired column/field. To select an entire field of a cell block, you can use the shortcut key Ctrl + Shift + Down arrow while selecting the first cell of the field (Email in this case.)
      Select-column-of-cell-block
    2. Now, right-click and select Insert. On the next window promo, choose Shift cells right. 
      Shift-cells-right
    3. Alternatively, you can click the Insert button under the Home tab.
      Insert-column

    Related Questions

    Why Am I Receiving an Error Message while Adding a New Column?

    Although it’s rare, you may sometimes experience an error message such as “Microsoft Excel can’t insert new cells because it would push non-empty cells off the end of the worksheet”. 

    This happens when there’s a non-blank cell under the last column of the worksheet. Also, even if the cells appear empty you could still get the error when they have some type of formatting. 

    To resolve it, you have to clear the formatting or clear any values on such cells.

    1. Press Ctrl + End to reach the last column on the worksheet.
    2. Then, press Ctrl + Shift + End to select all cells of the column.
      Last-column-in-the-whole-worksheet
    3. Now, under the Home tab, select Clear > Clear All.
      Clear-all-contents
    Note: Whenever you are inserting a new column between columns that are referenced in a formula for any calculation, the cells containing such a formula might display a green triangle suggesting a possible formula error.In that case, please consider reviewing and updating the formula to include the values of the newly added columns.

    How to Add the Number Values of a Column in Excel?

    If you are looking for a shortcut to quickly calculate the total sum of the number values in a column, you can do so as follows.

    1. Select the cells of that particular column.
    2. Press Alt + =.
    Excel Basics
    Jabin Manandhar

      As a tech content writer, Jabin covers Excel-related articles at InsideTheWeb. His articles mainly involve helping new users to quickly familiarize themselves with the Excel interface and explaining various essential features. While he got introduced to Excel in his early school days, he developed a keen interest in it after working on a college project. He was impressed at how quickly one could accomplish several tasks with built-in functions like the filter function and user-friendly tools like the power query. Keeping beginner audiences in mind, he loves to explain even the most fundamental Excel concepts in detail and break down complex topics with a step-by-step approach. As an avid Excel user, he believes every task can be done a lot quicker if you know the right tools and techniques. When he’s not behind a keyboard, he loves to listen to interesting audiobooks and podcasts.

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      Table of ContentsToggle Table of ContentToggle
      • How to Add Column on a Regular Cell Block (Non-Table Data)?
        • Using the Shortcut Key 
        • Using the Home Ribbon 
        • Using the Right-Click Method
      • How to Add a Column in an Excel Table?
        • Using the Resize Handle
        • Enter New Input
        • Using Resize Table Option
        • Using the Home Ribbon
        • Using the Right-Click Method 
        • Using Power Query
      • How to Add Multiple Columns in Excel?
      • How to Add a New Column without Affecting Other Columns/Fields?
      • Related Questions
        • Why Am I Receiving an Error Message while Adding a New Column?
        • How to Add the Number Values of a Column in Excel?
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