In this article, we will learn how to add a column in Excel. As you might have guessed, adding a column in Excel is not a difficult thing to do. We will lay out the few simple steps you need to follow. 

What does it mean to add a column in Excel? 

To add a column in Excel means introducing a new (blank) column to the existing set of data. It is helpful in restructuring the sheet in case one forgets to add some important information while creating the data sheet or there are some modifications to the existing data. 

Adding a column in excel

Method 1

Consider the following data set in Excel.

You have a sheet with employee details like Employee ID, Employee Name and Hire Date. After you made the sheet you remembered that you forgot to add the column of “Department”.

Let’s say you want to add a column in between “Employee Name” and “Hire Date” to start recording employee’s department.

Following are the steps to insert a column in Excel: 

1. Select the complete column C by clicking on the header C.
   
   
   
2. Right click and select the “Insert” option from the drop down menu. 
   
   
   
3. If you selected a cell, to begin with, an Insert Dialogue Box will appear. Select the “Entire Column” option. 
   
   
   
4. Done. Excel will add a new column.
   
   Hope this answers your question on how to insert a column in excel.
   To insert a column in excel quickly, you can also use the shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+”+”

To add two columns in excel or multiple columns in one go, follow these steps:

1. Drag and select multiple column headers.
   
   
   
2. Right click and select “Insert”
   
   
   
3. This will add two  columns in excel.
   

Method 2

Consider the same example as above. Here’s another method to answer your question about “How to add a column in Excel”: 

1. Select any cell of column C or the complete column C by clicking on the header C.
   

    

2. Click on the “Insert” option from the Home Tab menu. If you began by selecting the whole column, this will insert a new column into your Excel. 
   
   
   
3. In case you selected a cell instead of the column header then select the “Insert Sheet Columns” option from the drop-down menu.
   
   
   

4. And there you have it, a brand new column between B and C. This new column will be headed as column C now and the data of “Hire Date” column will move to column D automatically.
   
   

Note: You can add as many columns as you need by repeating the above-mentioned steps. Excel will let you add a column preceding the column that you select. 

Other Important Formulas 

If you enjoyed learning about how to add a column in Excel, here are some more formulas that you might enjoy learning about: 

• How to hide columns in Excel
• How to insert row in excel using a quick shortcut in 10 seconds
• How to remove blank rows in Excel in 3 quick ways
  
  

Conclusion

This was all about adding a column in Excel.

We hope we have cleared any doubts you may have had before reading this article.

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