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Microsoft Excel 'Quick Tip'

What Column Number Is It ?

Excel shows you the letter for each column in the column headings but what if you want to know which column number it is?

Here are three simple solutions:

  • In a cell enter the formula =COLUMN(cellAddress)
  • Go to Tools, Options, General, uncheck 'R1C1 reference style'

    or try this quick-and-dirty trick that I use...

  • Click in a cell in the column you want the number for, drag all the way to column A and notice the small popup box next to the mouse pointer (i.e 1R x 25C). In this example, the column number is 25.
Note that if you drag less than a screen width, the numbers will display in the Name Box to the left of the Formula Bar.

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