COLUMN Function in Excel: Explained

In this article, you will learn how to use the COLUMN function in Excel. The COLUMN function simply returns the column number of a particular cell.

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What does the COLUMN formula in Excel do?

The "COLUMN" function in Excel is useful for returning the column number of a specified cell or range of cells. It can be used in various ways, some of which are:

1. Finding the column number: The COLUMN function can be used to find the column number of a cell reference. For example, =COLUMN(B4) will return the number 2, as the cell B4 is in the second column.
2. Conditional formatting: The COLUMN function can be used in conditional formatting to apply formatting based on the column number. For example, to apply a different background color to every other column, use the formula =MOD(COLUMN(),2)=0 in the conditional formatting rule.
3. Creating dynamic headers: The COLUMN function can be used in conjunction with the TEXT function to create dynamic headers. For example, =TEXT(COLUMN(A1),"MMMM") will return the full name of the current month in the cell containing the formula, and this formula can be dragged across columns to update the header for each month.

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How to use the COLUMN function in Excel

The syntax for the COLUMN function in Excel is as follows:

=COLUMN([reference])

Reference: is the cell for which you want to find the column number

Note 1: The argument "reference" is optional, and it specifies the cell or range of cells for which you want to return the column number. If you don't specify a reference, Excel will assume that you want to return the column number for the cell in which the formula is located.

Note 2: If you input an array as “reference”, the COLUMN function gives you the column numbers of the array as a horizontal array. So, ensure you horizontally have enough number of cells for the returned values.

Note 3: The “reference” argument can’t be multiple ranges

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Some examples where COLUMN formula has been used are as follows

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You can learn about other Excel and Google Sheets formulas and tips that are not mentioned here on this page: LiveFlow‘s How to Guides