How to Add a Column in Excel (Insert Between Columns)

To add a column in Excel, right-click the column letter to the right of where you want the new column and click Insert. Excel inserts a blank column to the left of the column you clicked and shifts the other columns one step to the right.

That’s also how you insert a column between two columns. To add a column between columns B and C, right-click column letter C 😊

Here’s the quick version:

1. Right-click the column letter to the right of where you want the new column.
2. Click Insert.

Prefer the keyboard? Select a cell in that column, press Ctrl + Space to select the whole column, then press Ctrl + Shift + Plus sign (+).

Below, I’ll also show you the ribbon method, more shortcuts, how to insert multiple columns at once, how to add a column to an Excel table and what to do when Excel won’t let you insert a column 👇

You can download this free practice workbook we’ve prepared for you to work on.

How to add a column in Excel with right-click

The easiest way to add a column in Excel is by using the right-click option. You can insert a column within two clicks of your mouse.

There are two ways to do it: right-click the column letter, or right-click a cell in the column. I’ll show you both 👇

Right-click the column letter

You can right-click the column letter to add a column in Excel.

The column letters (A, B, C, …) sit in the gray column header at the top of the worksheet. They identify each column.

Open your practice workbook. Let’s say we want a new column for the titles of the people in the list, right after the Full Name column (column A).

Excel always inserts the new column to the left of the column you select. So to get a column between columns A and B, we select column B.

1. Right-click column letter B.
2. Click Insert.

Voilà! You’ve inserted a new column between Full Name and Sex 👍

We can add a title to this new column. Let’s type “Title” and fill in the needed data.

(The emails we use in these examples are generated from a fake email generator and do not belong to anyone.)

Pro Tip!

You can also select the whole column by selecting any cell in it and pressing “Ctrl” + “Space” on your keyboard. Then right-click the selection and click Insert.

Right-click the cell

You can also right-click a cell to insert a new column.

Say we want to add a column between columns B and C (Title and Sex). Then we right-click a cell in column C, the column to the right of where the new column should go.

1. Right-click on cell C4.
2. Then click Insert.

The Insert dialog box pops up and asks what you want to insert.

3. Click the Entire column option.
4. Finally, click OK.

That’s it! You’ve got a whole new column between Title and Sex 😊

The new column takes on the formatting of the column next to it. If you don’t want that, click the small Insert Options button (the paintbrush) that appears next to the new column and choose a different formatting option.

Insert a column from the ribbon

Another way to add a column is the Insert button on the Home tab of the ribbon.

For example, let’s insert a new column between columns E and F in our workbook. To do that, select column F or any cell in it 👇

1. Select any cell in Column F.

2. Go to the Home tab and find the Cells group.

In the Cells group, you’ll find the Insert, Delete and Format buttons.

3. Click the arrow on the Insert button.
4. Select the Insert Sheet Columns option.

The new column lands where the selected column was, and the selected column and everything to its right move one column to the right.

Excel shortcuts to insert a column

Keyboard shortcuts are the fastest way to add a column. Here’s how.

First, select the column letter. In our workbook, select column letter E (or select any cell in column E and press Ctrl + Space).

Then hold down “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “+“. On most keyboards, the plus sign is on the = key, so that’s Ctrl + Shift + =.

You get an instant column to the left of column E 😀

If you only select a cell (not the whole column), Ctrl + Shift + Plus sign opens the Insert dialog box instead. Choose Entire column and click OK.

Insert Column Hot Key

You can also use the Insert Column Hot Key: “Alt” + “I” + “C“. Press the keys one after another.

It’s an access key from the old Excel menus (before the ribbon), and most of those still work in Excel for Microsoft 365. Excel may show a small notification that you’re using an access key from an earlier version.

To use it, select a cell in the column you want to insert a new column before.

“Alt” + “I” is the hotkey for “Insert”.

“Alt” + “I” + “C” is the hotkey for “Insert columns”.

Prefer the ribbon’s own key tips? Press Alt, H, I, C one after another for Home > Insert > Insert Sheet Columns.

These shortcuts don’t just insert one column. They work for multiple columns too 😎

How to insert multiple columns at once

No need to insert columns one by one. Select as many columns as you want to insert, and Excel adds that many in one go.

Let’s add three new columns to our worksheet with right-click: one for First Name, Middle Initial and Last Name.

1. Select column letters C, D and E (click C and drag to E).

2. Right-click and select Insert.

Three new columns are added in seconds⚡

You can also do this with Home > Insert > Insert Sheet Columns or with Ctrl + Shift + Plus sign. They all give the same result.

Insert Column Hot Key

Let’s insert multiple new columns with the Insert Column Hot Key.

1. Select three cells side by side, here C3 to E3.
2. Press Alt + I + C on your keyboard.

Columns are inserted instantly🙌

Three cells selected means three new columns. That’s my favorite way to do it 😊

How to add a column to an Excel table

If your data is formatted as an Excel table, adding a column is even easier.

To add a column at the end of the table, just start typing in the cell right next to the last table column. Excel expands the table to include the new column automatically.

To insert a column inside the table:

1. Right-click any cell in the table column to the right of where you want the new column.
2. Point to Insert.
3. Click Table Columns to the Left.

If you right-click a cell in the last table column, you also get Table Columns to the Right.

You can also change the size of a table from Table Design > Resize Table.

Why can’t I insert a column in Excel?

If Insert is grayed out or Excel refuses to add a column, it’s usually one of these two things.

1. The sheet is protected

Protected sheets don’t let you insert columns unless the person who protected the sheet allowed it. Go to Review > Unprotect Sheet (and type the password if there is one). If you’re the one protecting the sheet, you can tick Insert columns in the Protect Sheet dialog box to allow it.

2. There’s something in the last column of the sheet

An Excel worksheet has 16,384 columns. Inserting a column pushes everything one column to the right. If the last column contains anything, Excel shows this message:

“Microsoft Excel can’t insert new cells because it would push non-empty cells off the end of the worksheet.”

The “non-empty” cells can look empty but contain formatting, a formula or a blank value. To fix it, select the columns to the right of your data all the way to the end of the sheet (click the first empty column letter, then press Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow), right-click and choose Delete. Then try inserting your column again.

Adding columns in Excel for Mac and Excel for the web

Excel for Mac works the same way: right-click a column letter and click Insert, or use Home > Insert > Insert Sheet Columns. The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + =, and Ctrl + Space selects the whole column.

Excel for the web works almost the same as on Windows:

• Right-click the column letter to the right of where you want the new column, then select Insert Columns.
• Select several columns first to insert several new ones.
• Shortcuts: Ctrl + Plus sign (+) inserts cells, rows or columns, and Alt + Windows logo key, H, I, C inserts a column to the left of the current column.

That’s it! Now what?

Nice work! You can now add one column or many, between any two columns, with right-click, the ribbon or a shortcut 😀

Adding columns is easy, but Excel has a lot more in store to make your work easier. Learn about Excel’s built-in functions like the IF and SUMIF function. Don’t miss out on Excel’s most popular function too: the VLOOKUP function🚀

You won’t be missing these when you join my free 30-minute video course.

Other resources

Check out this tutorial on inserting rows in Excel so you can manage your data more efficiently.

Need to clean up afterwards? Here’s how to delete columns in Excel and how to move columns in Excel.

You can actually transpose data between rows and columns in excel. Read our How to Transpose Data in Excel: Turn Rows into Columns guide to help you transpose data between rows and columns!

Happy reading (and learning)👋

Frequently asked questions

How do I insert a column between two columns in Excel?

Right-click the column letter of the right-hand column and click Insert. For example, to add a column between B and C, right-click column C. Excel puts the new column where C was and moves C one column to the right.

What is the shortcut to add a column in Excel?

Select the column with Ctrl + Space, then press Ctrl + Shift + Plus sign (+). You can also select a cell and press Alt, H, I, C (Home > Insert > Insert Sheet Columns) or the older Alt, I, C.

How do I insert a column to the right instead of the left?

Excel inserts new worksheet columns to the left of the selection. To get a column to the right of column B, select column C and insert there. In an Excel table, you get a Table Columns to the Right option when you right-click a cell in the last table column.

How do I insert multiple columns at once?

Select as many columns as you want to insert (for example, three column letters), then right-click and click Insert. Excel inserts the same number of columns to the left of the selection.

How many columns can I add in Excel?

A worksheet can have up to 16,384 columns. If something sits in the very last column, Excel won’t insert more. See why you can’t insert a column above.

How do I add up a column of numbers?

That’s a different kind of “adding”. To total the numbers in a column, use the SUM function or AutoSum. Here’s my tutorial on how to sum a column in Excel.