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Easy ways to title, label, or name columns in Microsoft Excel
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You can create a column title in Microsoft Excel by inserting a new row at the top. Once it's created, you'll just need to double-click the cell and type in your label. Here's how to name a column in Excel.
Quick Steps
- Click a row number to highlight the entire row.
- Right-click the first cell and click Insert .
- Double-click the new cell and enter a name.
- Press Tab to enter a name for the next cell.
Steps
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Open a workbook in Microsoft Excel . You can use an existing project or create a new spreadsheet . Make sure you're on the correct worksheet.
- Microsoft Excel is available on Windows and Mac . You can also use the online web version at https://www.office.com/ .
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Insert a new row for the names. If you want it at the very top of the page, click 1 on the left side of the spreadsheet to highlight the entire first row. Right-click the first cell, and click Insert . This will place a blank row above your data. [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
- If you want the new row in another location, select the row number of the location. Right-click the first cell, and click Insert .
- If you already have a row for the names, skip to the next step.
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Double-click the first cell and enter a name. This will be the title of the first column.
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Double-click the next cell and enter a name. You can also press Tab to skip to the next cell in the column. Repeat this for any remaining title cells.
- If you only have one column to name, skip this step.
- The headers at the top (letters A-Z) will not change since these are Excel’s way of keeping track of information within your document. However, when you type in a name for column A1, that will become the name for the rest of the “A” column.
- If you want to see the titles
as you scroll down, do the following:
- Click View at the top.
- Click Freeze Panes .
- Click Freeze Top Row .
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Open Microsoft Excel. You can use an existing project or create a new spreadsheet.
- Use this method if you want to turn the column names (letters A-Z) into numbers instead.
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Select File and click Options . This will be at the bottom of the left panel.
- On Mac, you'll need to click Excel and then Preferences .
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Click Formulas . This is in the left panel.
- On Mac, click General .
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Check the box for "R1C1 reference style". This is underneath the Working with formulas header.
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Click OK . This is at the bottom-right corner of the window.
- The header columns will change from letters to numbers.
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Open the Power Query Editor. Power Query is an add-on you can use in Excel. This allows you to import data through other sources. [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
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Open a query. You can do this by using a previously loaded query in the Editor, or you can click a cell in the data, select Query , then click Edit .
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Select the column you want to name. It will be highlighted.
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Double-click the column header. This will allow you to rename it.
- You can also select Transform , then Rename at the top.
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Enter the new column name. This will name the header.
- Keep in mind that renaming a column header won't rename the original data source header. If the original data source header changes, it can cause query errors.
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About This Article
Article Summary
X
1. Open your Excel document.
2. Double-click on the first box under the column you want to rename.
3. Type in the name you want and press enter.
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 68,934 times.
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