How to Add Columns in Google Sheets

Published: November 22, 2023 - 4 min read

Hannah Recker

Google Sheets is a powerful tool that can help you manage data, create charts, and collaborate with others. 

Knowing how to add columns in Google Sheets is essential for managing data and creating organized spreadsheets. It can help you keep track of information and make it easier to read and analyze data. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced user, adding columns in Google Sheets is a skill that you should master.

Steps to Add Columns in Google Sheets

To add a new column in Google Sheets:

  1. Simply right-click on the letter of the column to the right of where you want to insert the new column.
  2.  Select “Insert 1 left” or “Insert 1 right” from the drop-down menu. 

Alternatively, you can select the column you want to insert the new column next to, and then go to the “Insert” menu and select “Column left” or “Column right”.

Let’s break it down. 

Using the ‘Right-Click’ Option

The second way to add columns in Google Sheets is to use the “Insert Column” option. This method is useful when you want to add multiple columns at once. Here are the steps to use the “Insert Column” option in Google Sheets:

  1. Open the Google Sheets document and navigate to the sheet where you want to add the column.
  2. Select the column to the right of where you want to add the new column.
  3. Click on the “Insert” tab in the top menu and select “Column right” or “Column left” to add a single column to the left or right of the selected column, respectively.
  4. If you want to add multiple columns, select the number of columns you want to add by clicking and dragging the mouse over the column letters. Then, click on the “Insert” tab in the top menu and select “Columns right” or “Columns left”, where “Columns” is the number of columns you selected.

Using the ‘Manual’ Option

The first way on how to add up a column in Google Sheets is through manual addition. This method is useful when you want to add a single column or a few columns. Here are the steps to manually add columns in Google Sheets:

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  1. Open the Google Sheets document and navigate to the sheet where you want to add the column.
  2. Click on the column letter to the right of where you want to add the new column. For example, if you want to add a column between columns B and C, click on the letter “C”.
  3. Right-click on the selected column letter and click “Insert 1 left” or “Insert 1 right” to add a single column to the left or right of the selected column, respectively.
  4. If you want to add multiple columns, select the number of columns you want to add by clicking and dragging the mouse over the column letters. Then, right-click on the selected column letters and click “Insert X left” or “Insert X right”, where “X” is the number of columns you selected.

How to Add Multiple Columns in Google Sheets

When it comes down to how to add more columns into google sheets, they make it easy… 

  1. Select multiple column headers by clicking and dragging across them.
  2. . Then, right-click and choose “Insert columns right” or “Insert columns left” from the menu. 

This will add the same number of columns as you had selected.

Adding columns in Google Sheets is a simple process that can be done in various ways, whether you are learning how to add two columns into google sheets or 300, by following the steps outlined above, you can efficiently organize and manage your data in Google Sheets.

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Hannah Recker Growth Marketer
Hannah Recker was a data-driven growth marketer before partying in the data became a thing. In her 12 years experience, she's become fascinated with the way data enablement amongst teams can truly make or break a business. This fascination drove her to taking a deep dive into the data industry over the past 4 years in her work at StreamSets and Coefficient.
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