# Can I paste a row of data into a column? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 5, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-paste-a-row-of-data-into-a-column/263251 "2004-09-05T19:52:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![InvidiousCourgette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@InvidiousCourgette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InvidiousCourgette)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-paste-a-row-of-data-into-a-column/263251/1 "2004-09-05T19:52:51Z")
I have got one long row of data in Excel. Can I paste it somehow so it is a column? Or is there another way to do it? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-paste-a-row-of-data-into-a-column/263251/2 "2004-09-05T20:06:26Z")
Just cutting/copying and pasting will fail. Having copied the row, when you drag the mouse over the requisite number of cells in a column, instead of falling in, one cell after another, Excel will paste the first cell of the row into the first cell of the column, then into the second cell of the column, etc. Meanwhile it will paste the second cell of the row into the adjacent _column_ in each of the newly opened rows, extending out to the right to reproduce the data in as many columns for as many rows as you selected. You might want to look up the use of pivot points. Without a specific use, I don’t think I can clearly describe them in a short post, but it would appear that that is what you are looking for. Pivot points exchange the _x_ and _y_ axes. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-paste-a-row-of-data-into-a-column/263251/3 "2004-09-05T20:10:10Z")
Sorry, PivotTable, not Pivot Point. It is under the Data menu. ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-paste-a-row-of-data-into-a-column/263251/4 "2004-09-05T20:20:33Z")
Copy and paste special. You should be able to transpose it. ---
**Author:** ![InvidiousCourgette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@InvidiousCourgette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InvidiousCourgette)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-paste-a-row-of-data-into-a-column/263251/5 "2004-09-05T20:24:28Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Sorry, PivotTable, not Pivot Point. It is under the Data menu. I had a go at that. I got to Step 2 of 3 and it told me that I need at least two rows of data! Thanks anyway **tomndebb**. On preview I see **Aestivalis** ’s solution, and it works great, thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PussyCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@PussyCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PussyCow)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-paste-a-row-of-data-into-a-column/263251/6 "2004-09-05T20:24:54Z")
Yes, copy your row. Then click in the box that will be where your column begins. Right click in that box and select “paste special” Then select “transpose” in the lower tight portion of the paste special box. Hit enter. You should be golden.