# Combining columns in Excel
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combining-columns-in-excel/462600
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 8, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combining-columns-in-excel/462600 "2008-09-08T13:37:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combining-columns-in-excel/462600/1 "2008-09-08T13:37:55Z")
I have an Excel table that has six columns with 10 rows. I want to have one column with 60 rows. All I can find about combining columns is about merging data from two columns into one column.
Can I merge columns without merging data?
---
### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combining-columns-in-excel/462600/2 "2008-09-08T14:03:29Z")
> [@puddleglum](#):
>
> I have an Excel table that has six columns with 10 rows. I want to have one column with 60 rows. All I can find about combining columns is about merging data from two columns into one column.
> Can I merge columns without merging data?
I don’t think there is any way to do this automatically. Just cut and paste, and it will take 30 seconds.
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### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combining-columns-in-excel/462600/3 "2008-09-08T14:08:25Z")
This is kind of a non-answer but I’m pretty knowledgable about Excel and know of no built-in functionality that will do what you want. I can think of three approaches:
1. Write some VBA. Too much trouble for a one-time shot with such a small about of data.
2. Write formulas in the first column to refer to the data in the other columns, then do a copy-paste values and remove the extra columns. Also too much trouble for a one-shot deal.
3. Move the cells manually. At 5 seconds per column this will take approximately half a minute. In fact, you could probably have done that faster than the time it took to post your question 🙂
(I have very good luck asking questions at [ozgrid.com](http://ozgrid.com) but unfortunately they have now started a pay-to-play system charging $1 per question. But there are some people there who are full-time Excel consultants so you get good answers.)
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### Author:  [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combining-columns-in-excel/462600/4 "2008-09-08T14:09:55Z")
You might find \*\*Copy \*\*-\> \*\*Paste Special \*\*-\> **Transpose** useful, although it would still take several steps.
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### Author:  [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combining-columns-in-excel/462600/5 "2008-09-08T14:21:38Z")
I think the answers so far misunderstood the question. It was about a spreadsheet with 6x10 cells – to simplify, I’ll illustrate with 2x3 cells.
You start with:
A B
C D
E F
And you wat to end with:
A
C
E
B
D
F
In this case. just select the cells with B, D and F, then Cut those cells (with Ctrl-X), move the cursor to the cell under E, then Paste (with Ctrl-V).
With a larger block of cells, you’ll need to cut-and-paste more times. If the final order does not matter, or you are going to use Sort to get the right order, you could cut-and paste several columns at a time to spped things up.
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### Author:  [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combining-columns-in-excel/462600/6 "2008-09-08T20:04:42Z")
> [@Giles](#):
>
> I think the answers so far misunderstood the question. It was about a spreadsheet with 6x10 cells – to simplify, I’ll illustrate with 2x3 cells.
>
> You start with:
>
> A B
> C D
> E F
>
> And you wat to end with:
>
> A
> C
> E
> B
> D
> F
>
> In this case. just select the cells with B, D and F, then Cut those cells (with Ctrl-X), move the cursor to the cell under E, then Paste (with Ctrl-V).
>
> With a larger block of cells, you’ll need to cut-and-paste more times. If the final order does not matter, or you are going to use Sort to get the right order, you could cut-and paste several columns at a time to spped things up.
That worked thanks so much.
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### Author:  [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combining-columns-in-excel/462600/7 "2008-09-08T21:44:03Z")
Better late than never, here’s a macro:
```auto
Public Sub StackColumns()
Dim rng As Range, col As Range
Set rng = ActiveCell.CurrentRegion
For Each col In rng.Offset(, 1).Columns
col.Cut
rng.End(xlDown).Offset(1).Select
ActiveSheet.Paste
Next
End Sub
```