Split Text into Columns in Google Sheets: A Step-by-Step Guide

Google Sheets Text to Column

Converting text to columns in Google Sheets is a useful skill for organizing and analyzing data more efficiently. This guide will walk you through the steps and methods to split text into columns, using various delimiters such as spaces, commas, or custom characters.

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Text to Column in Google Sheets

To begin, ensure your data is in one column and that adjacent columns are empty to avoid overwriting existing data. Select the range of cells containing the text you want to divide.

1. Click on Data in the menu.
2. Select Split text to columns.

Google Sheets will attempt to automatically detect the separator used in your data. If it guesses correctly, your data will be split accordingly. If not, you can manually select the appropriate delimiter.

Google Sheets Split Text to Columns

After selecting Split text to columns, a Separator menu will appear next to your selected data. Click the dropdown to choose your delimiter: Comma, Semicolon, Period, Space, or Custom. If choosing Custom, enter the character that separates your data in the text box provided.

For example, to split full names into first and last names, select Space as your separator. For email addresses, where you want to separate the username from the domain, select Custom and enter the @ symbol.

Split Text to Columns Google Sheets

After selecting your separator, simply click anywhere on the sheet to apply the changes. Your text will now be split into separate columns based on the delimiter you selected. This process can be used for various types of data, including full names, email addresses, and URLs, enhancing your data organization and analysis capabilities in Google Sheets.

Remember, it's important to review your newly split data to ensure it has been divided as intended. You may need to perform additional data cleanup if the original data did not follow a consistent format.

Want to learn more about Google Sheets automation? Check out our blog post on addons for Google Sheets, discover how to automate Google Sheets, or explore a collection of Google Sheets automations.