XL: How to Parse Data Using the Text To Columns Command

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If you copy data from another program and paste it into Microsoft Excel, Excel may condense several columns of data to a single column. You can use the Text To Columns command on the Data menu to put each record in a separate column. The range that you convert may contain many rows, but you can only convert one column of data at a time.

To create an example that demonstrates how to use the Text To Columns command:

1. Create a new workbook.
2. In Sheet1, enter the following data:

         A1: The,dog,ran
         A2: 156,156,451
         A3: abc,def
         A4: abcdefg,hijkl
         A5: 2554,4874,41
   					

3. Select the range A1:A5.
4. On the Data menu, click Text To Columns.
5. In Step 1 of the Convert Text To Columns Wizard, make sure that Delimited is selected, and then click Next.
6. In Step 2 of the Convert Text To Columns Wizard, click to select the Comma check box under Delimiters, and then click Next.
   
   NOTE: All of the check boxes under Delimiters should be clear except for the Comma check box.
7. In Step 3 of the Convert Text To Columns Wizard, type B1 in the Destination box, and then click Finish.

Your data is parsed into separate columns, beginning with column B, and the data in Sheet1 should resemble the following:

   A1: The,dog,ran     B1: The     C1: dog   D1: ran
   A2: 156,156,451     B2: 156     C2: 156   D2: 451
   A3: abc,def         B3: abc     C3: def
   A4: abcdefg,hijkl   B4: abcdefg C4: hijk
   A5: 2554,4874,41    B5: 2554    C5: 4874  D5: 41