Split data into columns

When copying and pasting data into spreadsheets, sometimes the data doesn’t separate neatly into columns. In Google Sheets, if you have comma-separated text (also known as delimited data), you can split it into columns. If your data is in fixed-width format, Sheets automatically detects that and splits the data into appropriate columns. Examples Managing a sign-in sheet at a conference? Quickly split a single column containing a person’s title, first name, and last name into 3 columns. Using a Sheets project tracker or to-do list? Split tasks and updates into separate columns.

Paste and split data

In Sheets, open a spreadsheet and paste the data that you want to split into columns. Next to the cell where you pasted the data, click Paste formatting Split text to columns. If you want Sheets to detect when a file is formatted using fixed-width, select Detect automatically.

Split existing data

1. In Sheets, select the column that contains the data that you want to split.
2. Click DataSplit text to columns.
3. If you want Sheets to detect when a file is formatted using fixed-width, select Detect automatically.