How to swap columns in Google Sheets

Swapping columns in Excel means changing the position of two columns in a worksheet. This feature is helpful in many ways. It can improve data analysis by making it easier to compare values across different columns.  Additionally, swapping columns can be useful in cases where you need to rearrange data for printing or presentation purposes. Instead of copying and pasting data, you can simply swap the columns to achieve the desired layout

In this tutorial, we will learn how to swap columns in Google Sheets. In Google Sheets swapping columns is a common task. To swap columns we can use the drag and drop method on the column headers to swap the columns or we can use the move option in the Edit tab in the menu bar.

Here we have a data set representing the details of some products. We aim to swap the column showing the Product Name with the Product ID.

Method 1: Using the Drag and Drop Method

Step 1 – Select the Column 

• Select the column you want to swap by clicking the column header.

Step 2 – Click on the Header of the Column and Drag and Drop Over the Column to be Swapped

• Click on the column header of the selected column.
• Drag the column header over the column to be swapped.
• Drop the selected column header.
• The columns will be swapped.

Method 2: Using the Move Option 

Step 1 – Select the Column 

• Select the column you want to swap by clicking the column header.

Step 2 – Locate the Edit Tab 

• Locate and click on the Edit tab in the menu bar.
• A drop-down menu will appear.

Step 3 – Click on the Move Option

• Click on the Move option in the drop-down menu.

Step 4 – Select the Direction

• Select the direction in which you want to move the column.