How to Put Excel Column A on the Right Side

To put column A on the right side in Excel, switch the sheet to right-to-left. In Excel for Windows, go to File > Options > Advanced, scroll to the Display section, set Default direction to Right-to-left, click OK, and reopen your workbook. Cell A1 then sits at the top right, and the columns run from right to left.

That flips the whole grid. If you only want the information that is in column A to sit to the right of your other data, you do not need to flip anything. Cut the column and insert it where you want it instead. Both jobs are covered below, along with how to get column A back on the left if your sheet flipped without warning.

Which change do you need?

People ask this question for two different reasons, and the fix is not the same.

• You want the sheet to read right to left. This is a display setting. Column letters, formulas and data stay exactly as they are. Excel simply draws the grid starting from the right edge of the window. It is built for languages that are written from right to left, such as Arabic and Hebrew.
• You want the contents of column A to appear after your other columns. This is a data change. The sheet still reads left to right, but the information moves to a different column letter.
• Your sheet is already reversed and you want it back. Use the same settings as the first option, in reverse. Skip to the section on switching back.

What right-to-left changes on screen

Microsoft’s Advanced options article describes the two directions. Right-to-left places cell A1 at the top right of the view and lines the sheet tabs up on the right side of the window. Left-to-right places A1 at the top left with the tabs on the left. That is the normal layout for English.

The same article notes two other things that follow the direction. Row numbers show on the right side of the sheet in right-to-left mode, and the vertical scroll bar shows on the left. Controls that belong to a cell, such as a drop-down arrow, appear on the left side of the cell instead of the right.

Nothing in your data is rewritten. A formula that points to A1 still points to A1. Only the place where Excel draws that cell is different.

What you need before you start

• Excel for Windows. The File > Options > Advanced path in this guide is the one Microsoft documents for Windows. Mac notes are further down.
• A saved workbook. The Default direction setting only shows up after a workbook is reopened, so save your work first.
• Permission to edit. Moving a column changes the sheet, so it will not work on a protected sheet or a file opened as read-only.

How to make Excel open sheets right-to-left

This is the method Microsoft documents. It sets the direction Excel uses for the workbook canvas, which is the grid area where the cells are drawn.

1. Save the workbook you have open.
2. Click File, then Options. On a small window you may need to click More first to see Options.
3. Click Advanced in the left column of the Excel Options window.
4. Scroll down to the Display section. It sits below the editing, cut and paste, and image options.
5. Find Default direction and select Right-to-left.
6. Click OK.
7. Close the workbook and open it again.

Do not skip the last step. Microsoft states that you must reopen any existing workbooks for this change to take effect, so the sheet in front of you will look the same until you do.

How to flip only one worksheet

Many copies of Excel for Windows also have a per-sheet switch in the same window. Microsoft’s Advanced options article does not list it, so treat these steps as something to look for, not a guarantee. If the checkbox is not in your copy, use the Default direction method above.

1. Open the workbook and click File > Options > Advanced.
2. Scroll to Display options for this worksheet.
3. Use the drop-down next to that heading to pick the sheet you want to change. Microsoft says the options under the heading apply to whichever sheet is selected in this list.
4. Look for a checkbox named Show sheet right-to-left and check it.
5. Click OK.

Where the option is available, only the sheet you picked changes. The other sheets in the workbook keep their own direction.

How to confirm the direction changed

Press Ctrl + Home to jump to the start of the sheet, then check these four things:

• Column A is at the right edge of the grid, with B, C and D running to its left.
• Cell A1 is in the top right corner.
• The row numbers are on the right side.
• The sheet tabs at the bottom are lined up on the right.

If none of that has changed, the workbook was probably not reopened after you changed the Default direction.

How to switch back to column A on the left

If your columns reversed and you did not ask for it, the fix is the same setting turned the other way.

1. Click File > Options > Advanced.
2. In the Display section, set Default direction to Left-to-right.
3. Scroll to Display options for this worksheet, pick the reversed sheet in the drop-down, and clear Show sheet right-to-left if you see it checked.
4. Click OK, then close and reopen the workbook.

Check each sheet in the file afterward. Direction can differ from one sheet to the next, so a workbook can have one reversed sheet and several normal ones.

How to move column A’s data to the right instead

Use this when the sheet should stay left to right, but the information in column A belongs after your other columns. The steps follow Microsoft’s guide to moving or copying cells, rows, and columns.

Before you start: moving a column changes the layout that formulas, charts and other sheets may rely on. Save a copy of the workbook first. After the move, look for #REF! errors, which mean a formula can no longer find a cell it needs.

Cut and insert

1. Click the A column letter to select the whole column.
2. Press Ctrl + X, or click Cut on the Home tab. A moving border appears around the column.
3. Right-click the letter of the column just to the right of where the data should go. To put it after data that ends in column E, right-click column F.
4. Click Insert Cut Cells.

The old column A contents drop into the new position and the other columns slide left to fill the gap. In the example, what was in B through E is now in A through D, and the moved data is in column E. To cancel before step 4, press Esc to clear the moving border.

Shift and drag

1. Click the A column letter.
2. Hold Shift and point to the border of the selection until the pointer becomes a move pointer.
3. Keep holding Shift and drag the column to its new spot.
4. Release the mouse button first, then release Shift.

Holding Shift is what makes this a cut and insert. Microsoft warns that a plain drag without Shift is a cut and replace, which puts the column on top of whatever is already there. Excel shows a warning before it replaces a column, and you can click Cancel. If something lands in the wrong place, press Ctrl + Z to undo it.

Microsoft also notes that you cannot move columns that are not next to each other with the mouse. Move those one block at a time.

Excel for Mac and other versions

Microsoft’s Advanced options article gives the File > Options > Advanced path for Excel for Windows only. Excel for Mac has no File > Options window, so those steps do not carry over.

On a Mac, a member of the Excel team has explained in Microsoft’s community forum that Excel supports right-to-left sheets through a Sheet Right-to-Left button on the Page Layout tab. According to that answer, the button only appears when a right-to-left language is in the list of preferred languages in macOS settings. It does not have to be the active language. That answer is several years old, so the button may have moved in current versions.

Microsoft’s page on using right-to-left languages in Office explains how to add a right-to-left language on Windows. It also says some right-to-left buttons on the ribbon only appear once such a language is enabled. If a direction control is missing in your copy of Excel, that is the first thing to check.

Moving a column with Cut and Insert Cut Cells is documented for Windows, Mac and Excel for the web, though the steps differ slightly in each. This guide makes no claim about direction settings in Excel for the web or the mobile apps, because Microsoft’s Advanced options article does not cover them.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	What to try
Nothing changed after choosing Right-to-left	The workbook was not reopened	Save, close the file, and open it again
One sheet is reversed and the rest are fine	That sheet has its own direction	Pick it under Display options for this worksheet and clear Show sheet right-to-left
There is no Show sheet right-to-left checkbox	Your copy of Excel does not show it	Use Default direction, or add a right-to-left language in Office and look again
A shared file always opens reversed	The file was last saved with a reversed sheet	Switch it back, then save the file
Dragging a column does nothing	Drag-and-drop is turned off	Check Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop under File > Options > Advanced
Insert Cut Cells is missing from the menu	Nothing has been cut yet, or you pressed Esc	Select the column and press Ctrl + X again

If the option you need is greyed out, check whether the sheet is protected on the Review tab. A workbook supplied by your employer or school may also be locked so that its layout cannot be changed.

Add a right-to-left button to the toolbar

If you switch direction often, a button on the Quick Access Toolbar is faster than opening Options each time. The Quick Access Toolbar is the small row of icons at the very top of the Excel window.

1. Click File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar.
2. Under Choose commands from, select All Commands.
3. Scroll the alphabetical list to the commands that start with Right-to-Left or Sheet Right-to-Left.
4. Select the command, click Add, then click OK.

The exact command name is not listed in Microsoft’s help pages and can vary by version. If you do not find one, your copy of Excel may not offer it, and the Options window is the way to go.

Why did my columns flip on their own?

Excel does not reverse a sheet at random. One of these is usually behind it:

• The workbook came from someone who works in a right-to-left language, and the sheet was saved that way.
• The Default direction on the computer was changed to Right-to-left, so workbooks open reversed.
• A right-to-left language was added to Office or Windows, which makes extra direction buttons available that are easy to click by accident.

In each case, the steps in the switching back section put column A on the left again.

Frequently asked questions

Does right-to-left change my formulas?

No. Right-to-left is a display direction. Microsoft describes it as placing cell A1 at the top right of the view. Cell addresses stay the same, so a formula that refers to A1 keeps working.

Can I move column A to the right without flipping the whole sheet?

Yes. Select column A, press Ctrl + X, right-click the column to the right of where you want it, and click Insert Cut Cells. The data moves to a new column letter and the sheet stays left to right.

Why is column A still on the left after I changed Default direction?

The setting applies when a workbook opens. Microsoft says existing workbooks must be reopened before the change takes effect. Save the file, close it, and open it again.

Is right-to-left the same as right-aligning text?

No. Right-aligning pushes the text inside a cell to the right edge of that cell. Use Align Right on the Home tab for that. Sheet direction changes the order in which the columns themselves are drawn.

Will other people see the sheet reversed?

The Default direction setting is an Excel option on your computer, so it does not travel with a file you send. A sheet that was itself switched to right-to-left and then saved can open that way for the next person. Tell them how to switch it back if they do not expect it.

Next steps

Once the columns are in the order you want, tidy the rest of the sheet. You can AutoFit columns and rows in Excel so nothing is cut off, hide columns in Excel Online that you do not need to see, or return every worksheet to Normal view if the layout still looks unfamiliar.