Excel Letter to Number Converter: How to Convert Alpha Characters in 6 Steps

When working with excel files, we always need to find letter to number converter. But you may not know working with alphanumeric data? Because many users struggle with this issue, especially those who work with large data sets.

Table of Contents

Here we will look at the process of converting Excel columns to numbers.

Understanding letter to number converter

Before directly starting conversion process, we will learn what Excel columns are. Excel columns are identified by letters. Such as A, B, C, etc. These letters represent the column headers. And we use it to organize and reference data within a worksheet.

Each column have cells with numbers. For example, cell A1 is in the first column and first row of a worksheet. Similarly, cell B1 is in the second column and first row of a worksheet.

Why Convert Excel Columns to Numbers? excel column numbering

Excel columns can be difficult to work with when you perform calculations or sort data. For example, if you have a column containing alphanumeric data. Such as A1, B2, etc.. Maybe you cannot easily calculate that data.

If you learn converting Excel columns to numbers, you can perform calculations and sort data. So, if you have alphanumeric data in your column, you can convert that data to numbers. After that, you can sort the column in ascending or descending order.

excel convert column number to letter: The Conversion Process

You will select the column to convert.
Then you will right-click on the selected column. And then, you choose Format Cells for excel column numbering.
In Format Cells dialog box, you will select Number tab.
Then we select Number from the list of categories.
Here you can set the number of decimal places to show.
Voila, you only click OK to apply the formatting.

Tips for excel column letter to number converter

While the conversion process is simple, there are a few tips that can help make the process smoother:

You should select the entire column before formatting. It does not work if you only select a few cells.
Also, you must check your excel column numbering format before applying it to a large data. Because it is always a good idea to test your formatting on a small piece.
You can also use General format for both numbers and text. The General format will display data as numbers when possible but will also display text when necessary.

Understanding excel column letter to number quick reference

In Excel, first column is labeled A while the second column is labeled B and it goes on. After the letter Z, the columns go like AA, AB, AC and so on.

And each column has a corresponding numeric value. For example, column A has a numeric value of 1 while the column B has a numeric value of 2 and so on. The numeric value of a column is necessary for Excel formulas and functions.

Methods to learn How do you convert a column reference to a number in Excel?

There are several methods to convert Excel column letters to numbers you might try and explore.

Method 1: How do I convert a column to numbers in Excel?

The COLUMN function in Excel returns the column number for any cell. This means you can learn the cells position in excel sheet with formula. You can use it to return the column number of a specific cell reference or column letter.

You will select the cell to show its column number.
Then you will write following formula: =COLUMN(A1). Here A1 is the cell reference you want to convert.
Now you can press Enter to complete the formula. The cell will display the numeric value of the column letter.

Method 2: Using the ASCII Function

The ASCII function in Excel returns the ASCII code of a specific character. Since each letter has a unique ASCII code, you can use the ASCII function to convert to numeric value.

Always you start with selecting your cell to work on.
Then you can enter the following formula: =CODE(A1)-64. Here, A1 is the cell reference of the column letter for conversion.
Now you will only press Enter to complete the formula. The cell will show the numeric value of your column number.

Method 3: Using Custom VBA Function to change table column to numbers

If you frequently need to convert column letters to numbers, you can create a custom VBA function to automate the process like below.

So you will press ALT + F11 to open the VBA editor.
Then you need to click Insert > Module to create a new module.
And now you can enter the following code:

Function ColNum(strCol As String) As Integer

ColNum = Range(strCol & "1").Column

End Function

It is time to save the module and close the VBA editor.
Now you will enter the following formula: =ColNum(“A”). Here A is the column letter you select for conversion process.
And now you can press Enter to complete the formula and show the numeric value result.

How To Combine Two Columns In Excel?

Combining two columns in Excel can be a useful for more accessibility. In order to do this, you can use the CONCATENATE function or the ampersand (&) symbol. First, you will select the cell for placing combined data. Then, we will enter the CONCATENATE function or the ampersand symbol. It should be followed by the cell references for the two columns. Here you can add any desired separators. Such as spaces or commas between the two columns to make it more readable. This simple process can help you when dealing with long lists or tables.

Conclusion

So, we can safely say converting Excel column letters to numbers is a common problem. Here in this article explored various methods to convert column letters to numbers. These are including using the COLUMN function, the ASCII function and creating a custom VBA function.