By Peter Weverka from Office 2016 All-In-One For Dummies

It sometimes happens in an Excel 2016 worksheet that you need to turn one column of data into two columns. In the case of names, for example, it might be necessary to turn a column of names into two columns, one called first name and one called last name.

Follow these steps in an Excel 2016 worksheet to turn one column of data into two columns of data:

  1. Select the data that needs dividing into two columns.

  2. On the Data tab, click the Turn to Columns button. The Convert Text to Columns Wizard appears.

  3. Choose the Delimited option (if it isn't already chosen) and click Next.

  4. Under Delimiters, choose the option that defines how you will divide the data into two columns. Choose Space, for example, to divide a name column into a first name and last name column. The Data Preview box shows what the data will look like when it is divided into two columns.


  5. Click Next.

  6. Click Finish.