How to Split Text into Columns in Excel
A column of "Ana,Lee,NY" values should be three columns, but the built-in ways either overwrite your data or need a 365-only formula. Here's why, and the one-click way that keeps everything else in place.
Last updated: August 2026
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| Ana,Lee,NY | → | Ana | Lee | NY |
| Sam;Cruz;LA | → | Sam | Cruz | LA (semicolon) |
Why the built-in ways are fiddly
The classic route is Text to Columns — a modal wizard you have to re-run every time the data changes, and it silently overwrites whatever sits in the columns to the right, so a careless run can wipe real data. The modern route, TEXTSPLIT, is cleaner but only exists in Microsoft 365, so it fails on older Excel and on many corporate installs. Either way you're picking between a fiddly dialog and a formula half your team can't use.
The 1-click way — Tellsheet's Split Text
Select the column and run Split Text. Choose the delimiter — comma, semicolon, space, tab, pipe or hyphen — and it writes each piece to its own new column, without touching the data beside it. No wizard to re-run, no 365-only formula, and it works the same on Windows, Mac and the web. Pairs with Split Text into Rows and Combine Columns.
Frequently asked questions
What delimiters can I split on?
Comma, semicolon, space, tab, pipe and hyphen — pick the one that separates your values.
Does it overwrite my other columns?
No. Split Text inserts new columns for the pieces, so unlike Text to Columns it never overwrites the data to the right.
Do I need Microsoft 365?
No. TEXTSPLIT is 365-only, but Split Text works on any Excel version — Windows, Mac and web.
Can I split into rows instead?
Yes — Split Text into Rows stacks the pieces downward instead of spreading them across columns.
Related Excel guides
Split text in one click
Split Text breaks a column by any delimiter into separate columns — no wizard, no 365-only formula, nothing else overwritten.
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