Double Your Efficiency! How to Quickly "Flatten" Multiple Rows and Columns into One Row or "Lengthen" Them into One Column in Excel? (2024 Updated Tips)

Double Your Efficiency! How to Quickly "Flatten" Multiple Rows and Columns into One Row or "Lengthen" Them into One Column in Excel? (2024 Updated Tips)

Have you ever encountered these situations?

• You have data exported from a system in a matrix format (multiple rows and columns), but you need to organize it into a single row to put into a report.
• Or, you want to stack all the data into one single column to make it easier for further analysis with functions (like VLOOKUP).

If the data volume is small, manual copying is fine. But when faced with hundreds or thousands of cells, using the old methods is just too slow. Today, we won't discuss boring theory. We'll go straight to the practical tips to help you solve these two most troublesome "reshaping" problems.

Scenario 1: How to Quickly Combine "Multiple Rows and Columns" into "One Row"?

The essence of this need is transposition, but it's not just a simple row-column swap; it's about "flattening" the entire area into one long strip.

Method 1: The Most Reliable "Copy + Paste Special Transpose" (Suitable for One-Time Operations)

This is the most intuitive method, especially suitable for scenarios where you only need the result and don't need to retain formulas.

• Steps:
  1. Select your data range with multiple rows and columns, and press Ctrl + C to copy.
  2. Click on a blank cell (as the starting point for the converted data).
  3. Right-click, select "Paste Special", check the "Transpose" checkbox in the bottom right corner of the dialog box, and then click OK.
• Result: Your data will instantly transform from multiple rows and columns into multiple columns in one row.
• Note: This method is static. If the original data changes, this pasted row of data will not update automatically.

Method 2: Using the TRANSPOSE Function (Suitable for Scenes Requiring Dynamic Updates)

If your original data changes frequently and you want the "one row" result to update automatically, using a function is the most suitable.

• Steps:
  1. First, count how many cells are in your original data. For example, if it's 3 rows and 4 columns, that's a total of 12 cells.
  2. Select 12 consecutive blank cells in a single row (e.g., A1 to L1).
  3. Enter the formula =TRANSPOSE(, then use your mouse to select your original data range, and close the parenthesis.
  4. Here's the crucial step: Press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys together (this is how you enter an array formula).
• Result: The data is dynamically referenced into one row. Change the original data, and this row will automatically update.

Scenario 2: How to Quickly Convert "Multiple Rows and Columns" into "One Column"?

This need involves stacking all cell values vertically, either row by row or column by column. Here are two of my most commonly used "black tech" methods.

Method 1: Using the "Unpivot" Feature of Power Query

This is the most powerful tool for handling such problems in Excel, especially suitable for data cleaning.

• Steps:
  1. Select your multiple rows and columns data, click the "Data" tab on the menu, and then click "From Table/Range" (if your data isn't in a table format, a dialog will pop up asking you to create one).
  2. This will open the Power Query Editor.
  3. In the editor, select all the columns you want to combine (e.g., hold down the Ctrl key and click the column headers).
  4. Right-click on the selected column headers and choose "Unpivot Columns".
  5. You'll see that your original multiple rows and columns data now becomes two columns: "Attribute" and "Value". You only need to keep the "Value" column.
  6. Click "Close & Load", and the data will be back in your Excel worksheet as a single column.
• Advantage: Once set up, you only need to right-click and refresh next time your data updates. A one-time setup for ongoing convenience.

Method 2: The Classic "Formula Referencing Method" (Suitable for Quick, Temporary Processing)

This method is quite clever and doesn't require remembering complex functions.

• Steps:
  1. Assume your data is in range A1:C3. In a blank cell (e.g., E1), enter the formula =A1.
  2. Drag the fill handle of E1 to the right until you have referenced all columns of the first row (e.g., drag to G1, referencing C1).
  3. Select the range E1 to G1, then drag the fill handle downwards until the number of rows you cover includes all the data (e.g., drag to G3).
  4. Now, the area E1 to G3 actually contains references to all your original data.
  5. Copy this E1:G3 range, then right-click in a nearby blank area and select "Paste Values".
  6. Finally, select this entire block of values, copy them, then right-click in your target column and select "Paste Special" -> "Transpose"? No, here we need to stack all values into one column. Actually, after step 5, you already have a "data pool" arranged by rows. Next, you can either use "Paste Special" -> "Skip Blanks" combined with sorting, or directly use the TOCOL function available in the latest Office 365.
• Lazy Trick (Exclusive to Office 365 Users): If you're using the latest version of Excel, one function can accomplish all the steps above: =TOCOL(A1:C3, ,TRUE). This function is specifically designed to convert a range into a single column. The second parameter allows you to choose whether to ignore blanks, etc.

Related Guide: If you often need to batch process file formats, such as converting image formats, check out our other tutorial: How to Batch Convert Image Formats and Resize Photos for Free (ImageConverter Guide).

Summary: Which Method to Use When?

• Just want quick results, data won't change: The first choice is "Copy -> Paste Special -> Transpose" .
• Want results to update with the source data: Use the TRANSPOSE function (to transpose into one row/column).
• Need to "lengthen" all data into one column for analysis: Highly recommend Power Query (Unpivot) or Office 365's TOCOL function.
• Know only basic Excel, don't want to remember complex operations: Use the most basic "=cell" referencing method . Although it has more steps, each step is easy to understand.

Further Reading: For office document conversions, you might also need to convert LibreOffice files to PDF. See our step-by-step guide: How to Convert LibreOffice Files to PDF with Custom Settings.

Hope this content helps you master Excel's data reshaping. Next time you encounter data transformation challenges, you'll handle them with ease. What's the biggest "reshaping" challenge you encounter most often in your actual work? Feel free to leave a comment below.