Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Transposing and Linking.

Transposing and Linking

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 7, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365

1

You may already know that you can transpose information by using the Paste Special abilities of Excel. The information that is pasted is not dynamic, however. In some instances it might be nice to have the transposed information always reflect what is in the original, un-transposed information.

Here's a cool way to transpose information and have it linked to the original information:

  1. Figure out how many rows and columns are in your original information. For instance, if the original data is in the range A4:E10, then it has 7 rows and 5 columns.
  2. Select another place in the workbook (perhaps even on the same worksheet) that has the transposed number of rows and columns. For instance, if you are transposing A4:E10, you should select blank cells that consist of 5 rows and 7 columns.
  3. With the range still selected, click once in the Formula bar and type the following: =transpose(A4:E10). Make sure the address reflects the original data range you are transposing. If you are on a different worksheet, make sure you use an address that contains the worksheet name of your data, as in =transpose(Sheet1!A4:E10).
  4. Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to signify to Excel that you are entering an array formula.

That's it. You've now got a dynamic transposed table, and any changes you make in the original are automatically reflected in the transposed version.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12614) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Transposing and Linking.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Where is Toolbar Customization Information Stored?

When you make a change to one of Excel's toolbars, do you know where that change is stored? This tip explains the name ...

Discover More

Removing Personal Information

As you create and work on your workbooks, Excel can include sensitive personal information with the data. If you want to ...

Discover More

Changing the Return Address Location

When Word creates envelopes for you, there may be times that you don't like where it places the return address. ...

Discover More

Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Moving the House Number to Its Own Cell

Excel is great at manipulating data, but sometimes it is difficult to figure out the best way to do the manipulation. ...

Discover More

Picking Different Random Numbers from a Range

It is not unusual to need to select two random items from a list. There are a couple of ways you can approach the task; ...

Discover More

Reordering Last Name and First Name

If you've got a list of names in a column, you may want to change the order of each name. For instance, the name have the ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is five minus 3?

2023-10-08 10:21:57

J. Woolley

If you have Excel 2021 or newer (Excel 2021+) with support for dynamic arrays, you probably already know it is unnecessary to pre-select blank cells as described in step 2 or use Ctrl+Shift+Enter (CSE) as described in step 4.
My Excel Toolbox's SpillArray function (described in UseSpillArray.pdf) simulates a dynamic array in older versions of Excel.
See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.