Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 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

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated June 8, 2022)

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, 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. ...

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What is four less than 5?

2018-05-18 05:16:31

Thomas Papavasileiou

A small but i think helpful addition to the operation method is to copy the area to transpose dynamically, select any cell that will not intersect with your data and use the built in paste special transpose command. As the transposed area is already highlighted, with focus on the first cell of that area, type the proposed formula and ctrl+shift+enter.

By using this approach, you don't have to count the rows and columns of the area to transpose and you don't have to preselect the area where the result will appear.

Regards

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