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Excel column converter

Convert a spreadsheet column number to its letter, or a column letter back to its number.

Input
Output

Excel column converter

Spreadsheets label columns with letters — A, B, C… Z, AA, AB — but formulas, scripts and APIs usually work with the plain ordinal number instead: 1, 2, 3… This tool converts between the two. Paste a list of column numbers to get their letter labels (1 becomes A, 27 becomes AA, 703 becomes AAA), or paste column letters to get their numeric position. "Direction" switches between the two ways, and its swap button flips a finished conversion straight back into the input.

The letter system isn't a simple base-26 count — there's no digit for zero, so after Z the next column carries into a new letter instead of resetting one, which is why column 26 is Z but 27 is AA rather than A0. That quirk is exactly what trips up a hand-rolled formula, and it's handled correctly here up to and past Excel's real last column, XFD (16384).

Turn on the row number to get a full cell address instead of a bare column: set it to 5 and column AA becomes AA5. "Address notation" chooses how that address is written — A1 style (AA5) for everyday formulas, or R1C1 style (R5C27) for VBA, macros and any API that addresses cells numerically. Leave the row at 0 for plain column letters or numbers.

Paste one value per line — the whole list converts at once, and any line that isn't a valid column number or letter is reported by line number so a stray heading or typo doesn't silently corrupt the rest. Everything runs locally in your browser: exported headers, formulas and sheet structure never leave your device. Copy the result, download it as a .txt file, or send it into another tool.

FAQ

Why is column 27 "AA" and not "A0"?
Spreadsheet column letters use a system with no digit for zero: after Z, the count carries into a new leading letter instead of resetting to a zero digit. That is why 26 is Z, 27 is AA, and 52 is AZ but 53 is BA.
What is Excel's highest column?
Column 16384, labeled XFD. This tool converts correctly at and beyond that point, in case you are working with a different spreadsheet application that allows more columns.
What's the difference between A1 and R1C1 notation?
A1 notation writes a cell as its column letter followed by its row number, like AA5. R1C1 notation writes the row first and the column as a number, like R5C27 — used by VBA, macros and some spreadsheet APIs.
What happens if a line is not a valid number or column letter?
Conversion stops and the tool reports the exact line and its content, so you can fix a stray heading, stray character or typo before continuing rather than getting a silently wrong result mixed into the list.
Is my spreadsheet data uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser — the column numbers or letters you paste are never sent to a server.