About
Use this tool to split a text into two columns or more. You can also split text by new line. Please note that you must specify the delimiter whether that be comma, space, or any valid character. Columns must be separated by the same delimiter and follow the same format or it will not properly extract and split the provided data. Undoing the concatenate function in Excel can be time-consuming. This tool can be handy when you're trying to unmerge a single-column text.
Split into columns
This is basically the opposite of concatenate text tool. It extracts each column and places them into individual cells.
Example: Split first name and last name into two columns using , (comma followed by space) as a delimiter.
Brown, Paul
Davis, Mark
Smith, James
Result
Column 1
Brown
Davis
Smith
Column 2
Paul
Mark
James
Split by new line
This replaces the delimiter with a line feed (\n). Select this option if you wish to break a text line by line.
Example: Split by new line using comma (,) as delimiter.
Alaska,California,Florida,Hawaii,Indiana,Kentucky
Result
Alaska
California
Florida
Hawaii
Indiana
Kentucky
Related Tools
- Concatenate Text - Combine/merge two documents by concatenating texts line by line.
- Extract Column - Get a specific column from a delimited text.
- Swap Columns - Swap two columns from a delimited text.
Separate text by a literal delimiter into columns or new lines. Break apart a simple combined list without opening a spreadsheet.
How to use
Paste the rows, enter the exact separator, and select column or line mode. For columns, set the required column count before splitting.
Example
Ada;London and Sam;Paris split into name and city columns with ; as the delimiter.
FAQ
Can it handle full CSV quoting?
No. Literal splitting does not understand quoted delimiters. Use a CSV parser for commas inside quoted fields or embedded newlines.
A practical task
Inspect the separator in a typical row and an unusual row before choosing the column count. A semicolon inside a quoted comment is still a literal separator to this tool. Use proper CSV parsing when quoted structure must remain intact.
Another useful question
Can extra columns be recovered after splitting?
Keep the source and select a sufficient column count. Repeating from the original is safer than guessing what a previous split left out.
Details for interpreting the result
| Detail | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Literal separators | A literal separator is an exact sequence of characters, including any spaces. A comma and a comma followed by a space are different separators. Match the source consistently before extracting or exchanging fields. |
| Column headers | Headers provide names for columns; they are not extra data values. Keep their order aligned with each row. When building objects, duplicate header names create ambiguity about which value belongs to a key. |
