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How to find the column number of a value in Excel and Google Sheets
Excel & Google Sheets
=MATCH("Sales",$A$1:$D$1,0)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Region | Units | Sales | Profit |
| North | 100 | 5000 | 1200 |
| South | 80 | 4000 | 900 |
| East | 120 | 6000 | 1500 |
| West | 90 | 4500 | 1050 |
=MATCH("Sales",$A$1:$D$1,0)→3
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Step by step
- 1Apply MATCH horizontally across a row of headers: =MATCH("Sales",$A$1:$Z$1,0) returns the column position within that header row.
- 2To convert to an absolute column number, add COLUMN of the first cell minus 1: =MATCH("Sales",$A$1:$Z$1,0)+COLUMN($A$1)-1.
- 3Use the result as the col_num in INDEX: =INDEX(A2:D10,MATCH(lookupRow,A2:A10,0),MATCH("Sales",A1:D1,0)) for a fully dynamic two-way lookup.
Tips
- Use ADDRESS(1, MATCH("Sales",$A$1:$Z$1,0)) to convert the column number to a cell address string like "C1" if you need to display it.
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Frequently asked
How do I get the column letter instead of the column number?
Wrap the result in SUBSTITUTE and ADDRESS: =SUBSTITUTE(ADDRESS(1,MATCH("Sales",$A$1:$Z$1,0),4),"1","") returns the column letter(s) like "C".