Split delimited text or extract one column?

Match four column tools to the job: turning one field into many, pulling one out, adding a constant, or swapping two.

Delimited text looks like a table only after you decide what the columns are. Splitting creates columns, extracting selects one, adding appends a constant value, and swapping reorders two existing ones — four different edits that are easy to apply in the wrong order.

Split when one field must become several

Split Text breaks a delimited block into a column table using the separator you specify. Use it when a single field such as a full name or a combined address needs to become separate values, and check the maximum column count before exporting.

Extract when you need exactly one existing column

Extract Column pulls a single column out and leaves the rest behind, with an optional header row skipped. Use it to lift an email list or an ID column without reshaping the whole file.

Add or swap after the columns are correct

Add Column appends a constant value to every row, while Swap Columns exchanges two existing positions. Both preserve row order, so they are finishing steps after splitting and extracting have produced the columns you actually want.

Tools covered in this guide

Split Text
Split delimited text into a column table, or break it at every new line.
Extract Column
Pull one column out of delimited text, with an optional header row skipped.
Add Column to Text
Add a constant column to every row of delimited text, at the start or the end.
Swap Columns
Swap two columns in delimited text, row by row, with an optional header.

Frequently asked questions about delimited text

What happens if rows have different column counts?

The splitter reports the maximum column count and pads or reports short rows rather than guessing a structure, so check the preview before using the output.

Can I keep the header row out of the extracted data?

Yes. Extract Column offers a header option, so the first row is skipped instead of being treated as a value.

Does adding a column change existing values?

No. It inserts a constant at the start or end of every row; the original fields keep their content and order.