Split Text on New Line using Excel & VBA [Macros]

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Hafiz, One of our avid readers, writes in.

Dear chandoo,

all the time, I use to spend time exploring chandoo.org. it’s very helpful site. thanks for your day & night efforts.

here I have to face a problem with “Text to Column”. can you please spare some time & guide me.

The problem is when I convert data from text to column using dash “-“, conversion is easy. but when the gap provided in text is with “alt+enter”, i can’t convert the data.

Do you have some solution specifically using text to column.

Well, I tried to use text to columns feature (from Data ribbon) and it would not work.

Although you can use formulas to do the splitting, they might become tedious. So the next logical option is to use macros.

Excel Macros to Split Text on New Lines

So I wrote a simple macro, that would take the text in current cell, split it and place it in adjacent cells. Like this:
Split Text on New Line using VBA & Excel

Macro Code to split text on new line:

Here is the macro code to split text based on new lines.

Sub splitText()
'splits Text active cell using ALT+10 char as separator
Dim splitVals As Variant
Dim totalVals As Long

splitVals = Split(ActiveCell.Value, Chr(10))
totalVals = UBound(splitVals)
Range(Cells(ActiveCell.Row, ActiveCell.Column + 1), Cells(ActiveCell.Row, ActiveCell.Column + 1 + totalVals)).Value = splitVals

End Sub

How does this code work?

  1. First we take the activecell’s value and split it based on Chr(10) as delimiter. This is the code for new lines.
  2. Then, we assign this split values to the range of cells adjacent to active cell.
  3. Then, we go grab a cup of coffee and sing our favorite song. Because the work is done!

Download Example Workbook

Click here to download example workbook and play with this macro. Make sure to enable macros.

How do you split text?

I really like the built-in text import feature in Excel and use it often. I use it to clean data, remove unnecessary columns or split text. In cases like this, I resort to VBA to have good control over how I want to split.

What about you? How do you split text. What is your experience. Please share your ideas and tips using comments.

Learn more about Splitting Text

If you split often, you will find this tutorial useful.

More VBA & Excel Macro Examples

If you want to learn VBA, go thru these examples

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23 Responses to “Learn Top 10 Excel Features”

  1. Dwi Budi H says:

    What it looks like if excel without formula?? 🙂

    • philip says:

      It would be not excel it would just be fancy tables in which you could just use power point. (Chandoo) would Access be an alternative?

  2. Roy says:

    Awesome piece of work!!!

  3. Rich says:

    Great article.

    Chandoo - my biggest interest in the article was the awesome word-graphic at the top - where did you go to get it done into a shape?

  4. koushik says:

    Awesome Chandoo.. You need always needs coffee to start up with. BTW , how did u created the Heart Shaped picture filled with High Repetitive text in it .. Please put it on your Next blog ...

  5. Bob Watson says:

    Chandoo, good article. I’ve added a link to it from Connexion – our collection of the most useful and interesting spreadsheet-related articles from the web. See http://www.i-nth.com/resources/connexion

  6. ca.nkv says:

    Hi,

    Just one small question. Where the hell have been I in the past for not discovering this website sooner?

    I've lost a job interview recently where even though I had the subject knowledge, I was not upto their mark in Excel.

    Thank you for all the free tips, guidance and for creating this forum environment.

    [PS: I've just been through the site for the 1st time, and have signed up for the newsletter. You can expect pretty stupid questions from me soon]

  7. William Luke says:

    Hy Chandoo, you always inspire me with to explore something new in excel. This data structure table is only for excel 2007 or compatible to 2010. I recently installed latest excel version 2013 in my System and experience problems regarding operating according to previous one. I'm waiting your article relates to that excel version.

    Thanks

  8. Ankit Bansal says:

    Awesome article Mr. Chandoo and that is a awesome heart shaped pic you created. Great tips as well.

  9. [...] Learn Top 10 Excel Features | Chandoo.org – Learn Microsoft Excel Online. [...]

  10. Arvi says:

    Chandoo is awesome..

  11. Kevin Ko (student major in computer and tech.) says:

    Thanks, i got better, And i always get 90.50 in my grade card but now i get 96.50 i improved because of the tutorials you gave, Thank You Very Much Chandoo Guy.

  12. kiran says:

    Hi chandoo, i am intersted in seeing the video or step by step done procedure of analysing the comments and presenting in the data percentage steps. I think this one would be first step in finding out how generally happens data calculation. Thank you.

    As well i would like to know how to get that black shape art of your face which i see in chandoo. I am interested in making it for me.

  13. l3g4to says:

    Nice to see the features considered by Excel users to be most useful. It might be a good idea to also analyze StackOverflow Excel questions to see what keywords appear most often.

    Here are my top 10 Excel Features (for advanced users):
    http://www.analystcave.com/excel-10-top-excel-features/

  14. Nami says:

    Thanks a ton for this it totally helped with my homework ????

  15. pradip says:

    Very good effort

  16. Barb says:

    Thank you for this. Lots of learning in the links you've provided for this septuagenarian.

  17. Arun says:

    Pls send me new post

  18. Abhay says:

    Dude, your humor ? ?
    Loved your work.

  19. Sanjeev Khakre says:

    Hello Sir,

    I am Sanjeev Khakre and i from Indore City, India , I am your big follower and i have watch your videos and learnt a lots of excel trick or function and many more . thanks so much for all of your excellent support.

    Your excel knowledge is real awesome.

    Thanks
    Sanjeev

  20. Your work is excellent but pls willing to know more details about the features of microsoft excel

  21. philip says:

    Chandoo Would Access be a better alternative than VB?

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