Maximum number of columns

[EG]

Is there any way to increase the number of columns in a
worksheet? I wanted to add more columns in my large
worksheet but I could not becasus of the limitation.

Thanks for your help

 

[Anon]

Is there any way to increase the number of columns in a
worksheet? I wanted to add more columns in my large
worksheet but I could not becasus of the limitation.

Thanks for your help

No. The limit is 256 per worksheet. However, you can add worksheets.

 

[Earl Kiosterud]

EG,

As has been said already, no, you can't have more than 256 columns. It's
quite unusual to need that many columns. Tell us about your sheet, and
maybe there are ways to use less columns.

 

[Jim]

Assuming you are using Excel, you are limited to 256 columns, with no way to
increase.

 

[Harlan Grove]

As has been said already, no, you can't have more than 256 columns. It's
quite unusual to need that many columns. Tell us about your sheet, and
maybe there are ways to use less columns.

...

If it's so unusual to need so many columns, why is this question asked so
frequently? Why do the last 3 versions of Quattro Pro provide over 18,000
columns? Why do the native Unix/Linux/BSD commercial spreadsheets (Xess, NeXS,
Applixware) [other than StarOffice/OpenOffice, which wants to be close to Excel
in functionality] provide over 1000 columns?

Yes, there are work-arounds, but they're as efficient as transporting thousands
of tons of coal in sportscars.

It's one thing to be realistic and state that Excel only provides 256 columns
per worksheet. It's another to fail to understand that this is an *ARBITRARY*
limit.