How to swap or switch text around within one cell in Excel?
In many cases, you may need to swap text around in a single cell for some purposes. For example, a cell contains a name Smith John, you need to swap the texts inside the cell to change the name to John Smith. This article lists some methods to solve this problem.
Swap or switch text around within one cell by using formula
Swap or switch text around within one cell by using VBA code
Easily swap or switch text around within one cell by Kutools for Excel>
Comparison of Methods for Swapping Text Within One Cell in Excel
When text within a cell is in the wrong order, such as Smith John instead of John Smith, Excel formulas, VBA, and Kutools for Excel can be used to swap the text. The main differences are the supported separators, setup, and whether the result is returned in another cell or applied directly to the original data.
| Comparison | Formula | VBA | Kutools Reverse Text Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Separator | The formula shown works with two text parts separated by a space | The provided code works with two text parts separated by a space | Choose a separator to reverse text based on the structure of the selected data |
| Setup | Enter the formula in a blank cell and drag the Fill Handle down | Open the VBA editor, insert a module, paste and run the code, then select the target range | Select the range, open Reverse Text Order, choose a separator, and click OK |
| Output | Returns the swapped text in a separate output range | Replaces the original text directly in the selected cells | Reverses the text directly in the selected cells |
| Best for | Swapping two space-separated text parts with a worksheet formula | Batch swapping two space-separated text parts directly in the original cells when VBA is acceptable | Batch reversing text directly in selected cells based on a specified separator without formulas or VBA |
Swap or switch text around within one cell by using formula
The below formula can help you to swap texts around within one cell in Excel. Please do as follows.
1. Select a blank cell to locate the swapped data, enter formula into the Formula Bar, and then press the Enter key. See screenshot:
=RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-FIND(" ",A2)) & " " & LEFT(A2,FIND(" ",A2)-1)
2. Select the result cell, then drag the Fill Handle down to get the rest results as below screenshot shown.
Then you can see the first name and last name are swapped in specified cells.
Note: This method can only swap two texts within one cell which are separated by space.
Easily swap or switch text around within one cell in Excel:
The Reverse Text utility of Kutools for Excel can help you to easily swap text around within one cell by certain separator in Excel as the below demo shown.
Download and try it now! (30-day free trail)
Swap or switch text around within one cell by using VBA code
As above example shown, you can also run the following VBA script to swap or switch text around within one cell.
1. Press the Alt + F11 keys simultaneously to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
2. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, click Insert > Module. Then copy and paste the below VBA code into the Module window.
VBA code: Swap or switch text around within one cell
Sub res()
Dim xRg As Range, yRg As Range
Dim LastRow As Long, i As Long
Dim strTxt As String, strFs As String
Dim strLs As String, N As Integer
On Error Resume Next
Set xRg = Application.InputBox(Prompt:="Range Selection:", _
Title:="Kutools for excel", Type:=8)
For Each yRg In xRg
On Error Resume Next
strTxt = yRg.Value
Trim (strTxt)
N = InStr(strTxt, " ")
strLs = Left(strTxt, N - 1)
strFs = Right(strTxt, Len(strTxt) - N)
yRg.Value = strFs & " " & strLs
Next
End Sub3. Press the F5 key to run the code. In the popping up Kutools for Excel dialog box, please select the range with data you need to swap, and then click the OK button. See screenshot:
Then you can see texts in the specified name cells are swapped immediately.
Note: This code can also swap two words within one cell which are separated by space correctly.
Easily swap or switch text around within one cell by Kutools for Excel
This section recommends the Reverse Text Order utility of Kutools for Excel to help you easily solve this problem. Please do as follows.
1. Select the range contains the texts you need to swap, then click Kutools > Text > Reverse Text Order. See screenshot:
2. In the Reverse Text dialog box, specify a separator you will swap the texts based on in the Separator section. In this case, I select the Space option. And then click the OK button.
Then you can see data in selected cells are swapped in same cell by specified separator immediately.
If you want to have a free trial (30-day) of this utility, please click to download it, and then go to apply the operation according above steps.
Conclusion
The Formula method is a practical built-in solution when each cell contains two text parts separated by a space. It returns the swapped result in a separate cell, which keeps the original data unchanged. However, the formula shown in the article is specifically designed for two space-separated text parts.
VBA can batch-process a selected range and replace the original values directly. The code provided in the article locates the first space and swaps the text before and after it. It avoids creating an additional output column but requires adding and running VBA code.
Kutools for Excel's Reverse Text Order provides a more flexible no-formula, no-code approach. Select the cells, choose the appropriate separator in the Reverse Text dialog, and the text order is changed directly in the selected cells. This makes it especially convenient when processing many cells or working with text separated by different delimiters.
Related article:
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