What is the COLUMNS Function in MS Excel?

This is a built-in function in MS Excel. It is included in the category of the LOOKUP function in Excel. This function is used to return the total number of columns in a cell range or array.

Purpose of the COLUMNS Function in Excel

The purpose of this function is to calculate the total number of columns in a reference array or range of cells. It helps to know the number of columns in an array or reference.

Syntax of the COLUMNS Function

The syntax of the COLUMNS Function in MS Excel is as written below.

COLUMNS (array)

Arguments

There is only one argument in the COLUMNS function in MS Excel which is described below.

Array: this is an essential argument and the only argument in the COLUMNS function. This is the reference given to the cells, array, or formula of the array to the range of cells whose column numbers you want to be returned as the value.  

Examples

COLUMNS (A1:C3)

The above example will return the number of columns in the reference array from A1:C3.