Skip to main content

Rename, edit, hide, duplicate and delete columns

What the column header menu offers, the data types you can set, and how to change a column's type.

Written by Umer Ishaq

Click a column header to open its menu.

What is in the menu?

  • Rename column

  • Edit column

  • Insert 1 column left and Insert 1 column right

  • Duplicate

  • The data type (for example Text)

  • Sort A → Z and Sort Z → A

  • Save as function and Save as team pack

  • Dedupe

  • Filter on this column

  • Hide

  • Clear column

  • Delete column (in red)

The menu that opens from the Company Name column header, listing Rename column, Edit column, Insert 1 column left, Insert 1 column right, Duplicate, Text, Sort A to Z, Sort Z to A, Save as function, Save as team pack, Dedupe, Filter on this column, Hide, Clear column and, in red, Delete column.

Is the menu the same for every column?

No. The items change with the column type. For example:

  • A tool column such as Normalize Company Name, and a Use AI column, add Run column. Their menus have no Sort A → Z, Sort Z → A, Dedupe or data-type item.

  • Formula and Normalize Domain columns have no Dedupe item and no data-type menu.

  • A waterfall column's menu is Rename column, Edit column, Sort A → Z, Sort Z → A, Filter on this column, Hide, Clear column and Delete column.

How do I change a column's data type?

  1. Click the header, then Edit column.

  2. Under Column Type, the Data type menu lists: Multicolumn (Object), Text, Text (Markdown), Number, Checkbox, Date, Single Select, Multi Select, File, URL, Image URL, JSON and Webhook.

  3. Click Save.

The Edit column box for Company Name with its Column Type section, where Column is User Input and Data type is Text. The Data type list is open to the right, outlined in red, showing Multicolumn (Object), Text, Text (Markdown), Number, Checkbox, Date, Single Select, Multi Select, File, URL, Image URL, JSON and Webhook.

The same panel also has ASC, DESC, Dedupe, Filter, Hide column, Duplicate column, Save as team pack, Save as function, Clear column and Delete column.

Which column types can I add?

Under Add column, below the tools, you can add a Text, Number, Date, URL, Image URL, Rich text, File, Checkbox, Single select or Multi-select column.

The Add column menu open under the table toolbar. Below Add enrichment, Use AI, Functions, Waterfall, Formula and Merge columns it lists the column types Text, Number, Date, URL, Image URL, Rich text, File, Checkbox, Single select and Multi-select.

How do I clear a column?

Clear column asks you to click twice.

  1. Open the column's header menu and click Clear column. The item changes to "Clear every cell — click to confirm".

  2. Click it again. A message says: Cleared all cells in "<column name>".

To get the values back, click Undo in the top bar. In our test, one click brought all the values back. This works only in the same page session. The clear is not in History: there is no Restore data card and no Change log line for it. After you reload the page, Undo is greyed out. It is also greyed out after you leave the table for the Trash page and come back.

How do I delete a column?

Delete column also asks you to click twice.

  1. Open the column's header menu and click Delete column. The item changes to "Delete “<column name>” — click to confirm".

  2. Click it again. A message says "Column deleted" and shows an Undo button.

Click Undo in that message to bring the column back. A message says "<column name> restored" and, for example, "1 value came back. Nothing was spent from your wallet."

The Undo in the top bar does not bring a deleted column back. In our test, it stayed greyed out after a column delete.

In our test, a Normalize Domain column that read the deleted column showed "Invalid column reference: @{col_<id>}" in each of its cells, and its header showed a warning icon. This lasted until we restored the deleted column.

How do I restore a deleted column later?

  1. Click History at the bottom right, then Restore data.

  2. Find the card with the Column deleted badge. It says: "This column no longer exists. Restoring brings it back with these values."

  3. Click Restore. The window Bring this column back? says: "<column name> is added back to this table with its settings and the N values it held on <date and time>. This spends nothing from your wallet." It also says: "It goes back where it was, next to the columns it sat beside."

  4. Click Restore column. A message says "Restored <column name>" and, for example, "3 values came back. Nothing was spent from your wallet."

The column returns in its old position, with its values. In our test, the Normalize Domain column that had shown "Invalid column reference" showed its values again. The card stays in the list with a Restored badge.

Deleted columns do not show in the Trash. It lists deleted workbooks, tables and functions.

Good to know

  • Hide only hides the column from the view. Use Columns in the toolbar to show it again. A hidden paid column can still run on a new row when the table's Auto-run and the column's own switch are both on.

  • Clear column and Delete column change your data, and each one asks you to click a second time. Undo in the top bar brings back a cleared column only until you reload the page. A deleted column can be restored from History. See the sections above.

Related Articles
Did this answer your question?