Row-by-row regrouping with tab output
The op walks items in input order and groups them into consecutive slices of N. With Columns = 2 and 6 items, you get 3 rows × 2 cols. With Columns = 3 and 6 items, 2 rows × 3 cols. Odd remainders produce a short last row - no padding.
Separator is an actual U+0009 tab character, not spaces. That is what spreadsheets expect - paste into a single cell and the tabs split into adjacent cells automatically.
Blank lines are skipped before grouping. For the reverse (tab-separated input back to one-per-line), use Convert to rows or Split a list.
How to use convert a list to columns
- 1Paste one item per line into the input panel
- 2Set Columns (default 2)
- 3Output groups consecutive items into N-column tab-separated rows
- 4Paste into a spreadsheet - tabs split into adjacent cells automatically
- 5For plain one-per-line output, use Convert to rows
Keyboard shortcuts
Drive ListShift without touching the mouse.
What this tool actually does
Slice input into N-item chunks, join each with tab.
N items per row, left-to-right
Items flow in input order. First N on row 1, next N on row 2, etc. No reshuffling or column-major fill.
Real tab separators
Output uses U+0009 tab characters - not spaces. Pastes cleanly into Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, LibreOffice as separate cells.
Short last row when count does not divide evenly
7 items with Columns=3 → rows: `[1,2,3]`, `[4,5,6]`, `[7]`. Last row has 1 cell, not 3 padded cells. Empty-cell padding is not applied.
Blank lines skipped
Empty and whitespace-only lines are filtered before grouping. They do not consume column slots.
Inverse of Convert to rows
Convert to rows flattens delimited input to one-per-line. This tool regroups one-per-line back into tab-separated rows.
Worked example
Default Columns=2. Six items produce 3 rows × 2 columns. Tab separators between cells.
Apple Banana Cherry Date Elderberry Fig
Apple Banana Cherry Date Elderberry Fig
Settings reference
How the Columns option shapes the output using the sample above (6 items).
| Setting | What it does | Effect on the sample |
|---|---|---|
| Columns: 2 (default) | 3 rows × 2 columns | `Apple\tBanana` / `Cherry\tDate` / `Elderberry\tFig` |
| Columns: 3 | 2 rows × 3 columns | `Apple\tBanana\tCherry` / `Date\tElderberry\tFig` |
| Columns: 4 (does not divide 6) | 2 rows: first has 4 cells, last has 2 | `Apple\tBanana\tCherry\tDate` / `Elderberry\tFig` |
| Columns: 1 | Equivalent to input (one item per row) | Each item on its own line, no tab |
| Blank lines (automatic) | Skipped before grouping | Line count for grouping purposes excludes blanks |