I am working on a very large spreadsheet. I am trying to insert additional columns into the worksheet and I keep getting an error message referring me to cell A2. This spreadsheet is very large and to the right of the last column the area is greyed out. When I try to insert columns in front of prior columns is when I receive the message. It is as if I have run out of columns on the spreadsheet. What can I do to fix this?

Try clicking at the top of the greyed out columns and deleting them. Then you should then be able to add columns into the spot where you want to add them. Even in big spreadsheets it is hard to run out of more columns. You might also want to check the page layout mode and adjust the blue dotted line over to the right.

twinkiedooter, I tried your recommendations and I am still having the same issue. My last column is IV, there is no header IW for me to perform your recommended action (clicking at the top of the greyed out columns and deleting them). I also moved the blue dotted line and it will not go into the greyed area, it stops at the solid blue line to the right of column IV. The specific message I receive reads "cannot shift nonblank cells off the worksheet, locate the last nonblank cell by pressing CTL+End and delete or clear all cells between the last cell and the end of my data. then select A1 and save workbook to reset last cell used". I have tried this also and have been unsuccessful.

Try clicking at the top of the greyed out columns and deleting them. Then you should then be able to add columns into the spot where you want to add them. Even in big spreadsheets it is hard to run out of more columns. You might also want to check the page layout mode and adjust the blue dotted line over to the right.
Please respond to my post. Thanks.

I'm a pretty good excel tech and in this case I'd open a brand new excel sheet, copy and paste the old one into the new one and try to insert columns into the new sheet. Don't worry about the headers being off format wise just now). If this works, then just keep the new sheet that you made the "improvements" on. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it take a bit of "tricking the program into doing what I want it to do". I've been playing with computer programs since 1982 and have learned a few tricks here and there that sometimes work (even though they are not in the help manuals).
Keep the original spreadsheet in a secure area and then experiment with different with the "clones" all you wish. Trust me, you can't mess up the clone if you save the original properly. If your clone works, then however you had the original sheet set up you can always readjust the headers to your cloned version and have them properly spaced out, etc.

Ok, First, IV is the lastmost column in a spreadsheet for Excel 2K-2003. What it sounds like is you have some data in that column which will prevent you from inserting columns. Do you actually have data in Column IV? How did you try to delete all the data as instructed?

Thanks for your help ScottGem and twinkiedooter. I have found out that I have reached the maximum columns in excel and have to create another worksheet to continue.

Excel 2003 gives you 256 columns. I wonder what type of data are you working with that requires 256 columns?

Document for work.

That really doesn't tellme anything. You don't use Excel for a document, You use it for data.

Sorry that I cannot be more specific. The information is of a confidential nature however it is data. Again, thank you for your help.

All right. I'm not really asking for the data itself, just an idea. The reason I ask is that I strongly suspect that you have a problem in the way you have structured your workbook to have used all 256 column. That you might be able to make it work more efficiently.