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WRAPROWS Function

The WRAPROWS function in Excel is used to wrap a row or column of values into a two-dimensional array by rows. It takes a one-dimensional array and reshapes it into multiple rows of a specified size.

Key Features of WRAPROWS:

  • Wraps a single row or column into a 2D array filled row by row.
  • Allows you to specify how many values appear in each row.
  • Fills any remaining cells with a customizable pad value (or #N/A by default).
  • Works seamlessly with other dynamic array functions.
  • Useful for reshaping data for reports, dashboards, and matrix operations.

Syntax:

WRAPROWS(vector, wrap_count, [pad_with])
  • vector: A row or column of values to wrap.
  • wrap_count: The maximum number of values per row (determines the number of columns in the result).
  • pad_with (optional): The value to fill in empty cells if the vector doesn't divide evenly. If omitted, #N/A is used.

How WRAPROWS Works:

  1. The function takes the source vector and reads its values sequentially.
  2. It fills the first row with the first wrap_count values.
  3. It then moves to the next row and continues filling until all values are placed.
  4. If the total number of values is not evenly divisible by wrap_count, the remaining cells in the last row are filled with the pad_with value.
  5. The result is a 2D array with wrap_count columns and as many rows as needed.

Examples:

1. Wrap a Row into 3-Column Rows:

=WRAPROWS({1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}, 3)

Result: 

1   2   3
4   5   6
7   8   9

2. Wrap with Padding (Uneven Division):

=WRAPROWS({1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8}, 3)

Result: 

1   2   3
4   5   6
7   8   #N/A

3. Wrap with Custom Pad Value:

=WRAPROWS({1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8}, 3, 0)

Result: 

1   2   3
4   5   6
7   8   0

4. Wrap a Column Range:

=WRAPROWS(A1:A12, 4)

Result: 

A1   A2   A3   A4
A5   A6   A7   A8
A9   A10  A11  A12

5. Wrap with Text Padding:

=WRAPROWS({"Apple","Banana","Cherry","Date","Elderberry"}, 2, "-")

Result: 

Apple       Banana
Cherry      Date
Elderberry  -

6. Combine with SEQUENCE:

=WRAPROWS(SEQUENCE(1, 10), 5)

Result: 

1   2   3   4   5
6   7   8   9   10

7. Wrap a Filtered List:

=WRAPROWS(FILTER(A1:A20, B1:B20="Active"), 5, "")

Result: 

Returns active items wrapped into 5-column rows, padding empty cells with blank text

8. Create a Calendar-Style Layout:

=WRAPROWS(SEQUENCE(1, 28), 7, "")

Result: 

1   2   3   4   5   6   7
8   9   10  11  12  13  14
15  16  17  18  19  20  21
22  23  24  25  26  27  28

Notes:

  • WRAPROWS is available in Excel 365 and Excel 2021 or later versions.
  • The vector must be a single row or single column; multi-row, multi-column arrays return a #VALUE! error.
  • If wrap_count is less than 1 or not a valid number, Excel returns a #VALUE! error.
  • The pad_with value can be a number, text, logical value, or error value.
  • WRAPROWS fills by row (left to right, then top to bottom), while WRAPCOLS fills by column.

Applications:

  • Data Reshaping: Convert a long list into a multi-row layout for easier viewing.
  • Report Formatting: Arrange data into fixed-width rows for dashboard displays.
  • Calendar Creation: Wrap sequential dates or numbers into week-based rows.
  • Matrix Operations: Prepare vectors for matrix calculations requiring specific dimensions.
  • Data Entry Forms: Transform linear input into structured grid layouts.
  • WRAPCOLS: Wraps a row or column into a 2D array by columns (fills top to bottom, then left to right).
  • TOCOL: Converts an array to a single column.
  • TOROW: Converts an array to a single row.
  • TRANSPOSE: Rotates rows to columns and columns to rows.
  • TAKE: Extracts a specified number of rows or columns from an array.
  • DROP: Excludes a specified number of rows or columns from an array.
  • CHOOSECOLS: Returns specified columns from an array.
  • CHOOSEROWS: Returns specified rows from an array.

Tip: Use WRAPROWS with SEQUENCE to quickly create grid layouts from sequential data. For example, =WRAPROWS(SEQUENCE(1,100),10) creates a 10-row by 10-column grid of numbers 1 to 100 filled by rows.