COLUMNS
Supported, behaves as documentedCategory: Lookup and reference · Last tested 2026-08-06
Real, executed compatibility results for the COLUMNS function across Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc — verified by actually running it. Syntax and links to each vendor’s official documentation are below.
Support matrix
| Engine | Documented | Live-tested | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| Google Sheets | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| LibreOffice Calc | Yes | Yes (25.8.7.3, 2026-08-06) | Supported, behaves as documented |
LibreOffice version history
We executed the same test cases under each LibreOffice release to show exactly when COLUMNS’s support changed — not documentation claims, real results.
| LibreOffice version | Verdict | Tested |
|---|---|---|
| 24.2.0.3 | Supported, behaves as documented | 2026-07-19 |
| 24.8.7.2 | Supported, behaves as documented | 2026-07-19 |
| 25.2.0.3 | Supported, behaves as documented | 2026-07-24 |
| 25.8.7.3 | Supported, behaves as documented | 2026-08-06 |
Executed test cases
LibreOffice Calc 25.8.7.3 (tested 2026-08-06)
| Formula | Description | Result | Expected | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =COLUMNS(A1:D1) | Width (column count) of a single-row range; does not depend on cell contents | 4 | 4 | Matched |
| =COLUMNS(A1) | A single cell reference has exactly 1 column | 1 | 1 | Matched |
| =COLUMNS(A1:C4) | Column count of a 2-D range only counts columns, ignoring the 4 rows | 3 | 3 | Matched |
Docs & syntax
- Excel: official documentation
- Google Sheets: official documentation
- LibreOffice Calc: official documentation