---
title: Change the Order of Columns in DataGridView Control Using the Designer
ms.date: "03/30/2017"
helpviewer_keywords:
  - "columns [Windows Forms], order of"
  - "DataGridView control [Windows Forms], column order"
  - "Windows Forms, columns"
  - "data [Windows Forms], displaying"
ms.assetid: 7fe52a98-75d6-448c-97a5-65ca2c568c1a
---
# How to: Change the Order of Columns in the Windows Forms DataGridView Control Using the Designer

When you bind a Windows Forms <xref:System.Windows.Forms.DataGridView> control to a data source, the display order of the automatically generated columns is dictated by the data source. If this order is not what you prefer, you can change the order of the columns using the designer. You may also want to add unbound columns to the control and change their display order. For information about how to change the column order programmatically, see [How to: Change the Order of Columns in the Windows Forms DataGridView Control](how-to-change-the-order-of-columns-in-the-windows-forms-datagridview-control.md).

The following procedure requires a **Windows Application** project with a form containing a <xref:System.Windows.Forms.DataGridView> control. For information about setting up such a project, see [How to: Create a Windows Forms application project](/visualstudio/ide/step-1-create-a-windows-forms-application-project) and [How to: Add Controls to Windows Forms](how-to-add-controls-to-windows-forms.md).

## To change the column order using the designer

1. Click the designer actions glyph (![Small black arrow](./media/designer-actions-glyph.gif)) on the upper-right corner of the <xref:System.Windows.Forms.DataGridView> control, and then select **Edit Columns**.

2. Select a column from the **Selected Columns** list.

3. Click the up or down arrow to the right of the **Selected Columns** list until the selected column is in the position you want.

## See also

- <xref:System.Windows.Forms.DataGridView>
- [How to: Add and Remove Columns in the Windows Forms DataGridView Control Using the Designer](add-and-remove-columns-in-the-datagrid-using-the-designer.md)
- [How to: Create a Windows Forms application project](/visualstudio/ide/step-1-create-a-windows-forms-application-project)
- [How to: Add Controls to Windows Forms](how-to-add-controls-to-windows-forms.md)
