> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://alphacastio.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Rename Columns

> Give columns new names, or leave them unchanged, before publishing or charting.

The **Rename Columns** step maps existing column names to new ones.

Fill in the blank space to the right of a column to set its new name. Leave the space blank to keep the original.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/alphacastio/ttF_U-V9HDrmrPbo/images/steps/rename-columns-1.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ttF_U-V9HDrmrPbo&q=85&s=a023440eb243fef1954eae7e33e90823" alt="Renaming columns in the step configuration" width="1322" height="343" data-path="images/steps/rename-columns-1.png" />
</Frame>

<Tip>
  Rename columns before a [Merge](/steps/merge) when both datasets carry a column with the same name — it makes the join result far easier to read.
</Tip>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Reorder columns" icon="arrow-down-a-z" href="/steps/reorder-columns">
    Set the order columns appear in.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Merge branches" icon="code-merge" href="/steps/merge">
    Combine this data with another dataset.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>