Turn columns into separate text frames

There's a script to do this

https://creativepro.com/convert-multicolumn-text-frames-to-individual-frames-script/

----------------------

The manual way 

Select all the text (CTRL A or CMD A)

Cut it

Delete the 1 frame

Layout>Margins and Columns

Add the amount of columns you need (if not already setup)

Draw a text frame in the first column

Paste in your text

You now have 1 column text frame

Click the overset text red plus at the bottom

Shift click the top left of the next empty column

And it will autoflow the next columns,

The easiest way is to do it by hand.

• First, Get your Selection/Arrow tool. Select your three-column block of text. Go to the Control Panel at the top of the document window and change the number of columns from three to one, as shown at right.

• Second, select the Layout>Margin and Columns menu command to open the dialog box. Move down to the Columns: edit box and change it to 3, then click the OK button. This will make it easier for you to line up the columns and size the width equally.

• Third, move the right side margin for the text to the right edge of the first column. Since you've already set your column guides, sizing them will be easy. Release the mouse button to create your first separate, but linked, text frame.

•  Fourth, click in the bubble with the red + sign in the lower-right quarter of the first column. Click on it to pick up the Text Place Gun with your cursor. move the cursor to the upper-left of the second column, then hold down the left mouse button to drag down and to the right to create a second text frame the size of the first one in the second column. Click in the red + sign in the lower-right quarter of the second column, and repeat the process.

After that, you can adjust the bottom of each column to line up as you wish.

Hope this helps,

Randy

No need to spilt the text columns at all. What you want to do is change your layout to three individual (but still threaded) text frames of 1 column, as opposed to one text frame that has 3 columns in it.

If your page doesn't currnetly have column guides, add them.

You could use a frame with a stroke/fill of none with text wrap to force the text to move to another column.

Unfortunately, there is no way to automatically split a multiple columns frame into multiple one column frames. You have to do it manully : resize the existing frame, create 2 other frames then thread them. Maybe a script exists, but I don't know it.