Insert or delete rows and columns
Insert and delete rows and columns to organize your worksheet better.
Note: Microsoft Excel has the following column and row limits: 16,384 columns wide by 1,048,576 rows tall.
Insert or delete a column
-
Select any cell within the column, then go to Home > Insert > Insert Sheet Columns or Delete Sheet Columns.
-
Alternatively, right-click the top of the column, and then select Insert or Delete.
Insert or delete a row
-
Select any cell within the row, then go to Home > Insert > Insert Sheet Rows or Delete Sheet Rows.
-
Alternatively, right-click the row number, and then select Insert or Delete.
Formatting options
When you select a row or column that has formatting applied, that formatting will be transferred to a new row or column that you insert. If you don’t want the formatting to be applied, you can select the Insert Options button after you insert, and choose from one of the options as follows:
If the Insert Options button isn’t visible, then go to File > Options > Advanced > in the Cut, copy and paste group, check the Show Insert Options buttons option.
Insert rows
To insert a single row: Right-click the whole row above which you want to insert the new row, and then select Insert Rows.
To insert multiple rows: Select the same number of rows above which you want to add new ones. Right-click the selection, and then select Insert Rows.
Insert columns
To insert a single column: Right-click the whole column to the right of where you want to add the new column, and then select Insert Columns.
To insert multiple columns: Select the same number of columns to the right of where you want to add new ones. Right-click the selection, and then select Insert Columns.
Delete cells, rows, or columns
If you don’t need any of the existing cells, rows or columns, here’s how to delete them:
-
Select the cells, rows, or columns that you want to delete.
-
Right-click, and then select the appropriate delete option, for example, Delete Cells & Shift Up, Delete Cells & Shift Left, Delete Rows, or Delete Columns.
When you delete rows or columns, other rows or columns automatically shift up or to the left.
Tip: If you change your mind right after you deleted a cell, row, or column, just press Ctrl+Z to restore it.
Insert cells
To insert a single cell:
-
Right-click the cell above which you want to insert a new cell.
-
Select Insert, and then select Cells & Shift Down.
To insert multiple cells:
-
Select the same number of cells above which you want to add the new ones.
-
Right-click the selection, and then select Insert > Cells & Shift Down.
Need more help?
You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.
See Also
Basic tasks in Excel
Overview of formulas in Excel
Need more help?
Download Article
Download Article
Do you have a table in Excel that you need to add more data to, like an outdated grade sheet? This wikiHow will teach you how to add a row to a table in Excel using the «Resize Table» setting for Windows, the web version, and Mac.
-
1
Open your project in Excel. Double-click your .xls worksheet file in File Explorer. Alternatively, right-click the file and select Open with > Excel.
- If you already have Excel open, go to File > Open and open your project.
-
2
Click anywhere in the table. Once you click the table, you’ll see «Table Tools» are listed as your current tab at the top of the editing space.
Advertisement
-
3
Click Design. It’s in the menu near the top of your screen.
-
4
Click Resize Table. This icon is listed in the «Properties» grouping to the far left in the menu.
-
5
Select the new range of rows and columns you want to use in the table. Start with the upper-left cell of your table, and end with the bottom-right cell, which means you can add rows at the bottom of the table. Your original data set will highlight in blue. Your new selection will be outlined with a dashed border.
- Added rows must be below your table so they can be added.
-
6
Click OK. Once you’ve selected the new rows to include in the table, select OK in the dialog window to close it.[1]
- You can also insert a row or column in the middle of the table by right-clicking a cell in your data, selecting Insert and Table Columns to the Left/Right or Table Rows Above/Below.
Advertisement
-
1
Open your project in Excel. Double-click your .xls worksheet file in Finder or right-click the file and select Open with > Excel.
- If you already have Excel open, go to File > Open and open your project.
-
2
Right-click your table. A menu will appear at your cursor.
-
3
Hover your mouse over Insert and click Table Rows Above. You’ll be able to specify how many rows you want to add to the table in the next step.
- If hovering your mouse over the option doesn’t work, click it, then select Shift cells down.
-
4
Enter how many rows you want to add and press ⏎ Return. The rows will be added to the bottom of your table.[2]
- You can also insert a row or column in the middle of the table by right-clicking a cell in your data, selecting Insert and Table Columns to the Left/Right or Table Rows Above/Below.
Advertisement
-
1
Go to https://www.office.com/, login, and launch Excel. Once you navigate to the login site and enter your Microsoft account information, you’ll be logged in. Finally, launch Excel.
-
2
Click a project to open it. You’ll also see all the projects you have saved to OneDrive.
-
3
Click anywhere in the table. Once you click the table, you’ll see «Table Design» as an option in the editing ribbon above your spreadsheet document.
-
4
Click the Table Design tab and select Resize Table. The «Resize» option is all the way to the left of the menu in the «Table Design» tab.
-
5
Enter the new range for your table. For example, if you want to add one row, just increase the last number: If your current data set for the table is A1 to H13, input A1:H14 to add a row at the bottom of the table.
-
6
Click OK. This will close the window and change the range of the table.
- You can also insert a row or column in the middle of the table by right-clicking a cell in your data, selecting Insert and Table Columns to the Left/Right or Table Rows Above/Below.
Advertisement
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
References
About This Article
Article SummaryX
1. Open your project in Excel.
2. Click anywhere in the table.
3. Click Design.
4. Click Resize Table.
5. Enter the new range of rows and columns you want to use in the table.
6. Click Ok.
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 12,779 times.
Is this article up to date?
Creating new tables, reports and pricelists of different types, we cannot predict the number of necessary rows and columns. Using Excel program implies to a great extent creating and setting up spreadsheets, which requires inserting and deleting different elements.
First, let’s consider the methods of inserting sheet rows and columns when creating spreadsheets.
Note that in this tutorial we indicate hot keys for adding or deleting rows and columns. They should be used after highlighting the whole row or column. To highlight the row where the cursor is placed, press the combination of hot keys: SHIFT+SPACEBAR. Hot keys for highlighting a column are CTRL+SPACEBAR.
How to insert a column between other columns?
Assuming you have a pricelist lacking line item numbering:
To insert a column between other columns for filling in pricelist items numbering you can use one of the two ways:
- Move the cursor to activate A1 cell. Then go to tab «HOME», tool section «Cells» and click «Insert», in the popup menu select «Insert Sheet Columns» option.
- Right-click the heading of column A. Select «Insert» option on the shortcut menu.
- Select the column, and press the hotkey combination CTRL+SHIFT+PLUS.
Now you can type the numbers of pricelist line items.
Simultaneous insertion of several columns
The pricelist still lacks two columns: quantity and units (items, kilograms, liters, packs). To add simultaneously, highlight the two-cell range (C1:D1). Then use the same tool on the «Insert»-«Insert Sheet Columns» main tab.
Alternatively, highlight two headings of columns C and D, right-click and select «Insert» option.
Note. Columns are always added to the left side. There appear as many new columns as many old ones have been highlighted. The order of inserted also depends on the order of highlighting. For example, next but one etc.
How to insert a row between rows in Excel?
Now let’s add a heading and a new goods line item «All for the garden» to the pricelist. To this end, let’s insert two new rows simultaneously.
Highlight the nonadjacent range of two cells A1,A4 (note that character “,” is used instead of character “:” – it means that two nonadjacent ranges should be highlighted; to make sure, type A1; A4 in the name field and press Enter). You know from the previous tutorials how to highlight nonadjacent ranges.
Now once again use the tool «HOME»-«Insert»-«Insert Sheet Columns». The picture shows how to insert a blank row between other rows in Excel.
It is easy to guess the second way. You need to highlight headings of rows 1 and 3, right-click on one of the highlighted rows and select «Insert» option.
To add a row or a column in Excel use hot keys CTRL+SHIFT+PLUS having highlighted the appropriate row or column.
Note. New rows are always added above the highlighted rows.
Deleting rows and columns
When working with Excel you need to delete rows and columns as often as to insert them. Therefore, you have to practice.
By way of illustration, let’s delete from our pricelist the numbering of goods line items and the unit column simultaneously.
Highlight the nonadjacent range of cells A1; D1 and select «HOME»-«Delete»-«Delete Sheet Rows». The shortcut menu can also be used for deleting if you highlight headings A1 and D1 instead of cells.
Row deleting is performed in the similar way. You only need to select a tool in the appropriate menu. Applying a shortcut menu is the same. You only have to highlight the rows correspondingly by row numbers.
To delete a row or a column in Excel, use hot keys CTRL+MINUS having preliminary highlighted them.
Note. Inserting new columns and rows is in fact substitution, as the number of rows (1 048 576) and columns (16 384) doesn’t change. The new just replace the old ones. You should consider this fact when filling in the sheet with data by more than 50% — 80%.
Inserting multiple rows into your Microsoft Excel spreadsheet isn’t difficult. Simply use a quick context menu option or a keyboard shortcut to add several rows at once. We’ll show you how to do just that.
RELATED: How to Quickly Add Rows and Columns to a Table in Microsoft Word
Insert Multiple Rows in Excel With a Right-Click Menu Option
One way to add multiple rows in Excel is by using an option in Excel’s context menu.
To use this method, first, open your spreadsheet with Microsoft Excel.
In your spreadsheet, select the number of rows that you’d like to add. For example, if you want to add four new rows, select four rows in your spreadsheet above which the new rows will be added.
Right-click one of the selected rows, and from the menu that opens, select “Insert.”
You will see a small “Insert” box on your screen. In this box, enable the “Entire Row” option and click “OK.”
And instantly, Excel will add the specified number of rows to your spreadsheet.
Tip: To quickly remove the newly added rows, press Ctrl+Z on PC or Command+Z on a Mac.
You’re all set.
Insert Multiple Rows in Excel With a Keyboard Shortcut
If you prefer using Excel keyboard shortcuts, there’s a shortcut you can use to quickly add multiple rows to your Excel spreadsheet.
RELATED: All the Best Microsoft Excel Keyboard Shortcuts
To use the shortcut, first, open your spreadsheet with Microsoft Excel.
In the spreadsheet, select the number of rows you’d like to add. For example, if you want to add three new rows, select three rows in your current spreadsheet. Excel will add new rows above the selected rows.
While the rows are selected, press Ctrl+Shift+Plus (+ sign) at the same time on a PC, or Command+Shift+Plus (+ sign) on a Mac. This will open an “Insert” box. In this box, choose “Entire Row” and click “OK.”
Excel will add the selected number of rows to your spreadsheet.
And that’s how you make room for new data in your spreadsheets by adding multiple rows at once. Very useful!
If you often work with tables, you can add and remove columns and rows in a table in Excel just as easily.
RELATED: How to Add or Delete Columns and Rows in a Table in Microsoft Excel
READ NEXT
- › How to Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets
- › How to Use an Advanced Filter in Microsoft Excel
- › How to Group and Collapse Rows in Microsoft Excel
- › How to Add and Remove Columns and Rows in Microsoft Excel
- › How to Insert a Picture in Microsoft Excel
- › Excel for Beginners: The 6 Most Important Tasks to Know
- › The New NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Is Like an RTX 3080 for $599
- › Google Chrome Is Getting Faster
How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology. Since we launched in 2006, our articles have been read billions of times. Want to know more?