Shortcut in excel for inserting rows

What is Insert Row in Excel?

The insertion of an excel row is simply the addition of a new (blank) row to the worksheet. The insertion of a row is eased with the help of shortcuts. A shortcut reduces the time taken to perform a task. This is because pressing a single key or combinations of keys help shorten an otherwise lengthy process.

For example, while working on some financial entries, a bank executive noticed that a row containing the totals of the columns is missing. A quick insertion of a blank row is carried out with the help of the shortcut keys “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+).”

Shortcuts considerably improve the productivity of the Excel users. These shortcuts need not be memorized. This is because, with regular usage, one tends to learn them.

This article discusses the major shortcuts of inserting a row in Excel. For better clarity, all techniques have been explained with the help of examples.

Top 3 Keyboard Shortcuts to Insert a Row in Excel

The top three shortcuts to insert a row in Excel are listed as follows:

1. “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+)”
2. “Insert” dialog box
3. “ALT+I+R”

Use the shortcut which works on your device and is easy to be applied. Once the insertion of a row is complete, one can press F4 to repeat the last task.

Let us consider some examples to understand the working of these excel shortcutsAn Excel shortcut is a technique of performing a manual task in a quicker way.read more.

Example #1–Insert a Row Using “Ctrl+Plus Sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+Plus Sign (+)”

The following image shows the names (column A) and the date of birth (column B) of ten people. We want to perform the following tasks:

• Insert a new row 6 with the shortcuts “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+).”
• Show how to format the newly inserted row (row 6).

Example #2–Insert a Row Using the “Insert” Dialog Box

Working on the data of example #1, we want to insert a new row 6 with the “insert” dialog box. Use the shortcut method.

The steps to insert a row with the “insert” dialog box are listed as follows:

Step 1: Select any cell of row 6. Press the keys “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+).” The keys of each shortcut must be pressed together.

The “insert” dialog box opens with both these shortcuts. The succeeding image shows the result of using the former shortcut [Ctrl+plus sign (+)].

Note 1: The shortcut “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” works with keyboards having a numeric pad on the right side. The shortcut “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+)” works on all the regular keyboards.

Note 2: If a cell is selected prior to pressing the preceding shortcuts (entered in step 1), the “insert” dialog box is displayed. However, if a row is selected, these shortcuts insert a new row directly.

Step 2: The “insert” dialog box displays the following options:

• Shift cells right: This shifts the content of the selected cell (selected in step 1) to the cell on the immediate right.
• Shift cells down: This shifts the content of the selected cell (selected in step 1) to the immediately following cell.
• Entire row: This inserts a new row preceding the row of the selected cell (selected in step 1).
• Entire column: This inserts a new column to the immediate left of the selected cell (selected in step 1).

Since we want to insert excel row 6, we select the option “entire row.” A new, blank row 6 is inserted, as shown in the following image. With this insertion, the entries of the initial row 6 shift to row 7.

Example #3–Insert a Row Using “ALT+I+R”

Working on the data of example #1, we want to insert a new row 6 with the shortcut “Alt+I+R.”

The steps to insert a row with the shortcut “Alt+I+R” are listed as follows:

Step 1: Select any cell of row 6. We have selected cell A6, as shown in the following image. Alternatively, one can select the entire row 6 with the help of “Shift+spacebar.”

Step 2: Press the keys “ALT+I+R” to insert a new row. A blank row 6 is inserted, as shown in the following image. With this insertion, the entries of the initial row 6 shift to row 7.

Note: The shortcut “ALT+I+R” does not work in all the versions of Excel. It works only in the modern versions of Excel.

How to Insert Multiple Rows Using a Shortcut Key?

Let us consider an example to understand the insertion of multiple rowsThe top four methods to insert multiple rows are in excel are — Using INSERT Option, Using shortcut Key — shift + space bar, Copy & Paste Method, Using the Name Box.
read more with the help of shortcuts. For inserting multiple rows, one must know beforehand the number of rows to be inserted. This is because Excel inserts the same number of rows as the initial rows selected.

Example #4–Insert Multiple Rows Using “Ctrl+Plus Sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+Plus Sign (+)”

Working on the data of example #1, we want to insert five rows (row 6 to row 10) beginning from row 6. Use the shortcut method.

The steps to insert multiple rows by using shortcuts are listed as follows:

Step 1: Select rows 6 to 10. This is because we want to insert five rows starting from row 6. The rows can be selected in either of the following ways:

• Select cell A6. Hold the “Shift” key and press the down arrow to select the cells A6 to A10. Press “Shift+spacebar” to select rows 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 in one go.
• Press and drag the left button of the mouse on the row numbers 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

The selected rows are shown in the following image.

Step 2: Once the required number of rows is selected, press the keys “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+).” The keys of each shortcut need to be pressed together.

In the succeeding image, the rows 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are inserted with the keys “Ctrl+plus sign (+).” Hence, five blank rows are inserted beginning with row 6. With this insertion, the entries of the initial rows 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are shifted downwards to rows 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15.

Note 1: Use the shortcut “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” on the keyboard having a separate numeric keypad. On a regular keyboard, use the shortcut “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+).”

Note 2: If multiple rows are selected, both the preceding shortcuts (pressed in step 2) insert multiple rows. Since the number of inserted rows is the same as the number of rows selected initially, one must make the selections carefully (in step 1).

Frequently Asked Questions 

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to inserting a row in Excel. Here we discuss how to insert a row or rows using the top 3 shortcut methods and step-by-step examples.You may learn more about Excel from the following articles–

• VBA Insert RowTo insert rows we use worksheet method with the insert command to insert a row, we also provide a row reference where we want to insert another row similar to the columns.read more
• Deleting Row Excel Shortcut
• Excel Rows to ColumnsRows can be transposed to columns by using paste special method and the data can be linked to the original data by simply selecting ‘Paste Link’ form the paste special dialog box. It could also be done by using INDIRECT formula and ADDRESS functions.read more
• How to Convert Columns to Rows?There are two ways to convert columns to rows: 1) using the Excel Ribbon Method. 2) The Mouse Method.read more
• How to Create an Excel Spreadsheet?To create an excel spreadsheet, do the following: 1.Open MS Excel 2.Select New from the Menu dropdown list 3. Click the Blank workbook button to start a new worksheet. The keyboard shortcut for this is Ctrl + N.read more

Insert Row in Excel

What is Insert Row in Excel?

The insertion of an excel row is simply the addition of a new (blank) row to the worksheet. The insertion of a row is eased with the help of shortcuts. A shortcut reduces the time taken to perform a task. This is because pressing a single key or combinations of keys help shorten an otherwise lengthy process.

For example, while working on some financial entries, a bank executive noticed that a row containing the totals of the columns is missing. A quick insertion of a blank row is carried out with the help of the shortcut keys “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+).”

Shortcuts considerably improve the productivity of the Excel users. These shortcuts need not be memorized. This is because, with regular usage, one tends to learn them.

This article discusses the major shortcuts of inserting a row in Excel. For better clarity, all techniques have been explained with the help of examples.

Table of contents

Top 3 Keyboard Shortcuts to Insert a Row in Excel

The top three shortcuts to insert a row in Excel are listed as follows:

1. “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+)”
2. “Insert” dialog box
3. “ALT+I+R”

Use the shortcut which works on your device and is easy to be applied. Once the insertion of a row is complete, one can press F4 to repeat the last task.

Example #1–Insert a Row Using “Ctrl+Plus Sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+Plus Sign (+)”

The following image shows the names (column A) and the date of birth (column B) of ten people. We want to perform the following tasks:

• Insert a new row 6 with the shortcuts “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+).”
• Show how to format the newly inserted row (row 6).

The steps to insert a new excel row (row 6) are listed as follows:

Select any cell of row 6. Press the shortcut keys “Shift+spacebar” together. The entire row 6 is selected, as shown in the following image.

Once the entire row is selected, press the keys “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+).” The keys of each shortcut must be pressed together.

In the succeeding image, we have applied the former shortcut [Ctrl+plus sign (+)].

Note 1: The shortcut “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” works only on those devices which have a numeric keypad (number pad) to the right of a regular keyboard. For this shortcut to work, press the “Ctrl” key from the regular keyboard and the plus sign (+) from the number pad.

Note 2: The shortcut “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+)” works on devices which do not have a separate numeric keypad. Such devices have a regular keyboard.

A blank row 6 is inserted with both the preceding shortcuts (entered in step 2). This new row is shown in the following image.

With the insertion of the new row 6, the entries of the initial row 6 are shifted downwards to row 7. Moreover, a paintbrush icon appears immediately below the newly inserted row (row 6).

To format the new row 6, hover the mouse over the paintbrush icon. Thereafter, click the drop-down arrow, as shown in the succeeding image. The formatting styles displayed are explained as follows:

• Format same as above: This applies the formatting of the immediately preceding row (row 5) to row 6.
• Format same as below: This applies the formatting of the immediately following row (row 7) to row 6.
• Clear formatting: This removes the formatting of row 6.
One can select any of the preceding styles. Based on this selection, the newly inserted row (row 6) is formatted.

Note: The paintbrush icon may not appear each time a new row is inserted. In case it does not appear, one can format the newly inserted row in either of the following ways:

• Select the newly inserted row, right-click and select “format cells” from the context menu.
• Use the format painter icon from the “clipboard” group of the Home tab of Excel.

Example #2–Insert a Row Using the “Insert” Dialog Box

Working on the data of example #1, we want to insert a new row 6 with the “insert” dialog box. Use the shortcut method.

The steps to insert a row with the “insert” dialog box are listed as follows:

Step 1: Select any cell of row 6. Press the keys “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+).” The keys of each shortcut must be pressed together.

The “insert” dialog box opens with both these shortcuts. The succeeding image shows the result of using the former shortcut [Ctrl+plus sign (+)].

Note 1: The shortcut “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” works with keyboards having a numeric pad on the right side. The shortcut “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+)” works on all the regular keyboards.

Note 2: If a cell is selected prior to pressing the preceding shortcuts (entered in step 1), the “insert” dialog box is displayed. However, if a row is selected, these shortcuts insert a new row directly.

Step 2: The “insert” dialog box displays the following options:

• Shift cells right: This shifts the content of the selected cell (selected in step 1) to the cell on the immediate right.
• Shift cells down: This shifts the content of the selected cell (selected in step 1) to the immediately following cell.
• Entire row: This inserts a new row preceding the row of the selected cell (selected in step 1).
• Entire column: This inserts a new column to the immediate left of the selected cell (selected in step 1).

Since we want to insert excel row 6, we select the option “entire row.” A new, blank row 6 is inserted, as shown in the following image. With this insertion, the entries of the initial row 6 shift to row 7.

Example #3–Insert a Row Using “ALT+I+R”

Working on the data of example #1, we want to insert a new row 6 with the shortcut “Alt+I+R.”

The steps to insert a row with the shortcut “Alt+I+R” are listed as follows:

Step 1: Select any cell of row 6. We have selected cell A6, as shown in the following image. Alternatively, one can select the entire row 6 with the help of “Shift+spacebar.”

Step 2: Press the keys “ALT+I+R” to insert a new row. A blank row 6 is inserted, as shown in the following image. With this insertion, the entries of the initial row 6 shift to row 7.

Note: The shortcut “ALT+I+R” does not work in all the versions of Excel. It works only in the modern versions of Excel.

How to Insert Multiple Rows Using a Shortcut Key?

Let us consider an example to understand the insertion of multiple rows Insertion Of Multiple Rows The top four methods to insert multiple rows are in excel are — Using INSERT Option, Using shortcut Key — shift + space bar, Copy & Paste Method, Using the Name Box. read more with the help of shortcuts. For inserting multiple rows, one must know beforehand the number of rows to be inserted. This is because Excel inserts the same number of rows as the initial rows selected.

Example #4–Insert Multiple Rows Using “Ctrl+Plus Sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+Plus Sign (+)”

Working on the data of example #1, we want to insert five rows (row 6 to row 10) beginning from row 6. Use the shortcut method.

The steps to insert multiple rows by using shortcuts are listed as follows:

Step 1: Select rows 6 to 10. This is because we want to insert five rows starting from row 6. The rows can be selected in either of the following ways:

• Select cell A6. Hold the “Shift” key and press the down arrow to select the cells A6 to A10. Press “Shift+spacebar” to select rows 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 in one go.
• Press and drag the left button of the mouse on the row numbers 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

The selected rows are shown in the following image.

Step 2: Once the required number of rows is selected, press the keys “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” or “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+).” The keys of each shortcut need to be pressed together.

In the succeeding image, the rows 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are inserted with the keys “Ctrl+plus sign (+).” Hence, five blank rows are inserted beginning with row 6. With this insertion, the entries of the initial rows 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are shifted downwards to rows 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15.

Note 1: Use the shortcut “Ctrl+plus sign (+)” on the keyboard having a separate numeric keypad. On a regular keyboard, use the shortcut “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+).”

Note 2: If multiple rows are selected, both the preceding shortcuts (pressed in step 2) insert multiple rows. Since the number of inserted rows is the same as the number of rows selected initially, one must make the selections carefully (in step 1).

Frequently Asked Questions

The “insert row shortcut” is simply a shortcut to insert or add a row to the worksheet. There are different shortcuts available for inserting rows in Excel. One can select any of them depending on the version of Excel and the kind of keyboard being used.

The process of inserting an excel row with the different shortcuts is stated as follows:

a. “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+)”–Select the entire row preceding which a row is to be inserted. Then, press the keys of this shortcut together.
b. “Insert” dialog box–Select any cell preceding which a row is to be inserted. Thereafter, press the keys “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+)” together. Finally, select “entire row” from the “insert” dialog box.
c. “Alt+I+R”–Select any cell or an entire row preceding which a row is to be inserted. Then, press the keys of this shortcut together.

Note 1: The pointers “a”” and “b” work with regular keyboards. The pointer “c” works in the modern versions of Excel.

Note 2: To select a row, click the row number with the left button of the mouse. Alternatively, select a cell and press “Shift+spacebar”.

The steps for inserting an excel row without a mouse are listed as follows:

a. Select any cell of the row preceding which a new row is to be inserted.
b. Press “Shift+spacebar” together to select the entire row.
c. Press the keys “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+)” together.

A new row will be inserted preceding the selection in step “a”.

Note: To insert multiple rows without using the mouse, select multiple cells with “Shift+down arrow”. Hold the”Shift” key and press the down arrow. Thereafter, press “Shift+spacebar” to select these rows. Then, press the keys “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+)” together.

The steps to insert a row in a table with a shortcut are listed as follows:

a. Select a cell preceding which a new row is to be inserted.
b. Press the shortcut “Ctrl+Shift+plus sign (+)” together.

A new, blank row is inserted within the table.

Note: Alternatively, one can press “Shift+spacebar” in step “a”. In this case, this shortcut does not select the entire row of Excel. It selects the row within the table only.

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Fastest ways to insert multiple rows in Excel

by Alexander Frolov, updated on March 11, 2023

Inserting multiple rows in Excel may be one of the numerous tasks you come across daily. In today’s article, I hope to inspire shortcut-oriented users by showing some really quick ways to add new rows in Excel. You’ll also see how to solve this task using standard menus and Ribbon buttons and how to add empty rows between multiple data lines.

If you work in Excel actively, you know that most of the tables are constantly changing. Very often, they get modified when you add new details and as a result insert multiple empty rows for them. If you add rows below or above certain data in your spreadsheets every now and then, the standard Insert command looks like the most evident solution. However if pasting blank lines is your day-to-day or even hour-to-hour routine in Excel, insert-row shortcuts are by far more effective.

This article will be useful both for the shortcut people and for users who prefer standard Excel options located on the Ribbon and within different menu lists. You will find several solutions how to insert new rows in Excel with shortcuts and learn how to add blank rows between existing lines with data.

Insert multiple rows in Excel using the standard menu options

Below you’ll find the most obvious ways for pasting blank rows which is employing the Insert functionality.

Pick one or several rows where the blanks will appear. To do this, select the destination cells and use the Shift + Space shortcut to turn them into rows.

Tip. You can also select entire lines using the row number buttons. You’ll see the number of the highlighted rows next to the last button.

You will see your table in Excel with the rows inserted below the necessary line.

You can get the same result if you use the Insert menu option. Please see the steps below.

1. Select the cells where the empty rows need to appear and press Shift + Space .
2. When you pick the correct number of rows, right-click within the selection and choose the Insert option from the menu list.
   

Tip. If your cells contain any formatting, use the Insert Options icon to match the format.

Again, you’ll see multiple rows inserted in your table in Excel. Now you can enter the necessary details to get your report ready.

Tip. If you need to remove rows with irrelevant data, you’ll find some effective solutions here: How to delete rows in Excel based on a cell value.

Shortcuts to insert blank rows in Excel

If you think that the ways described above are fast enough, check out the below options to see what is really quick. I’ll share how to insert new rows in Excel with keyboard shortcuts.

The first shortcut I’d like to cover is the one repeating the Ribbon option Insert Sheet Rows.

1. Select the necessary number of rows where the blank lines will appear by picking the corresponding cells and pressing Shift + Space . The current content will be moved down to make room for the new rows.
   
2. Then press Alt + I . Then, holding the Alt button press R .
   

Voila! You can see the new rows added below. Please keep reading — the most interesting details are ahead.

Use numerical keypad shortcut to add rows in Excel

Even if you don’t enter large amounts of numeric data, you can still benefit from using the number pad. The Excel insert row shortcut I show below will work only if you press the Plus key on the numerical keypad.

1. Select the range in Excel to insert a new row. To do this left-click on the row number button next to the fist cell of the selection and extend the range keeping the left mouse button pressed.
2. Now press Ctrl + Plus on the numerical pad .
   

If you prefer to use the main keyboard, you can get the same results if you use the Ctrl + Shift + Plus on the main pad .

Tip. If you need to add numerous rows at a time, like one or two hundred, take the advantage of the F4 button. It repeats your last action. For example, if you want to insert 100 empty rows, select a range with 10 rows, use the shortcut you like to insert the blanks and then just press F4 ten times.

Special shortcut to insert rows in Excel if there’s data to the right of your table

Ctrl + Plus hotkey is fast and reliable, but if you have data to the right of your main table like on the screenshot below, it may insert blanks where you wouldn’t like them to be and break the structure.

If that’s your case, in this part you’ll find a solution for inserting multiple new rows in your Excel table and keeping the structure of the data next to your list as is.

Format your data as Excel Table using the shortcut Ctrl + T , or go to the Home tab -> Format as Table button and pick the style that suites you best.

You will see the Create Table dialog box that will help you select the necessary range.

That’s how your data look like after being formatted as Excel Table:

Now that your list is formatted, select a range within your table.

Hold the Alt key, first press H , then press I and finally — A . This is a shortcut for the option Insert Table Rows Above.

Tip. You can achieve the same result if you select the necessary range and press Ctrl + Plus on the numerical keypad .

As you can see, new rows didn’t appear between the rows to the right:

Insert a blank row after every existing row in Excel

Suppose you have a report in Excel and need to insert a blank line between each of the existing rows in your table. There are two ways to solve this task — the first will work for relatively small lists and the second — for bigger ones.

If your spreadsheet is not so large, look at the steps below:

1. Keep the Ctrl key pressed and manually select each row with data by clicking on the row number.
   
2. Press the Insert button on the Ribbon or use any Excel shortcut I listed above to see the results.
   

The second option will suite better if you have a big data table.

1. Create a helper column. Enter 1 and 2 in the starting cells, grab the fill handle and drag it to the last data cell.
   
2. Now copy the series in the helper column and paste the range just below the last cell.
   
3. Select the entire table, go to the Data tab in Excel and press the Sort button.
4. On the window that will appear choose to sort by your Helper column (in my example its column D) -> Values -> Smallest to Largest.
   
5. Click OK and see the results. Empty rows will appear between the lines with data.
   

Now you can delete the helper column.

Tip. If you like operating Excel from you keyboard, this tutorial may come in handy: 30 most useful Excel keyboard shortcuts.

That’s it! You learned several shortcuts to insert multiple rows in Excel. Now you know all the fastest ways for adding blank rows to your data. I’ll readily answer any questions you may have. Feel free to post your query below. Be happy and excel in Excel!

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