Inserting a Row or Column

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 19, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


1

Inserting a blank row or column in your worksheet (between two rows or columns currently in use) is very easy in Excel. All you need to do is select the row or column that you want the new row or column to appear before. You then need to choose Columns from the Insert menu (to insert a column) or Rows from the Insert menu (to insert a row). Excel adjusts your worksheet so the new column or row appears as directed.

If you prefer to not use the menus or the mouse, you can use a keyboard shortcut to insert a row or column. All you need to do is select the row or column that you want the new row or column to appear before. Then, press Ctrl++ (that's Ctrl and the plus sign at the same time). Excel adjusts your worksheet so the new column or row appears as directed.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (1926) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

When to Hyphenate Your Document

Want to add a finishing touch to your printed document? Hyphenating the words in the document can make your text read ...

Discover More

Printing Selected Worksheets

When you accumulate quite a few workbooks in folder, you might need to print out selected worksheets from all of the ...

Discover More

Getting Context-Sensitive Help

Need help on a particular topic, dialog box, or command? You can use Excel's powerful help system to get just the ...

Discover More

Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Typing Check Marks into Excel

Need to enter a check mark into a cell? There are a number of ways you can get the desired character, depending on the ...

Discover More

Inserting Dashes between Letters and Numbers

If you need to add dashes between letters and numbers in a string, the work can quickly get tedious. This tip examines ...

Discover More

Sequentially Inputting Information

When entering data in a worksheet, you may only want to add information to the cells in a particular range. You can ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is nine minus 1?

2025-04-19 05:40:03

Pete

...or even quicker and easier, use the old Supercalc /IR and /IC (slash Insert Row, Column)

So many of the old Supercalc commands work in Excel but are generally not appreciated!

Pete


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.