Picking a Contiguous Range of Cells

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 16, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

There are many times when you are working with Excel when you need to select a range of cells. This is very easy to do using either the keyboard, the mouse, or a combination of both.

The first step in selecting a range of cells is to select the first cell in the range. With the cell selected you are ready to proceed.

  • Using the keyboard, you can hold down the Shift key as you use the navigation keys (up, down, left, and right arrows) to extend the range.
  • Using the mouse, you can click on the first cell and hold down the mouse button as you drag the mouse to extend the range.
  • Using the keyboard and mouse, you can hold down the Shift key as you click on the cell that defines the opposite corner of the range you want selected.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (1966) 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

Adjusting Column Width from the Keyboard

It's easy to adjust the width of table columns using the mouse, but what if you don't want to use the mouse? Adjusting ...

Discover More

Strange Formula Conversions

When you are getting the hang of how to put together formulas in Excel, you might run into a situation where you open a ...

Discover More

Changing the Color Used to Highlight Found Information

When you want to find information in worksheet, Excel can handily locate and highlight that information. If you find the ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Using an Input Mask

When you are entering information in a worksheet, it sure would be handy to have a way to "mask" the information being ...

Discover More

Setting a Length Limit on Cells

Limiting what can be entered in a cell can be an important part of developing a worksheet that other people use. Here's a ...

Discover More

Turning Off Paste Options

Paste some information into a worksheet and Excel helpfully displays some options related t the paste operation. If you ...

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.

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

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 eight less than 8?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

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.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.