Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 8, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Do you need to always jump to the first cell right after all the data you've already put in your worksheet? For instance, if you have a worksheet that contains data in A1:G251, do you ever need to jump to cell A252 so that you can start entering data?
Moving to the first cell in row 252 is easy, provided there is data in all the cells in A1:A251. But if there can be empty cells in column A, then jumping to A252 can be a bit more difficult. In that case, you might be interested in a macro that makes jumping to the first cell of the empty row after your data quite easy:
Sub FindFirstCellNextRow() Dim x As Integer x = ActiveSheet.UsedRange.Rows.Count ActiveCell.SpecialCells(xlLastCell).Select ActiveCell.EntireRow.Cells(1, 1).Offset(1, 0).Activate End Sub
The first two lines effectively recompute the "last cell" in the worksheet and then the next two lines select that cell and jump to the cell in column A that is one row down.
Assign the macro to a keyboard shortcut, and you'll always be just one keystroke away from jumping to the first truly empty row in the worksheet.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2407) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Jumping to the Start of the Next Data Entry Row.
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!
When entering dates into a worksheet, you may want the dates to default to last year instead of this year. Here's a way ...
Discover MoreExcel is brilliant at handling datesâ€"as long as they aren't dates earlier than the base date used by the program. If ...
Discover MoreIf you distribute a workbook that is used by others for data entry, you may want a way to make sure they fill in certain ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments