Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: How Many Rows and Columns Have I Selected?.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 27, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
As I am typing along in Excel, I find it a bother to take my hands off the keyboard and fumble for the mouse. Thus, I will often use the keyboard to make selections. I simply hold down the Shift key and use the arrow keys to expand my selection. As I do so, Excel obliges me by reporting, in the Name box, the number of rows and columns I have selected.
The problem is, once I let go of the Shift key, the contents of the Name box return to normal, and I can no longer tell how many rows and columns I selected. To solve this, I find it very easy to again hold down the Shift key and press one of the arrow keys. This expands the selected range and again reports the selection size in the Name box. If I immediately press the opposite arrow key (while still holding down the Shift key), the selection returns to my original size and I can see the size of that selection in the Name box.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2474) 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: How Many Rows and Columns Have I Selected?.
Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!
Excel makes it easy to select a group of contiguous cells. However, it also makes it easy to select non-contiguous groups ...
Discover MoreCopying information between two instances of Excel is different than copying information between two worksheets opened in ...
Discover MoreIf you hide the first rows of a worksheet, you may have a hard time getting those rows visible again. Here's a simple way ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2023-03-01 06:49:26
Michael
Worked for me. Total rows (and columns) number appeared for me in small box to the left of larger formula bar box.
2023-02-21 17:28:54
Kent
This didn't work for me.
I want to know how may lines are in my filtered/unfiltered list so I used Ctrl-Down to reach the bottom, then selected to the top with Ctrl-Shift-Up, and the box is blank and remains blank even if I reduce the selection
I suppose I can paste into a blank sheet so I guess I'll do that.
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.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Comments