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?.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
Want to select all the data in a contiguous section of a worksheet? The shortcut discussed in this tip makes it very easy.
Discover MoreIf your worksheet formulas seem to go on forever, here's a handy way to make them more understandable. (All you need to ...
Discover MoreEnter information into a cell, and Excel needs to figure out what type of information it is. Here's how Excel interprets ...
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