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: Printing Row Numbers.

Printing Row Numbers

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 1, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


1

Maria wonders if it is possible to print out a worksheet and show the row numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) on the printout. She wants just the row numbers, not the column letters.

The short answer is no, it is not possible. Excel allows you to print both row numbers and column letters, but not row numbers alone. You can, however, use a workaround to get row numbers. All you need to do is add a new column A (insert a blank column to the left of the existing column A) and then use this formula in each cell of the column:

=ROW()

The formula returns the row number of the formula's row. You can then format the column to appear any way desired, and then include the column in the printout. If you want to actually include a modified row number (perhaps you don't want to show the row number of the first two rows, which contain column headings), you can either delete the formulas in cells A1:A2 or you could adjust the row number starting in cell A3:

=ROW()-2

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3914) 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: Printing Row Numbers.

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. ...

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What is 5 + 3?

2019-05-30 11:02:08

Charlene

Thank you Allen, that was very helpful!


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