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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Tabbing Beyond the Right Margin

There may be times when you would like to use some tabs in order to extend text to the right of the main text in your ...

Discover More

Adding Half Spaces to Punctuation

Want a little more space just before some of your punctuation characters? You can add that spacing in a variety of ways, ...

Discover More

Printing Gridlines by Default

When you print a worksheet, Excel allows you to also print handy gridlines for the worksheet. If you want to include 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)

Printing Odd or Even Pages

When you print a worksheet, Excel normally prints all the pages or a consecutive series of pages that you specify. If you ...

Discover More

Printing Workbook Properties

Want to create a printed record of the properties associated with a workbook? There is no easy way to do it in Excel. ...

Discover More

Printing More Than One Copy

Need to print more than a single copy of a worksheet? You can do it easily by using the controls in the Print dialog box.

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.

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 two more than 7?

2019-05-30 11:02:08

Charlene

Thank you Allen, that was very helpful!


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.