When working with spreadsheets, it is often necessary to add extra rows and insert columns as your data grows. It frequently occurs that new information needs to be located between already existing values. This is one of the basic essentials of optimal spreadsheet creation and will make it much easier to maintain your data without harming your calculation formulas. This Excel tutorial is going to teach you exactly how to insert rows precisely where they are needed.
There are two ways to add new rows but first you will need to highlight the number of rows that you require. Excel will automatically add a new row above the first selected row; but you need to be clear about how many rows you need and where they should be inserted.
As you can see in the above example, January is followed by December. There are ten months missing and a new row is needed for each of them. So we highlight the number of rows required and remember that Excel will locate them above the first highlighted row. Once this is done, we can continue:
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Insert Dialog Box
Point your mouse inside the highlighted cells and right click on them. A shortcut menu will appear as a small window. There are multiple options available and you should click on Insert… This will open your Insert dialog box. Choose the Entire Row option and click OK at the bottom:
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Insert Drop-down Menu
You will find the Insert drop-down menu situated in the Cells box on the Home tab of your Excel toolbar; along with options to Delete and Format. Click on the arrow underneath Insert and the menu will appear. Select Insert Sheet Rows.
Once you click on OK in either the Insert dialog box or Insert Sheet Rows from the Insert drop-down menu, Excel will immediately add the number of rows specified and situate them where you have instructed it to:
In the bottom right-hand corner, a little icon will appear. It looks like a paintbrush and will allow you to copy formatting from the data immediately above or below the inserted cells if you click on it. Excel automatically includes formulas from the above values, but you can choose what applies to your needs. If you do not wish to use any of the same formatting, simply click on Clear Formatting.
Now that your rows have been inserted, you can go ahead and add the information for them. You can use the AutoFill feature of Excel to speed up manual data entry; eliminating tedious and repetitive typing. Creating professional spreadsheets can now be done with ease, as there is no need to copy and paste data around every time information needs to be added.
We have written this article for you after several of our Excel training course students in South Florida recommended it. There are many helpful features that you can use to your advantage, and you can learn Excel easily by watching our Excel video tutorials.
