Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences

Insert & Delete Ranges in an Excel Worksheet


Sometimes it is necessary to insert rows, columns, or cells into a worksheet. Or sometimes you have to delete a cell, a row, or column. You can insert just one cell or a few cells (called a range). Excel makes it easy to do this. This how to gives you steps to complete these tasks.



How To Insert a cell:

You can insert one cell in Excel very easily.

  1. Select the cell near where you want to insert the new cell.
  2. From the Insert menu choose Cells. Excel will display a dialog box asking how you want to shift the remaining cells.
  3. Specify whether you want to shift cells.
  4. Click OK.
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How To Delete a cell:

You can delete one cell in Excel very easily.

  1. Select the cell that you want to delete
  2. From the Edit menu choose Delete. Excel will display a dialog box asking how you want to shift the remaining cells.
  3. Specify whether you want to shift cells.
  4. Click OK.
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How To Insert a range of cells:

When you need to add a few cells in one row or column, it's best to add a range of cells to the worksheet.

  1. Select the range where you want to insert the cells, row, or column. To select a range, point to the first cell you want to select and drag to the last cell.
  2. From the Insert menu choose Cells. Excel will display a dialog box asking how you want to shift the remaining cells.
  3. Specify whether you want to shift cells or insert an entire row or column.
  4. Click OK.
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How To Delete a range of cells:

When you need to delete a few cells in one row or column, it's best to delete the range of cells to the worksheet.

  1. Select the range where you want to delete the cells, row, or column. To select a range, point to the first cell you want to select and drag to the last cell.
  2. From the Edit menu choose Delete. Excel will display a dialog box asking how you want to shift the remaining cells.
  3. Specify whether you want to shift cells or delete an entire row or column.
  4. Click OK.
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How To Insert a Entire Column or Row:

Sometimes it is necessary to add an entire row or column to a worksheet. An inserted row goes above the row you select, while an inserted column goes to the left of the selected column.

  1. Select the row to the right or column above where you want to insert a new row or column. You can use the column and row heading buttons to select entire columns and rows.
  2. Right click on the column or row heading.
  3. Click Insert.
  4. You do not need to specify where to shift cells.
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How To Delete a Entire Column or Row:

Sometimes it is necessary to delete an entire row or column in a worksheet. When a row or column is deleted, the existing rows or columns collapse to fill in the empty space.

  1. Select the row or column that you want to delete. You can use the column and row heading buttons to select entire columns and rows.
  2. Right click on the column or row heading.
  3. Click Delete.
  4. You do not need to specify where to shift cells.

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Insert & Delete Ranges in an Excel Worksheet
06-30-05 [jsw]
Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences