How to Insert and Delete Rows and Columns in Excel

If you work with Excel regularly, you know how important it is to keep your data organized. Knowing how to insert and delete rows and columns in Excel is an essential part of maintaining your worksheet and keeping it easy to read. Adding rows and columns helps you to expand the worksheet to fit more data, while deleting them helps to remove unnecessary information.

Page Contents

Inserting a Row

In an open worksheet:

Select a row by clicking on the row number.
Right-click anywhere on the selected row.
Select Insert from the options on the context menu.
The new row will be inserted directly above the selected row.

Inserting Multiple Rows

Click a row number and drag through the number of rows to be inserted to select them.
Right-click anywhere on the selected rows.
Select Insert from the options on the context menu.
The new rows will be inserted directly above the selected rows.

Inserting a Column

Select a column by clicking the column letter.
Right-click the selected column to access a menu.
Select Insert from the options on the context menu.
The new column will be inserted directly to the left of the selected column.

Inserting Multiple Columns

Click a column letter and drag through the number of columns to be inserted to select them.
Right-click anywhere on the columns to access a menu.
Select Insert from the options on the context menu.
The new columns will be inserted directly to the left of the selected columns.

Deleting a Row

To delete a row:

Select the row you want to delete by clicking the row number.
Right-click the selected row to access a menu.
Click Delete from the options on the context menu.

The row will be removed from the worksheet.

Deleting a Column

To delete a column:

Select the column you want to delete by clicking on the column letter.
Right-click the selected column to access a menu.
Click Delete from the options on the context menu.

The column will be removed from the worksheet.

Safe Mode

If you are unable to insert or delete rows or columns, it may be due to a corrupted add-in. You can start Excel in safe mode and disable add-ins one by one and restart Excel each time to determine the culprit add-in. To start Excel in safe mode, do the following:

Press and hold down Ctrl and click on the Excel shortcut icon to open the program.
Keep holding down Ctrl until you are prompted to confirm starting Excel in safe mode.
Disable add-ins one by one and restart Excel in safe mode each time to determine which add-in is corrupted.

To stop Excel safe mode, exit and restart Excel. It will start in normal mode unless there’s a problem opening the application.

Conclusion

Knowing how to insert and delete rows and columns in Excel is essential in maintaining the structure and organization of your worksheet. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can customize your worksheet to fit your data, making it easier to read and understand.