How to Insert a Row in Excel: Mouse, Ribbon and Shortcut

You've built the perfect sheet, then a new client, a forgotten expense or an extra week of content needs to go right in the middle of it. Typing at the bottom and sorting later works, but it's much tidier to drop a blank row exactly where it belongs and let everything below shuffle down.

Excel gives you a right-click route, a ribbon route and a keyboard route, and they all end up in the same place. I'll go through each, show you how to add several rows at once, and explain the little paintbrush icon that appears afterwards.

Inserting a row in Excel with a right-click

This is the quickest method in Excel for Windows, according to Microsoft's help page.

1. Find the row number on the left edge of the sheet where you want the new row to appear.
2. Right-click that row number.
3. Select Insert.

A blank row appears above the one you clicked, and the rows underneath move down by one. Your data isn't lost or overwritten, it simply shifts.

Inserting a sheet row from the Excel Home tab

If you'd rather use the ribbon, you don't even need to select the whole row first.

1. Click any cell in the row where the new row should go.
2. On the Home tab, select the Insert drop-down.
3. Select Insert Sheet Rows.

Again, the new row lands above the cell you picked. I find this handy when I'm already working in a cell and don't want to aim for the row number.

A keyboard shortcut for adding rows in Excel

Microsoft's list of Excel keyboard shortcuts gives two that work together nicely:

1. Press Shift + Spacebar to select the whole row your cursor is in.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Plus sign (+) to insert. With a full row selected, Excel adds a row above it.

If you press Ctrl + Shift + Plus sign with just one cell selected, Excel opens the Insert dialog box instead, asking whether to shift cells or insert an entire row. Choose Entire row and select OK.

Adding several rows at once in Excel

Need five blank rows, not one? Select the same number of existing rows first.

1. Click the first row number, then drag down until five row numbers are highlighted.
2. Right-click inside the highlighted row numbers.
3. Select Insert.

Excel inserts as many rows as you selected. Microsoft's instructions for Excel for the web work the same way: select the same number of rows, right-click, then choose Insert Rows.

Inserting rows in Excel for the web

In the browser version, the wording on the menu is slightly different.

1. Right-click the row number where the new row should go.
2. Select Insert Rows.

Microsoft's help page covers Windows and the web for this task. On a Mac the menus may look a little different, so look for Insert on the right-click menu of the row number.

What the Insert Options button does after adding an Excel row

After you insert a row, a small paintbrush icon often appears beside it. That's the Insert Options button. Microsoft says new rows inherit the formatting of the row you selected, and this button lets you pick a different option, such as formatting from the row below or clearing the formatting.

If you never see the button, it's been switched off. Microsoft's fix: go to File, Options, Advanced, and tick Show Insert Options buttons.

Method	Steps	Best when
Right-click the row number	Right-click, Insert	You're using a mouse
Home tab	Insert, Insert Sheet Rows	You're already in a cell
Keyboard	Shift + Spacebar, then Ctrl + Shift + Plus sign	You're typing a lot
Excel for the web	Right-click, Insert Rows	You're working in a browser

Moving an existing Excel row instead of inserting a blank one

Sometimes the row you need already exists, it's just in the wrong place. Microsoft's shortcuts page explains that if you hold Shift while you drag a selected row, Excel moves it and drops it in as an insert at the new spot, rather than overwriting what's there. Select the row, hover over its edge until the pointer changes, hold Shift and drag.

Inserting rows between every existing row

Sometimes you want a gap after each line, for example to print a sign-in sheet with room to write. There's no single button for that, but you can do it in a few passes: hold Ctrl and click each row number where a gap should appear, then right-click one of the selected row numbers and select Insert. Excel adds a blank row above each row you picked. For long lists, it's quicker to sort a helper column of numbers than to click hundreds of rows.

If Excel won't let you insert a row

• The sheet is protected. Inserting rows is often blocked on protected sheets until protection is removed.
• The sheet is full to the bottom. Microsoft lists Excel's limit as 1,048,576 rows. If the last row holds anything, even formatting, there's no room to push rows down. Clear the unused rows at the very bottom and try again.
• You're inside an Excel table. Tables behave a little differently. Right-click inside the table and look for insert options for table rows.

For small business sheets like order logs or content calendars, I'd also suggest converting your list into a formatted Excel table so new rows pick up formulas automatically. And if a sheet has collected gaps over time, my guide on clearing out empty rows in Excel is the natural companion to this one.

Frequently asked questions

How do I insert a row above in Excel?

Right-click the row number and select Insert. Excel always adds the new row above the row you selected, and pushes the rest down.

What's the shortcut to insert a row in Excel?

Press Shift + Spacebar to select the row, then Ctrl + Shift + Plus sign (+). Both shortcuts come from Microsoft's Excel keyboard shortcuts list.

How do I insert multiple rows in Excel?

Select the same number of rows as you want to add, right-click the selection and choose Insert. Excel adds that many blank rows.

Why does my new row copy the formatting above it?

Microsoft says new rows inherit the formatting of the selected row. Use the Insert Options button that appears to choose a different option.

Why can't I insert a row in Excel?

The sheet may be protected, or the very last row of the sheet may contain data or formatting, which leaves no space to shift rows down.