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How to Move Rows in Excel – 5 Easy Ways!

John Michaloudis
One of the most common tasks in Microsoft Excel is moving rows within a spreadsheet.
Once you have this skill on point, you will be able to organize your data to the format you desire as well as make corrections to data entry.

In this article, we will explore different methods to move rows in Excel.
How to Move Rows in Excel - 5 Easy Ways! | MyExcelOnline How to Move Rows in Excel - 5 Easy Ways! | MyExcelOnline

Let’s look at these methods thoroughly!

Download the Excel Workbook below to follow along the How to Move Rows in Excel tutorial! –

download excel workbook MoveRowsinExcel.xlsx

Drag and Drop with the Shift Key


Here we have data on the results of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men’s 200m Freestyle Finals. Suppose there was a slight mistake, and we want to relocate Row 5 to occupy the position of Row 4.

Move Rows in Excel

Click on the row number to select the entire row that you want to move.

Press and hold the Shift key.

Move Rows in Excel

Hover the cursor over the border of the selected row. The cursor should change to a four-sided arrow.

Click and hold the left mouse button, then drag and drop the row to the desired location.

Move Rows in Excel 3

Cut and Paste Rows


Using the same example, click on the row number to select the entire row that you want to move.

Right-click on the selected row, choose Cut from the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + X).

Move Rows in Excel 4

Click on the row number where you want to move the cut row. In our case, it’ll be row 4.

Move Rows in Excel 5

Right-click on the selected destination row, choose Insert Cut Cells from the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut (Alt + i + e).

Move Rows in Excel

Move Multiple Rows


It is possible to move multiple rows at the same time. However, it’s important to keep in mind that only adjacent rows or columns can be moved together. For instance, you can move Rows 3 to 6 together, but moving Row 3 and Row 5 concurrently is not possible.

Highlight the rows you would like to move.

Move Rows in Excel

Right-click on the selected rows, choose Cut from the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + X).

Click on the row number where you want to move the cut row.

Right-click on the selected destination row, choose Insert Cut Cells from the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut (Alt + i + e).

Move Rows in Excel

Move Rows in Excel

Insert Copied Cells


Click on the row number to select the entire row that you want to move. In our example, it is row 5.

Move Rows in Excel

Right-click on the selected row, choose Copy from the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + C).

Move Rows in Excel

Click on the row number where you want to move the copied row. In our case, it is row 4.

Move Rows in Excel

Right-click on the selected destination row and choose Insert Copied Cells from the context menu.

Move Rows in Excel

Delete the original row by Right-clicking the row number, then press Delete.

Move Rows in Excel Move Rows in ExcelMove Rows in ExceL

Using the Sort Feature


The Sort feature method is one of the most creative and useful methods when it comes to moving rows in Excel. This method is the most useful when you need to move a lot of rows. The essence of this method is to mark the order of the data in a new column using numbers. The Sort feature will then automatically arrange the data based on the assigned numbers.

First, Right-click on column A and click Insert.

Move Rows in Excel

From there, mark the new order of the data using numbers. 1 being first place and 8 being 8th place.

Move Rows in Excel

Highlight the entire range of data from A2 to D9.

Move Rows in Excel

Go to the Data tab on the Excel ribbon, click Sort, and specify the sorting criteria.

Move Rows in Excel

Click on Options and make sure that it is set to Sort from Top to Bottom, as we are working with rows.

Move Rows in Excel

On the Sort by drop-down options, click on Column A.

Move Rows in Excel

Click OK.

Move Rows in Excel

As you can see, the data is now set according to the numbers we entered.

Lastly, Right-click on Column A, and click Delete.

Move Rows in Excel

Conclusion:
There you have it! You have successfully acquired the skills to move rows in Excel using the simple methods and shortcuts demonstrated above. Be sure to apply these methods the next time you’re manipulating data, or just looking to showcase your Excel skills!

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John Michaloudis is a former accountant and finance analyst at General Electric, a Microsoft MVP since 2020, an Amazon #1 bestselling author of 4 Microsoft Excel books and teacher of Microsoft Excel & Office over at his flagship MyExcelOnline Academy Online Course.

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