Insert row shortcut: add, delete and hide rows and columns in Excel
A missing invoice, a new discount column, two cancelled orders to remove: right-clicking through the context menu every time adds up. With the keyboard, each of these takes two or three key presses.
In short: Shift+Spacebar selects the entire row, Ctrl+Spacebar the entire column. Then Ctrl+Shift++ inserts a new one in front of it and Ctrl+- deletes the selection. Ctrl+9 hides rows, Ctrl+0 hides columns.
Try it now
Click into the practice sheet and use the keyboard only. The sheet counts your key presses. The order matters: select the whole row first, then insert.
Task Invoice R-1039 is missing from the list. Insert an empty row above row 5 (R-1040) using the keyboard.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Invoice | Customer | Amount $ | ||
| 2 | R-1036 | Becker GmbH | 1250 | ||
| 3 | R-1037 | Novak AG | 480 | ||
| 4 | R-1038 | Lindqvist AB | 2310 | ||
| 5 | R-1040 | Schulz KG | 960 | ||
| 6 | R-1041 | Ortega SL | 1775 | ||
| 7 | R-1042 | Hansen ApS | 640 | ||
| 8 | R-1043 | Weber GmbH | 3020 | ||
| 9 | |||||
| 10 | |||||
| 11 | |||||
| 12 |
Row and column shortcuts at a glance
From Microsoft's "Keyboard shortcuts in Excel" reference for Windows and Mac.
| Task | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Select the entire row | Shift+Spacebar | Shift+Spacebar |
| Select the entire column | Ctrl+Spacebar | Ctrl+Spacebar |
| Insert cells, rows or columns | Ctrl+Shift+Plus sign (+) | Ctrl+Shift+Equal sign (=) |
| Delete cells, rows or columns | Ctrl+Minus sign (-) | ⌘+Hyphen or Ctrl+Hyphen |
| Delete a column with Key Tips | Alt+H, D, C | not listed |
| Hide the selected rows | Ctrl+9 | ⌘+( or Ctrl+( |
| Hide the selected columns | Ctrl+0 | ⌘+) or Ctrl+) |
| Unhide rows | context menu (Shift+F10) | ⌘+Shift+( or Ctrl+Shift+( |
| Unhide columns | context menu (Shift+F10) | ⌘+Shift+) or Ctrl+Shift+) |
The complete set, grouped by task, is on the Excel shortcut keys cheat sheet.
Insert a row: Shift+Spacebar, then Ctrl+Shift+Plus
Put the active cell anywhere in the row that should move down and press Shift+Spacebar. Excel selects the whole row. Now Ctrl+Shift++ inserts an empty row above it and pushes everything below down by one.
On a US keyboard the plus sign sits on the equal key, which is why Shift is part of the shortcut. On a Mac, Microsoft lists Ctrl+Shift+Equal sign.
If you skip the selection and only one cell is selected, Excel opens the Insert dialog instead and asks whether to shift cells or insert an entire row or column. Nothing is wrong, it is just one more step.
Insert several rows at once
Select as many rows as you need before inserting: Shift+Spacebar, then Shift+Down Arrow for each extra row. Ctrl+Shift+Plus then inserts that many empty rows above the selection.
Add a column: Ctrl+Spacebar, then Ctrl+Shift+Plus
Columns follow the same pattern with the other selection. Ctrl+Spacebar selects the entire column of the active cell, and Ctrl+Shift++ adds a new column to its left. Formulas that point at the shifted cells update their references on their own.
Task A discount column is needed between Quantity and Price. Insert an empty column before column C with two key presses.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Item | Quantity | Price $ | Total $ | ||
| 2 | Webcam | 4 | 35 | 140 | ||
| 3 | Mouse pad | 10 | 12 | 120 | ||
| 4 | Monitor | 2 | 240 | 480 | ||
| 5 | Cable kit | 6 | 18 | 108 | ||
| 6 | Docking station | 3 | 95 | 285 | ||
| 7 | Headset | 8 | 22 | 176 | ||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 |
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The first exercise in this lesson is free.
On a Mac, Ctrl+Spacebar collides with a default macOS shortcut, and Microsoft flags it with an asterisk for that reason. Microsoft's fix is to turn off the conflicting macOS shortcut under Keyboard Shortcuts in System Settings.
Delete rows and columns: Ctrl+Minus
Ctrl+- deletes whatever is selected. Entire rows go immediately and the rows below move up. With only some cells selected, the Delete dialog asks whether to shift the remaining cells left or up.
Task The two cancelled orders in rows 3 and 4 have to go. Delete both rows at once, keyboard only.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Order | Status | Amount $ | ||
| 2 | B-501 | open | 420 | ||
| 3 | B-502 | cancelled | 180 | ||
| 4 | B-503 | cancelled | 95 | ||
| 5 | B-504 | open | 1310 | ||
| 6 | B-505 | open | 760 | ||
| 7 | B-506 | open | 230 | ||
| 8 | |||||
| 9 | |||||
| 10 |
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The first exercise in this lesson is free.
Deleting a row is not the same as clearing it. The Delete key empties the selected cells but leaves the row in place; Ctrl+Minus removes the row itself. If too much disappears, Ctrl+Z brings it back.
Hide and unhide rows and columns
Ctrl+9 hides the selected rows and Ctrl+0 hides the selected columns. The data stays in the sheet and formulas keep counting it; it is only out of sight. These two are not in the exercises because browsers use Ctrl+9 to switch tabs and Ctrl+0 to reset the zoom.
Microsoft's Windows list has no unhide shortcut. Select the rows on both sides of the hidden ones, press Shift+F10 to open the context menu and choose Unhide. On a Mac, ⌘+Shift+( unhides rows and ⌘+Shift+) unhides columns.
Row shortcuts in German Excel
The keys are the same in German Excel. Two practical differences: on a German keyboard the plus sign has its own key, so Ctrl and plus works without Shift, and the Key Tips use German letters.
| English Excel | German Excel |
|---|---|
| Shift+Spacebar, Ctrl+Spacebar | Umschalt+Leertaste, Strg+Leertaste |
| Insert dialog | Zellen einfügen |
| Delete dialog | Löschen |
| Hide, Unhide | Ausblenden, Einblenden |
| Delete column: Alt+H, D, C | Spalte löschen: Alt+R, EL |
Which Excel versions support these shortcuts?
Microsoft's list applies to Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016. Excel for Mac uses the Mac column above. Excel for the web has its own list, since the browser reserves some of these keys.
Frequently asked questions
What is the shortcut to insert a row in Excel?
Select the row with Shift+Spacebar, then press Ctrl+Shift+Plus sign (+). The new row appears above the selected one.
What is the shortcut to delete a row?
Select the row with Shift+Spacebar and press Ctrl+Minus sign (-). Extend the selection with Shift+Down Arrow to delete several rows at once.
How do I add a column with the keyboard?
Select the column with Ctrl+Spacebar and press Ctrl+Shift+Plus sign. The new column appears on the left.
Why does Ctrl+Shift+Plus open a dialog?
Because no entire row or column is selected, so Excel asks what to insert. Select the row with Shift+Spacebar first and the dialog is skipped.
How do I hide rows with a shortcut?
Select them and press Ctrl+9. For columns, press Ctrl+0.
Formatting from the keyboard is covered in formatting shortcuts.