Rows, columns and sheets shortcuts in Excel
Select whole rows with Shift+Space or columns with Ctrl+Space first, then insert or delete them with Ctrl+Shift+Plus and Ctrl+Minus. Hiding has keys on both platforms; unhiding has keys on a Mac and in Excel for the web, but not in Microsoft's current Windows list.
Checked against Microsoft's official lists on . Where Microsoft lists a key for one platform only, the other column says so instead of guessing.
Learn these first
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Insert cells, rows or columns How to: Insert row shortcut in Excel Select whole rows (Shift+Space) or columns (Ctrl+Space) first and they go in straight away; otherwise the Insert dialog asks which way to shift. | Ctrl+Shift+PlusWeb Ctrl+Plus | Control+Shift+= |
| Delete cells, rows or columns How to: Delete row shortcut in Excel With whole rows or columns selected they go at once; otherwise the Delete dialog asks. | Ctrl+- | Command+- or Control+- |
| Hide the selected rows How to: Shortcuts to hide and unhide rows and columns in Excel | Ctrl+9 | Control+9 or Command+( or Control+( |
| Insert a new sheetOn a Mac, Microsoft flags Shift+F11 as clashing with a macOS shortcut; turn that one off in System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts. | Shift+F11 or Alt+Shift+F1 | Shift+F11 |
Step-by-step shortcut guides
All rows, columns and sheets shortcuts
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Insert cells, rows or columns How to: Insert row shortcut in Excel Select whole rows (Shift+Space) or columns (Ctrl+Space) first and they go in straight away; otherwise the Insert dialog asks which way to shift. | Ctrl+Shift+PlusWeb Ctrl+Plus | Control+Shift+= |
| Delete cells, rows or columns How to: Delete row shortcut in Excel With whole rows or columns selected they go at once; otherwise the Delete dialog asks. | Ctrl+- | Command+- or Control+- |
| Hide the selected rows How to: Shortcuts to hide and unhide rows and columns in Excel | Ctrl+9 | Control+9 or Command+( or Control+( |
| Hide the selected columns How to: Shortcuts to hide and unhide rows and columns in Excel | Ctrl+0 | Control+0 or Command+) or Control+) |
| Unhide rows How to: Shortcuts to hide and unhide rows and columns in Excel Microsoft's current Windows list has no unhide shortcut. Select the rows on both sides of the hidden ones first. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWeb Ctrl+Shift+9 | Control+Shift+( or Shift+Command+( |
| Unhide columns How to: Shortcuts to hide and unhide rows and columns in Excel Microsoft's current Windows list has no unhide shortcut. Select the columns on both sides of the hidden ones first. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWeb Ctrl+Shift+0 | Control+Shift+) or Shift+Command+) |
| Insert a new sheetOn a Mac, Microsoft flags Shift+F11 as clashing with a macOS shortcut; turn that one off in System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts. | Shift+F11 or Alt+Shift+F1 | Shift+F11 |
| Move cells and insert them, instead of overwritingHold Shift while you drag the selection's border. Without Shift the cells you drop on are replaced. | Shift | Shift |
Group and outline
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Group the selected rows or columns How to: Group rows and columns shortcut in Excel Microsoft's Windows list has no key for this; use Data > Group. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Command+Shift+K |
| Ungroup the selected rows or columns How to: Group rows and columns shortcut in Excel Microsoft's Windows list has no key for this; use Data > Ungroup. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Command+Shift+J |
| Show the detail of a group How to: Group rows and columns shortcut in Excel Not in Microsoft's Mac list. | Alt+Shift+= | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Hide the detail of a group How to: Group rows and columns shortcut in Excel Not in Microsoft's Mac list. | Alt+Shift+- | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Show or hide the outline symbols How to: Group rows and columns shortcut in Excel | Ctrl+8 | Control+8 |
| Expand or collapse grouped rows with the mouse wheelNot in Microsoft's Mac list. Hover over the group, hold Shift, and scroll down to expand or up to collapse. | Shift | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
Why a shortcut sometimes does nothing
Non-US keyboards
Microsoft's lists are written for the US keyboard layout and say that keys on other layouts might not correspond exactly. Shortcuts named after a symbol, such as Ctrl+;, Ctrl+` or Ctrl+Shift+$, are the ones most likely to sit somewhere else or not work. When one does nothing, use the ribbon route on its task page instead.
macOS shortcuts that get there first
Microsoft marks a few Mac shortcuts as clashing with macOS: Shift+F11 and F11 with Show Desktop, and Ctrl+Space with switching input sources. Control with the arrow keys moves between Spaces and opens Mission Control by default too. If macOS reacts instead of Excel, open System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts and turn the macOS one off.
Laptop function keys
On many laptops the top row changes volume or brightness first, so F2 or F4 does nothing in Excel. Hold Fn with the key (Fn+F4), or turn on the laptop's function-key lock. On many Windows laptops that lock is Fn+Esc, but it varies by brand, so look for a small padlock or "Fn" icon on the Esc key.
Related guides
- How to remove blank rows in ExcelSelect a column that every real row fills in (such as Email), press F5 > Special > Blanks > OK, then go to Home > Delete > Delete Sheet Rows.
- #REF! error in Excel#REF! means a formula points to a cell that is not valid: it was deleted, or the formula asks for a column or row outside its range.
- How to transpose rows to columns in ExcelCopy the range, right-click the destination and choose Paste Special > Transpose.