How to Insert Rows in Google Sheets

Being able to insert rows and columns is something everyone who uses google sheets needs to take the time to learn.

There are multiple ways to add new rows and columns to your file. In this tutorial, we will cover everything you need to know about inserting new rows and columns in google sheets.

Table of Contents

How to Insert Rows

One of the easiest ways to add new rows or columns into your spreadsheet is to use the insert option in the top menu.

Here’s how it’s done:

Take your cursor and select the cell where you want to insert the new row or column
On the top menu select Insert
From here you will have four options for where to insert: row above, row below, column left, column right. Select which one aligns with where you want the inserted row or column to be

How to Insert Multiple Rows

If you need to insert multiple rows or columns at once, there is a faster way than adding them one by one with the insert option in the top menu.

For this method, you can do all the work with your mouse.

Here’s how it’s done:

Click on the very top line of the spreadsheet and drag across as many columns as you want to insert. If you’re doing rows you would be clicking on the very left in the index numbers
Right-click and select from the options to insert. If you’re inserting columns it will say: insert x left or insert x right. X indicates how many columns you have highlighted in step one
If you’re inserting rows it will say: insert x above or insert x below. Again X indicates how many rows you have highlighted

You can highlight as many rows or columns as you want to insert in step 1. This is a fast method for inserting multiple

Insert Row Shortcut

Sometimes it’s faster to use your mouse to insert rows or columns. But there may be times when learning the keyboard shortcuts to insert might be the best method

The complicated thing is that these keyboard shortcuts depend on whether you’re using Chrome on Windows, Mac or Linux.

If you’re using Windows on Chrome, here are the shortcuts:

Alt+I, then R: Insert rows above.
Alt+I, then W: Insert rows below.
Alt+I, then C: Insert columns to the left.
Alt+I, then O: Insert columns to the right.

If you’re using other browsers on Windows, here are the shortcuts:

Alt+Shift+I, then R: Insert rows above.
Alt+Shift+I, then W: Insert rows below.
Alt+Shift+I, then C: Insert columns to the left.
Alt+Shift+I, then O: Insert columns to the right.

If you are using macOS, these are the shortcuts:

Ctrl+Option+I, then R: Insert rows above.
Ctrl+Option+I, then W: Insert rows below.
Ctrl+Option+I, then C: Insert columns to the left.
Ctrl+Option+I, then O: Insert columns to the right.

Closing Thoughts

Those are the best methods for inserting in google sheets. We hope you found this resource helpful.