Clever Clogs tip # 693
3 March 2022


Move rows and columns using drag and drop (Microsoft Excel) *

Whenever I tell people about the nifty keyboard shortcut to move text up or down in a table in Word (ALT + SHIFT + UP ARROW and ALT + SHIFT + DOWN ARROW) people ask whether this works in Excel.

Well, the keyboard shortcut doesn't, but did you know you can easily drag rows to a new spot? No need to first insert a row and then use cut and paste!

Here's how:

  1. Select the row(s) you want to move.
  2. Point to the border of the selection and wait for your mouse pointer to turn into a white upward pointing arrow with a smaller black four-headed arrow.
  3. Press and hold down SHIFT and drag the row(s) to its new location.
  4. Release the mouse button.

This also works with columns as Robert found out the other day during an Excel webinar ... ;)

Related tips

  1. Move bullet points or text using a keyboard shortcut (Word and PowerPoint) - tip_531.php
  2. Keyboard shortcut to move rows in a table (Microsoft Word) - tip_589.php


* Unless stated otherwise this tip is written for Microsoft 365 desktop apps and Windows 10 users, but might also be useful in Office 2010, 2013 and 2016.