Select Row (or Rows) in Excel (Shortcut)

Many a time, you would have the need to select the entire row in Excel (or select multiple rows in Excel).

While most Excel users would tell you that using a mouse is the best way to select a row, many advanced Excel users who are proficient in using keyboard shortcuts would rather use a keyboard shortcut to select a row.

In this tutorial, I will give you the keyboard shortcut to select one row (or select multiple rows) in Excel.

Shortcut to Select Row (or Rows) in Excel

Below is the keyboard shortcut to select a row in Excel:

Shift + Spacebar

How to Use the Keyboard Shortcut to Select Row (or Rows) in Excel

Below are the steps to use the above keyboard shortcut:

  1. Select the cell for which you want to select the entire row
Select the cell for which you want to select the entire row
  1. Hold the Shift key
  2. Press the Spacebar key on your keyboard
Entire row selected

The above steps would select the entire row in which you selected the cell in Step 1

In case you want to select multiple rows, select the cell in all the rows that you want to be selected, and then use the above keyboard shortcut.

Multiple rows selected

Important Things to Know About Select Row (or Rows) in Excel:

  • In case you want to select multiple rows, select the cell in all the rows that you want to be selected, and then use the above keyboard shortcut. But this will only work for contiguous rows, and wouldn’t work for non-contiguous rows. For example, if you select cells A1:C1 and then use the above keyboard shortcut, all three rows (A, B, and C) would be selected. but if you select cell A1 and cell C1, and then use the keyboard shortcut, only the row that has the active cell would be selected
  • If you want to select multiple non-adjacent rows, you would have to use the mouse as you would not be able to use the above keyboard shortcut
  • By default, when you use the above keyboard shortcut to select a row, the entire row would be selected. but if you convert your data into an excel table, and then use the above keyboard shortcut, only the row in the Excel Table would be selected

Alternate Ways to Select Row (or Rows) in Excel:

Apart from the keyboard shortcut to select a row in excel and using the mouse, you can also use the name box to select the entire row.

Below are the steps to select row #1 using the name box:

  1. Place the cursor in the Name Box
  2. Remove anything that is already there in the Name Box
  3. Enter 1:1 and then hit the Enter key

The above tips would select the entire first row as soon as you hit the enter key.

In case you want to select multiple rows, you can do that as well. for example, if you want to select row number one and row #3, enter the below in the name box and press the Enter key:

1:1,3:3

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I am a huge fan of Microsoft Excel and love sharing my knowledge through articles and tutorials. I work as a business analyst and use Microsoft Excel extensively in my daily tasks. My aim is to help you unleash the full potential of Excel and become a data-slaying wizard yourself.

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