Chapter 3: Performing Basic Worksheet Operations
3
FIGURE 3.11
You can insert partial rows or columns by using the Insert dialog box.
Deleting rows and columns
You may also want to delete rows or columns in a worksheet. For example, your sheet
may contain old data that is no longer needed, or you may want to remove empty rows or
columns.
To delete a row or rows, use either of these methods:
■ Select an entire row or multiple rows by clicking the row numbers in the worksheet
border. Right-click and choose Delete from the shortcut menu.
■ Move the active cell to the row that you want to delete and then choose Home ➪
Cells ➪ Delete ➪ Delete Sheet Rows. If you select multiple cells in the column,
Excel deletes all rows in the selection.
Deleting columns works in a similar way.
If you discover that you accidentally deleted a row or column, select Undo from the Quick
Access toolbar (or press Ctrl+Z) to undo the action.
You can use the shortcut keys Ctrl+ (plus sign) and Ctrl+ (minus sign) to insert and delete rows, columns, or cells. If
you have an entire row or entire column selected, those shortcuts will insert or delete the entire row or column. If the
selection isn’t an entire row or column, the Insert Cells dialog is displayed.
Changing column widths and row heights
Often, you’ll want to change the width of a column or the height of a row. For example, you
can make columns narrower to show more information on a printed page. Or you may want
to increase row height to create a “double-spaced” effect.
Excel provides several ways to change the widths of columns and the height of rows.