Inserting and deleting columns in Excel is very easy. Simply click the arrow under the Insert button or Delete button on the Home tab of the ribbon and choose Rows or Columns (you can also insert or delete individual cells). When adding (inserting) rows, the row that your cursor is in will be moved down and the new row will be added in its place. When inserting columns, the column that your cursor is in will be moved to the right to make room for the new column.
What if you want to add or delete more than one column or row? Click on the row or column heading where you want to begin inserting (or deleting) and drag to select the number of rows or columns you want added or removed. Then use one of these three methods to insert/delete the rows or columns all at once:
- Click the Insert button or Delete button on the ribbon. There’s no need to use the arrow under it since Excel will know by your selection whether you want to add rows or columns.
- Right-click on the selected row/column headers and choose Insert or Delete from the menu.
- User Ctrl+ on the keyboard to insert or Ctrl- to delete.
You can even insert or delete rows/columns in multiple locations at once by holding down the Ctrl key and selecting them with your mouse before choosing to insert or delete. For example, you could select rows 2 through 4 by clicking and dragging on those row headings, then hold down the Ctrl key and click on row 10 and, still holding the Ctrl key, click on row 16 and drag down to row 20. You will see all of those rows highlighted. Now when you click on Insert, 3 rows will be inserted at row 2, 1 will be added at row 10, and 5 rows will be inserted at row 16.
