This tutorial intends to teach you how to add more than just one row to a Google Sheets spreadsheet. You can easily insert up to 1,000 blank rows anywhere on your spreadsheet depending on the method. Go for the path of least resistance or the easiest method available to you.
The insertion of multiple rows also gets rid of the tediousness of having to add rows 1 at a time by going to the menu or right-clicking a shortcut menu for it.
Why Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets?
If you’re dealing with infinite amounts of data for months or years and you can’t be bothered to open a new sheet for every year done, you can go the infinite scroll method of merely adding 1,000 extra rows to accommodate your extra data.
It’s messy for some but offers less busy work and maintenance for others. You can add data for your invoice, pay slips, sales calculations, or tax returns without having to add or keep track of more sheets.
The first 2 methods allows you to add up to 100 blank rows while the third method starts at 1,000 and you can raise up or down that number (but don’t go overboard or your Internet connection to the sheet will have issues).
How to Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets
Let’s start with the first step for all methods of inserting multiple rows.
Step 1: Open a new spreadsheet on Google Sheets.
Step 2: Select multiple cells by pressing shift and pushing a directional arrow (the Down arrow, in this case).
Now how you go about adding rows will vary from hereon out. You have several methods to choose from.
Method 1: Use the Insert Menu
Step 1: Go to the “Insert” menu, select “Rows“, and select whether you want your multiple additional rows above or below the cell selection.
You can proceed to insert 10 rows above or below the selected cell or cells. The number of rows inserted depends on the number of cells you have selected.
Step 2: Since this is a blank spreadsheet, you couldn’t tell if the rows have been added afterwards. To make it clear how many rows have been added, I’ll first paste a small table for reference.
This is what it looks like when you post multiple rows (13 rows this time) above the selected cells.
And this is what it looks like when you post multiple rows below the selected cells.
Naturally, what applies to rows here also applies to columns. The number of cells you select horizontally or across a row will dictate the amount of columns you can add to the left or right of your selection.
Method 2: Use the Right-Click Menu
Step 1: Let’s say you’ve selected the number of rows you want to “duplicate” or add. We’ve already established that the number of cells you select will be the number of rows that will be added.
In the case of right-clicking the selected cells to add rows, you’ll only be asked whether you’d add 13 rows above but not below. You’d have to go with the “Insert” menu method to add rows below.
Step 2: You’ll get the same result as before. You can then keep right-clicking and adding the same amount of rows ad infinitum or up until you select more cells vertically to increase the row number.
Method 3: Scroll Down to Row 1,000
Step 1: Ostensibly, scroll down to Row 1,000 then click “Add 1,000 more rows at bottom“. You can put in a higher or lower number of rows if you want, but it’s best to only make use of the rows you need.
Step 2: You should now have 2,000 rows. If you scroll down to Row 2,000, you can add a thousand more rows if you wish to infinity or until you want to.
It keeps scrolling down to the last row of your spreadsheet every time, thus giving you free access of the “Add 1,000 more rows at bottom” feature.
Your spreadsheet can get quite humongous very fast using this method of adding 1,000 rows at a time. It’s best to only use this when you’re really running out of room with your spreadsheet. Also consider adding your new data to a new sheet or a new file altogether if it gets too big.
When Push Comes to Shove
You can add multiple rows by selecting several cells in a column vertically before going to the “Insert” menu and the “Rows” submenu to add the same number of rows as the number of cells you’ve selected. You can also do this by right-clicking the cells you’ve selected.
However, for some reason, the right-click method only gives you an “Add X rows above” option and none for adding rows below like with the “Insert” menu method. The last method involves scrolling down to the last row of your spreadsheet and using the “Add” more rows button.
References:
- “Add more than one row, column, or cell“, Google.com Support, Retrieved June 26, 2022
- Nicole Levine, “How to Insert Multiple Rows on Google Sheets on PC or Mac“, WikiHow, June 8, 2021
- Spreadsheet Point, “How to Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets (3 Simple Methods)“, YouTube, August 16, 2019