How to Quickly Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets

Sumit
Last updated November 16, 2021

What do you do when you want to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets?

Do you insert one row at a time?

While this can be a valid method to do this, it is time-consuming and inefficient.

There are a few easy-to-follow steps to make Google Sheets insert multiple rows.

Steps to Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets

Suppose you have a dataset as shown below and you want to insert 5 rows between row number 5 and 6. You can use the following method to add multiple rows in Google Sheets.

Select 5 rows starting from row number 6.
Right-click on any of the selected row number
Select ‘Insert 5 above’ option.

This would instantly insert 5 blank rows between rows #5 and row #6.

Note that you can also select rows 1-5 and then right click and select the option ‘Insert 5 below’.

This technique works well when you have to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets between two rows. However, if you need to get this done for many rows, for example, insert 5 rows between all the rows, you will still need to do this one set at a time.

Again, this is one area where Excel has the upper edge as you can insert multiple rows in Excel for many numbers of rows at one go. For example, in Excel, you can insert five rows between row #5 and #6, rows #7 and #8, row #10 and #11 at one go. However, in Google Sheets, you will have to do this one by one.

How to Add Rows in a Google Spreadsheet One at a Time

When adding rows in Google Sheets, you sometimes only need one extra row. It’s much easier to do this than to use the above steps for inserting multiple rows in Google Sheets. There are two easy-to-follow methods to do this.

Using the Insert Tab to Add a Row

Let’s consider the below data:

From here, we want to add a row between rows 3 and 4. To do so, just use the following steps:

Click the row header on the left-hand side to select the entire row
Click the Insert tab at the top of the page
Click on row above or row below. In this example, we want a row below.
Your new row should now be there

Add a Single Row to Google Sheets With a Right Click

You can just right-click instead of navigating to the Insert menu too.

Select the row header of where you want to add the row
Right-click on the selected row
Select insert 1 row above, or 1 row below depending on your preference

Selecting Multiple Rows In Google Sheets

To format multiple rows in Google Sheets at one time you can select more than one at a time. All you have to do is hold CTRL while you click on the row headers.

Using a Keyboard Shortcut to Insert Rows

If you’re looking for a method of how to insert more than one row into Google Sheets when the rows are lined up one after the other, there is no bulk process to do so. However, you can use a keyboard shortcut to do single rows quickly.

You just have to use the F4 key, which is the “repeat action” shortcut for Google Sheets.

Follow the above steps to insert a single row
Click a new row header and press F4 – this will repeat the last action you did

This shortcut also works when interesting multiple rows, say you need to insert 5 rows repeatedly, you could just press F4 to repeat the action of inserting those rows into your Google spreadsheet.

Mastery of Inserting Rows in Google Sheets

Now that you know a few different methods to insert multiple rows in Google Sheet,s you can pick the most efficient for your uses. Take a look at our other simple guides to help you get better at using spreadsheets.

You May Also Like the Following Google Sheets Tutorials:

Sumit

Spreadsheet Expert at Productivity Spot

Sumit is a Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel Expert. He provides spreadsheet training to corporates and has been awarded the prestigious Excel MVP award by Microsoft for his contributions in sharing his Excel knowledge and helping people.