Spreadsheets

Unit 2: Creating More Effective Spreadsheets

Lesson 5: Managing Worksheets and Workbooks

How do you insert, move, or delete rows and columns?

Just as the word processor tool provides commands for inserting and deleting paragraphs, the spreadsheet tool provides commands for inserting and deleting rows and columns. Inserting and deleting at the row and column level in a spreadsheet is natural because modifications to a spreadsheet usually affect a whole row or column. For example, consider the spreadsheet to the right. To add an additional employee we would need to insert a row. To add an additional business day we would need to insert a column. Inserting The following avi movie shows the steps for inserting a row and column. Notice how the Insert operation changes the cell references in the formula. Even absolute references are adjusted automatically. The absolute reference to $B$7 changes to $B$8 after the row is inserted. The range reference changes from B4:D4 to B5:E5.

Deleting

The following animation demonstrates row and column deletion.

Notice: You can delete a row or column with the Edit/Delete menu option. If you first select the complete row or column (by clicking on the row number or column letter) Excel knows what to delete. If you select a single cell before choosing Edit/Delete, Excel asks what to delete.