How to Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets [3 Easy Ways]

Sumit

Last updated January 6, 2023

Watch Video – How to Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets

If you prefer reading a tutorial over watching a video, below is a written tutorial for you.

When working with data in Google Sheets, you’ll often need to insert multiple rows in between the existing rows (or at the top or bottom of a dataset).

Inserting rows in Google Sheets is pretty straightforward and only takes a couple of clicks.

But if you want to insert rows multiple times in different places, even a few clicks can seem like a lot. That’s where you can also use a cool shortcut.

Let’s dive in and see how to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets.

Table of Contents

In Short: How to Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets

To insert multiple sheets in Google Sheets, select the number of rows you want to add. You can do this by clicking and dragging the mouse on the cells or holding down the Shift key and using the down arrow to select the cells.

Then right-click the selected cells and choose the Insert ‘X’ rows above option.

This is the quickest Google Sheet insert multiple rows shortcut. Keep in mind, if you select cells instead of rows, you can only insert rows above.

How to Insert a Single Row in Google Sheets (Above or Below)

If you only want to insert rows in Google Sheets one at a time above or below a specific row, you can use a built-in feature to do just this.

Using the Insert Tab

Suppose you have a dataset, as shown below, and you want to insert a row above row #4.

Insert Multiple rows in Google Sheets - Dataset

Below are the steps to insert a row above a specific row in Google Sheets:

Select the row by clicking on the row number on the left (or any cell in the dataset)
Click the Insert tab
Click on the ‘Rows’

Select Insert 1 row above.

The above steps would insert one blank row above the fourth row as shown below.

In case you want to insert a row below the selected row, choose the ‘Row below’ option in the ‘Insert’ menu drop-down.

Add Rows in Google Sheets Using the Right-Click Menu

You can also use the right-click method to quickly insert a single row or even multiple rows above or below the selected row.

Below are the steps to insert a row above the selected row using the right-click method:

Select the row by clicking on the row header in the left (or any cell in the dataset)
Right-click on the selection
Click on the ‘Insert 1 above’ option

The above steps would insert one row above the fourth row as shown below.

You can also use the same method to insert a row below the selected row. Just choose the ‘Row Below’ option in the third step.

Note: When you select the row header (the number at the extreme left of the row) and right-click, it shows you the option to insert a row above or below the selected row. But when you select a cell in the dataset and use right-click, it will only show you the option to insert the row above. This is one of the limitations in Google Sheets.

How to Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets (Above or Below)

Just like we have inserted a single row above and below the selected row, you can also insert multiple rows. The steps remain exactly the same with just one minor change. Follow these instructions for inserting multiple rows in Google Sheets with an appropriate row height.

How to Insert More Than One Row in Google Sheets Using the Insert Tab

Suppose you have a dataset as shown below, and you want to insert three rows above row #4.

Below are the instructions to show how to add multiple rows in Google Sheets:

Select three rows starting from row #4 by selecting the row header on the left (or three cells in any row – starting from row #4)
Click Insert on the toolbar
Click on Rows > Insert 3 rows above

The above steps would insert three blank rows above the selected rows (as shown below).

Three blank rows inserted above the three selected rows

Note: This would always insert as many new rows as you’ve selected. If you select five rows, it will insert five new rows above the selected rows.

You can also use the same method to insert multiple rows below the selected rows. Just choose the ‘3 Rows Below’ option in the third step.

Note: Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, there is no way to select non-contiguous rows and insert rows above each selected row. For example, if you select rows # 5 and 8 and then try and insert one row above both of these selected rows, you won’t be able to do this. If you click on the Insert option, in this case, you will see that it’s faded out and not available. However, you can speed this up using a keyboard shortcut (covered later in this tutorial).

How to Add Multiple Rows in Google Sheets Using the Right-Click Menu

The right-click menu is another way to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets. You can also group columns and rows through this menu.

Suppose you have a dataset as shown below, and you want to insert three rows above row #4.

Below are the steps to insert multiple rows above the selected rows using the right-click method:

Select three rows starting from row #4 by selecting the row header on the left (or three cells in any row – starting from row #4). You could also hold Shift and press each row individually
Right-click on the selected row headers (or cells, in case you have selected cells)
Click on the ‘Insert 3 above’ option

You can also use the same method to use Google Sheets to insert multiple rows below the selected rows. Just choose the ‘3 Rows Below’ option in the third step. This works similarly to adding multiple columns.

How to Add More Rows in Google Sheets Using the Keyboard Shortcut (F4)

In case you want to insert multiple rows which are not contiguous. For example, you want to insert rows above rows #3, 5, and 8. Since these rows are not one after the other, you can do this in one go.

One of your options is to insert each row one by one by following one of the methods covered earlier.

And then there is another way to use a keyboard shortcut, F4. While this shortcut will not do this all at once, it does speed up the process.

Below are the steps to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets (above rows # 3, 5, and 8) which are not contiguous:

Select the row by clicking on the row header of row #3 (or any cell in the dataset)
Click the Insert tab
Click Rows > Insert 1 row above. This will insert one row above row #3
Select any cell in row #5
Hit the F4 key
Select any cell in row #8
Hit the F4 key

Insert Multiple Rows using F4 keyboard shortcut

The F4 key simply repeats your last action, and in this case, since the last action was to insert a row above the selected row, it simply repeats that to make a Google Sheets add row shortcut.

While it may seem like too many steps, this process is pretty fast when you actually do this in Google Sheets.

Note: Remember that F4 simply repeats your last action in Google Sheets. So if you do something while in the process of inserting rows (such as copy-paste or anything else), using F4 after that will repeat that action and not insert the row. You will now have to insert a row using the Insert tab or right-click method, and then you can start using F4 again.

How to Insert Multiple Rows at the Bottom of Google Sheets.

Google Sheets also has a quick way to insert multiple sheets at the end of the sheet. By default, you get 1000 rows in a Google spreadsheet. If you want to add more rows at the end, you can use the Google Sheet insert row shortcut CTRL + Down Arrow. On Mac, the keyboard shortcut is CMD+ Down Arrow. This will take you to the very last row of your sheet. If you have data in your sheet, it will take you to the last cell of the specific column with data, then to the last cell of the column in the sheet.

At the bottom of the sheet, you will see an option to add “more rows at bottom” and a space to fill in the number of rows you want to add.

At the bottom of the sheet, you will see an option to “add X more rows at bottom” and a space to fill in the number of rows you want to add. After typing in the number of rows you want to add, you can click Add, and they will be added to the end of your sheet.

How to Insert Multiple Rows on Mac + Keyboard Shortcut

The keyboard shortcut of F4 remains the same on a Mac. But Macs don’t right-click. Instead of opening the menu with a right-click, you must hold control and click instead.

Add Multiple Rows in Google Sheets FAQ

Can I Insert More Than 1 Row at a Time in Google Sheets? / Can Google Sheets Insert Multiple Rows?

Yes, you can add more than 1 row to Google Sheets at a time. You just have to:

Hold Ctrl and left-click over the number of rows you want to add to the row header
Right-click in the selected row headers
Click Add x rows above or below

How Do I Automatically Add Rows in Google Sheets?

If adding rows was the last action you completed, you can automatically add the same amount again by using the F4 keyboard shortcut.

How Do You Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets on a Mac?

Press Control and click on the selected row headers to open the menu with the Add X rows option on a Mac.

How Do I Copy and Paste Multiple Rows in Google Sheets?

You can use the Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V shortcuts on selected rows to copy and paste them.

What to Learn Next

In this article, we have shown you a couple of different ways to have a Google spreadsheet insert multiple rows. You can decide which method is the most convenient for you. Now that you know how to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets, you may be interested in learning some more complex tasks. Check out some of our tips to help you master this complex program.

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