How to Move Rows in Excel

What's the Quickest Way Using Drag and Drop?

Original data rows in Excel

Follow these steps to move a row:

• Select the row you want to move.
• Hold Shift and hover over the selected row's edge. A four-sided arrow appears.

Moving data using drag and drop

• Click the edge (left mouse button) while holding Shift.
• Drag to where you want the row placed.
• When a bold line appears at your destination, release the mouse button, then release Shift.

These steps work for selected cells too. To move entire columns, select the column and follow the same process. This method is particularly useful when you need to reorganize data quickly without using cut and paste operations. For complex operations involving multiple ranges, consider programmatic solutions.

How Does Cut and Paste Work for Moving Rows?

Cut-and-paste offers an easy method for moving rows and columns without drag-and-drop or inserting new rows or columns. This approach helps when you need to move data between worksheets or work with protected sheets. Follow these steps to move entire rows or multiple adjacent rows in Excel:

• Select the row or multiple rows to move in Microsoft Excel.
• Press Ctrl+X to cut the selected row.

Cutting the selected row

• Navigate to where you want to place the row.
• Right-click on the row and select "Insert cut cells" from the menu.

Pasting a row from the right-click menu

• The row pastes at the new location, and other rows shift accordingly.

The result after the cut-and-paste method

This method makes moving entire rows or columns in Excel straightforward. You can move columns too using the same technique. Simply select columns and perform the same operations. This method preserves all cell formatting, formulas, and data validation rules associated with the moved rows.

How Do I Add a Row at the First Position?

Here's code to add a row at the first position in an Excel file:

using IronXL;

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    // Load the Excel file
    WorkBook wb = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

    // Get the worksheet named "Sheet1"
    WorkSheet ws = wb.GetWorkSheet("Sheet1");

    // Start from the last row and prepare to push all rows down by one
    int j = ws.Rows.Count() + 1;

    // Shift all existing rows down by one and set new row at the top
    for (int i = 1; i <= ws.Rows.Count(); i++)
    {
        // If reached the first position, insert new row
        if (j == 0)
        {
            ws.Rows[0].Value = "new row";
            break;
        }

        // Assign values from row j to row (j + 1)
        ws["A" + (j + 1)].Value = ws["A" + j].Value;
        ws["B" + (j + 1)].Value = ws["B" + j].Value;
        ws["C" + (j + 1)].Value = ws["C" + j].Value;
        ws["D" + (j + 1)].Value = ws["D" + j].Value;
        ws["E" + (j + 1)].Value = ws["E" + j].Value;

        // Move to the previous row
        j = j - 1;
    }

    // Save the changes to the Excel file
    wb.SaveAs("sample.xlsx");
}

using IronXL;

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    // Load the Excel file
    WorkBook wb = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

    // Get the worksheet named "Sheet1"
    WorkSheet ws = wb.GetWorkSheet("Sheet1");

    // Start from the last row and prepare to push all rows down by one
    int j = ws.Rows.Count() + 1;

    // Shift all existing rows down by one and set new row at the top
    for (int i = 1; i <= ws.Rows.Count(); i++)
    {
        // If reached the first position, insert new row
        if (j == 0)
        {
            ws.Rows[0].Value = "new row";
            break;
        }

        // Assign values from row j to row (j + 1)
        ws["A" + (j + 1)].Value = ws["A" + j].Value;
        ws["B" + (j + 1)].Value = ws["B" + j].Value;
        ws["C" + (j + 1)].Value = ws["C" + j].Value;
        ws["D" + (j + 1)].Value = ws["D" + j].Value;
        ws["E" + (j + 1)].Value = ws["E" + j].Value;

        // Move to the previous row
        j = j - 1;
    }

    // Save the changes to the Excel file
    wb.SaveAs("sample.xlsx");
}

This approach manually shifts rows down, but IronXL also provides more efficient methods using the InsertRow functionality. For complex scenarios involving multiple worksheets or data from databases, IronXL offers comprehensive APIs to handle these operations efficiently.

How Can I Add Rows at the End of the Document?

This code moves rows down and places a new row at the document's first position. The for loop moves all rows down while adding new row data at the first position. You can also add rows at the document's end. This proves useful when importing data from CSV files or appending data from databases. Let's see how:

using IronXL;

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    // Load the Excel file
    WorkBook wb = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

    // Get the worksheet named "Sheet1"
    WorkSheet ws = wb.GetWorkSheet("Sheet1");

    // Determine the new row number, just after the last current row
    int i = ws.Rows.Count() + 1;

    // Add a new row with specific values at the end
    ws["A" + i].Value = "New Row";
    ws["B" + i].Value = "New Row";
    ws["C" + i].Value = "New Row";
    ws["D" + i].Value = "New Row";
    ws["E" + i].Value = "New Row";

    // Save the changes to the Excel file
    wb.SaveAs("sample.xlsx");
}

using IronXL;

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    // Load the Excel file
    WorkBook wb = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

    // Get the worksheet named "Sheet1"
    WorkSheet ws = wb.GetWorkSheet("Sheet1");

    // Determine the new row number, just after the last current row
    int i = ws.Rows.Count() + 1;

    // Add a new row with specific values at the end
    ws["A" + i].Value = "New Row";
    ws["B" + i].Value = "New Row";
    ws["C" + i].Value = "New Row";
    ws["D" + i].Value = "New Row";
    ws["E" + i].Value = "New Row";

    // Save the changes to the Excel file
    wb.SaveAs("sample.xlsx");
}

This code adds a new row at the document's bottom. See more details on how to add a new row in our how-to pages. For advanced scenarios, explore inserting multiple rows at once or working with DataTables for bulk operations.

What Licensing Options Are Available for Startups?

IronXL offers various pricing plans designed specifically for startups and small teams. You can get a free trial — the IronXL free trial activates without payment or card information, perfect for evaluating the library before committing. IronXL is free for development, meaning you can build and test your application without upfront costs. Visit our licensing page for more information.

For startups, licensing options include flexible plans that scale with your business. Start with a single developer license and upgrade as your team grows. The library supports deployment to cloud environments without additional fees, making it cost-effective for SaaS applications. When ready to deploy, applying your license key is straightforward through code or configuration files.