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Every Excel worksheet has 256 columns and 65,536 rows —regardless of how many or how few of its cells you use. As your spreadsheet grows, you may find it beneficial to rearrange the data so that it doesn't creep. Many times, this involves deleting unnecessary columns and rows to bring the various data tables and lists in closer proximity to each other. At other times, you may need to insert new columns and rows in the worksheet to put a minimum of space between the groups of data.
Inserting and deleting columns and rows
The first thing to keep in mind when inserting or deleting columns and rows in a worksheet is that these operations affect all 65,536 rows in those columns and all 256 columns in those rows. You must be sure that you're not about to adversely affect data in unseen rows and columns of the sheet before you undertake an operation.
 | Note that inserting columns or rows can be almost as detrimental as deleting them if, by inserting them, you split apart existing data tables or lists whose data should always remain together. One way to guard against inadvertently deleting data or splitting apart a single range is to use the Zoom feature to zoom out on the sheet and then check visually for intersecting groups of data in the hinterlands of the worksheet. Do this by selecting the 25 percent setting on the Zoom button's pop-up menu or in the Zoom dialog box (View --> Zoom). |
Eradicating columns and rows
To delete columns or rows of the worksheet, select them by clicking in the column or row header and then choose Edit --> Delete on the Excel menu bar. Remember that you can select groups of columns and rows by dragging through their letters and numbers in the column or row header. You can also select nonadjacent columns and rows by holding down the Ctrl key as you click them.
When you delete a column, all the data entries within the cells of that column are immediately zapped. At the same time, all remaining data entries in succeeding columns to the right move left to fill the blank left by the now-missing column. When you delete a row, all the data entries within the cells of that row are immediately eliminated, and the remaining data entries in rows below move up to fill in the gap left by the missing row.
 | Pressing the Delete key is not the same as choosing Edit --> Delete on the menu bar. When you press the Delete key after selecting columns or rows in the worksheet, Excel simply clears the data entries in their cells without adjusting any of the existing data entries in neighboring columns and rows. Use Edit --> Delete when your purpose is both to delete the data in the selected columns or rows and to fill in the gap by adjusting the position of entries to the right and below the ones you eliminate. |
Adding new columns and rows
To insert a new column or row into the worksheet, you select the column or row where you want the new blank column or row to appear (by clicking in the column or row header) and then choose Insert --> Columns or Insert --> Rows on the Excel menu bar. In inserting a blank column, Excel moves the existing data in the selected column to the column to the immediate right, while simultaneously adjusting any other columns of data on the right over one. In inserting the blank row, Excel moves the existing data in the selected row down to the row immediately underneath, while simultaneously adjusting any other rows of existing data that fall below it, down by one.
To insert multiple columns or rows at one time in the worksheet, select the columns or rows where you want the new blank columns or rows to appear (by dragging through their column letters and row numbers in the column and row header) before you choose Insert --> Columns or Insert --> Rows from the menu bar.
If you find that you can't safely take out or insert an entire column or row, you can delete or insert cells in the particular region of the worksheet instead. You may also be able to make space between tables or lists by just cutting and pasting some of the data down or to the right.
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