How to Select Multiple Cells/Rows/Columns in Excel

How to Select Multiple Cells in Excel

When working with data in Excel, multiple cell data may need to be selected separately. You may want to select multiple columns and rows while excluding some. This is one of the best Excel office skills that you can get.

Do you know how you can select multiple cells in Excel? Sometimes you may need to choose the different rows and columns in your spreadsheet.

Acquiring Excel skills is essential and will help you be a level higher in data management and compilation. I will provide some foolproof, simple methods that you can use to select multiple cells in Excel. If you want to learn more about Data Science tools like Excel, Tableau, etc., check out this Data Science Training course.


Method A: Drag to select in Excel

This method is used for a range of cell selection. You will use the mouse to make your selection.

Step 1: First, place the mouse on the first cell, and click the left mouse key to highlight it. e.g., A1. No need to double-click to edit; wait for the cell cursor in the form of a white cross to appear.

Drag to select in Excel

Step 2: Hold down the left mouse button and drag to the last cell, C7. You can select it either horizontally or vertically.

drag to the last cell

Step 3: All the cells will be selected. Leave the mouse button. You can now copy the content and paste it where you desire using the shortcut CTRL + C and CTRL + V to paste.


Method B: Selection of a range of cells in Excel.

In this method, you will use the keyboard key Shift and mouse to make the cell selection.

Step 1: Select the first cell that should act as the starting position. For example A1

Select the first cell

Step 2: Hold down the Shift key and don’t let it go.

Step 3: Use your mouse to click the last cell you want to select. For example C7

Use your mouse to click the last cell

Step 4: Stop pressing the Shift and mouse key. All the cells within that range will be selected.


Method C: How to multi-select cell data in different locations in Excel

This method is appropriate if you want to select scattered data in a table. One data may be on cell C1 and the other in G7.

This is how you can multi-select data in different cell locations. You will need to use the keyboard and mouse to make the selection.

Step 1: Select the first target cell and click it using the left mouse button.  For example C1

Select the first target cell

Step 2: Hold down the CTRL key. Let the CTRL key remain pressed while your first cell C1 is still highlighted. Select the following cell data—for example, G7.

Hold down the CTRL key

Step 3: Alternatively, after selecting the first cell, you can hold down the CTRL key and search the entire table for the cell you want. Then click it while the CTRL key is held down. You were once done. You may leave the CTRL key.

Step 4: You can also select multiple numbers of cells repeatedly as long as the CTRL key is pressed down.

select multiple numbers of cells

Step 5: If the data is lower in the worksheet, you can scroll down to get it while CTRL is still pressed.


Method D: How to select columns or rows in Excel

This method works best if you want to select a row or column of data. Columns run vertically while rows run horizontally.

  • Selecting Columns in Excel

Step 1: If you want to select the data in column A. Place your mouse over the column header letter.

Step 2: Use the left mouse key to click it. The whole line will appear gray, indicating that it is selected.

Use the left mouse key to click it

Step 3: You can select multiple columns using the same method. Just left-click on the first column A, then drag to the last column you want.

select multiple columns

Step 4: Alternatively, left-click on the first column A and leave the mouse button. Then click the CTRL key, click on specific target headers while CTRL is pressed down. For example, you can start with column A, then click the CTRL key, then click all other columns (C, E, G) you want to select.

left-click on the first column

  • Selecting rows in Excel

Step 1: First, left-click on the row you want to select—for example, A4.

left click on the row

 Step 2: Do this by placing your mouse over the leading number of the row. There at 4 and click to select the whole row.

Step 3: You can select multiple rows by pressing down the CTRL key. Now your target rows will be selected.

select multiple rows

 That is how you can select columns and rows in Excel.


Method E: Select all

This method is effective if you want to select the whole table.

Step 1: To select the data in all the cells in your Excel worksheet, click Ctrl + A. All the cells will be selected.

To select the data

Step 2: To copy, use CTRL + C, and to paste, use CTRL + V to paste it somewhere else. That’s how you can copy the whole worksheet.


Final Thoughts

You can use all these methods to select your cells in Excel. Not only that, after selecting the data, you can copy and paste into your word document or convert it to a word doc. The capability to select certain cells in your Excel sheet allows you to select only the needed data. This is in terms of the rows and columns in your Excel sheet.

4 thoughts on “How to Select Multiple Cells/Rows/Columns in Excel”

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