How to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets

Do you need to insert multiple rows in your Google Sheet? If you’re tired of adding them one by one, you’ll be happy to learn there’s another way to do it. In fact, there are a few ways to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets.

In this post, you will learn how to add new rows using the ‘Insert’ menu, the right-click menu, and the button on the bottom-left corner of your spreadsheet. Additionally, you will learn how to use shortcuts to add multiple rows even more quickly.

How to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets?

As mentioned above, there are various methods you can use to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets. Below, you have step-by-step instructions on using each method: the ‘Insert’ menu, the right-click menu, the button on the bottom-left corner of the spreadsheet, and finally, the shortcuts, which will speed up the process even further.

Insert multiple rows in Google Sheets using the Insert menu

To insert new rows via the ‘Insert’ menu, follow these steps. First, you’ll learn how to insert a single row, then multiple rows.

Single row

Follow these steps to add a single row.

1. Select the row above or below which you want to insert new rows.

Insert rows in Google Sheets — row 3 selected in a sales data sheet

2. Go to Insert > Rows and choose whether to insert it above or below your selected row. For this example, I will add the new row below my selection.

How to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets — Insert > Rows menu with Insert 1 row above and Insert 1 row below

3. That’s it. I have my new row.

Insert a row in Google Sheets — new blank row 4 added below the selected row

Multiple rows

Inserting multiple rows is just as easy as inserting a single one, but you need to select as many rows as you want to insert. For this example, I want to add three new rows below the fifth row, so I need to start by selecting three rows.

1. To select multiple rows, click the first row number, then hold down ‘Shift’ and click the last one. Dragging down from the first row number works too.

Select multiple rows in Google Sheets — rows 3 to 5 selected

2. Once you have selected the appropriate number of rows, go to Insert > Rows. As you can see, the options at the top of the menu are now ‘Insert 3 rows above’ and ‘Insert 3 rows below’. For this example, I will choose the second option.

Insert multiple rows in Google Sheets — Insert > Rows menu showing Insert 3 rows above and Insert 3 rows below

3. As you can see, I have three new rows below the fifth row.

Google Sheets insert multiple rows — three blank rows, 6 to 8, added below row 5

Insert multiple rows in Google Sheets using the right-click menu

To insert multiple rows using the right-click menu, first select as many rows as you want to add to your spreadsheet. Once selected, right-click on your selection to get the menu. You can choose whether to add the rows above or below your current selection.

Below, you have step-by-step instructions on how to add a single row and multiple rows using the right-click menu.

Single row

Adding a row using the right-click menu is even quicker than the previous method.

1. Select the row below or above which you want to add the new one.

Add a row in Google Sheets — row 4 selected before opening the right-click menu

2. Right-click on the row number to see the right-click menu. You can choose whether to add it above or below your selection.

Insert a row in Google Sheets — right-click menu with Insert 1 row above and Insert 1 row below

3. That’s it. A new row has been added.

Add a row in Google Sheets — new blank row 5 added below row 4

Multiple rows

Now, let’s see how to add multiple rows using the same method. For this example, I will be adding three new rows above the fourth row.

1. Select as many rows as you want to add. Below, I have selected the fourth, fifth, and sixth rows.

Select multiple rows in Google Sheets — rows 4 to 6 selected

2. Right-click on the row numbers of your selection to see the menu. In this case, I will add three rows above the fourth row.

Insert multiple rows in Google Sheets — right-click menu with Insert 3 rows above and Insert 3 rows below

3. That’s it. The new rows have been added above my selection.

Insert multiple rows in Google Sheets — three blank rows, 4 to 6, added above the selection

Add multiple rows at the bottom of the Google Sheet

If you want to add rows at the bottom, go to the bottom-left corner of your spreadsheet.

Type in the number of rows you want to add and click the ‘Add’ button.

Add multiple rows in Google Sheets — Add button with 1000 more rows at bottom, under the last row

How to add rows in Google Sheets using shortcuts?

To insert multiple rows even more quickly, you can use shortcuts. Below, you have the shortcuts you can use in the Google Chrome browser on both Windows and Mac computers.

Windows Chrome shortcuts

To insert rows above, use the following shortcut after selecting as many rows as you want to add.

Ctrl + Alt + =

You can also open the Insert menu from the keyboard: Alt + i, then r, then r. In browsers other than Chrome, start with Alt + Shift + i.

After selecting as many rows as you want to add, use the following shortcut to add the rows below your selection.

Alt + i, then r, then b

Mac Chrome shortcuts

Select as many rows as you want to add and use the following shortcut to insert them above your selection.

Cmd + Option + =

The Insert menu keys work too: Ctrl + Option + i, then r, then r.

To insert rows below, select the number of rows you want to add and use this shortcut.

Ctrl + Option + i, then r, then b

For other shortcuts, see our Google Sheets keyboard shortcuts guide.

Conclusion

You can use different methods to insert as many rows as you need in Google Sheets. You now know how to add rows using the ‘Insert’ menu, the right-click menu, and the button on the bottom-left corner of the spreadsheet. You also know how to use shortcuts to speed up the process when using the Google Chrome browser on both Windows and Mac computers.

Once your new rows are in place, you can fill down formulas or values into them. As the sheet grows, freeze your header rows so they stay visible, or merge cells to label a group of rows. If you add rows every week to paste in data from other files, see how to merge Google Sheets, or let Sheetgo’s AI automations bring that data into your sheet for you.