How to Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets (5 Easy Ways)

Inserting rows in a Google spreadsheet could be one of the most basic & repetitive tasks you will ever come across.

Adding one row at a time is quite easy. But what if you need to add hundreds of rows at a time?

In this tutorial, I will show you how to add multiple rows in Google Sheets. There are different ways to do it and all of the methods are super easy.

Let’s get into it…

01. How to insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets Using Toolbar Menu?

Using tools and features in the toolbar menu is probably how you’ll first learn to do things in Google Sheets. There is an “Insert” feature in the toolbar menu that lets you add rows or columns in your Google Sheets.

So, first, start with how you can add multiple rows in Google Sheets through the toolbar menu.

Let’s say we have this data set and we want to add 3 new rows after Row 4

1. First of all select (or highlight) the number of rows you want to add in your spreadsheet. Keep in mind that these rows should be above or below to where you want your new rows.

New to Google Sheets and don’t know how to highlight multiple rows?

No problem…

First of all click on the row heading number of the first row (from where you want to start the selection) and then press the Shift button on your keyboard and click on the last row you want to highlight.

For example; I want to add 3 new rows after Row 4 or Before Row 5 (both are the same thing). So I will need to either highlight rows 2, 3, 4 (that will let me add 3 new rows to the bottom) or highlight rows 5, 6, 7 (that will let me add 3 new rows above row number 5)

2. Once you’ve highlighted the row, click Insert option appearing in the top toolbar menu.

3. From the drop down menu, go to Rows and there you’ll get the option to insert the same number of rows (based on your selection in step 1) above or below your current selected row.

For example: I have selected 3 rows in step 1, so I have got the option to add 3 new rows above or below the selected row. I will go with the “insert 3 Rows Below” option.

That’s it… 3 new rows have been successfully inserted at the bottom of row number 3.

02. How to insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets by right-clicking?

You can also insert rows through the right-click context menu. Here are the exact steps you need to follow for adding multiple rows in Google Sheets through the context menu.

1. Highlight the number of rows you want to add in your spreadsheet (similar to what you saw in step 1 of the above method)
2. Right click anywhere on the selected row.
3. From the context menu that popup, select Insert 3 above option to insert 3 new rows above the currently selected rows or select Insert 3 below option to insert 3 new rows below the current rows. Contiuning with our same example, we will select insert 3 below.

03. Insert Multiple Rows Google Sheets Shortcut

What if I tell you that there are also keyboard shortcuts to insert multiple rows in a Google spreadsheet?

Using keyboard shortcuts for repetitive tasks makes you more efficient and productive while working on a spreadsheet.

With that said, here is how the shortcut works:

Similar to the above two methods, first you’ll need to highlight the number of rows you want to add to your spreadsheet.

Then press the following shortcuts:

04. Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets Through Add Button

A new Google Sheet usually has a total of 1000 rows. There can be times when you’re working on a big data set and 1000 rows won’t be sufficient for you.

This is where you can use the “Add row” button to Insert several rows at a time in Google Sheets.

Here is how it works:

1. Scroll down all the way to the bottom of the sheet to find the Add row button (appearing in left corner)
2. There will be a box near add button that will have by default 1000 as value. You can change this value to your desired number (depending on how many rows you want to add)

3. After specifiying the value, click on the “Add” button. For example: I am going to enter 1500 as a value to insert 1500 rows at a time in my sheets.

That’s it… Now the total number of rows in my sheet has increased from 1000 to 2500.

05. Add Multiple Rows in Google Sheets Through F4 key

There can be times when you want to add multiple rows which are not contiguous. For example: You may want to add 2 rows above row numbers 3, 5, and 8.

Since these rows are not one after the other, you can’t do this in one go…

The first obvious option you’ll have is to manually insert each row at the desired place one by one following one of the above methods.

Or you could use the F4 key to speed up the process of adding multiple rows at desired places. F4 essentially saves your last action and repeats it when pressed.

Here is how it works:

First of all highlight the number of rows you want to add to your sheet (similar to what you’ve been seeing in the above method)

Right-click on the selected cell and select Insert # above or Insert # below (based on your need.)

For example; I selected Insert 2 row below option.

Now my last action has been saved. This means I can repeat this action, again and again, using the F4 key.

Let’s try it…

I will highlight Row number 3 and Press the F4 button on my keyboard.

That’s it… 2 new rows have been inserted below row number 3.

Another demo? Let’s select Row number 7 and press the F4 button.

Here you go…

06. Over To You

Whether you use the insert menu, right-click context menu, or keyboard shortcut, adding multiple rows in Google Sheets is an effortless process you can complete in a couple of clicks—or keystrokes.

Now I want to hear from you: Which method do you find more convenient to insert multiple rows in Google Sheets? Let me know your answer in the comment section below.