How to Shift Cells in Excel (5 Easy Ways)

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Sometimes, when working on Microsoft Excel, there may be a need to shift cells in different places according to our needs. The process of moving cells in Excel is mandatory for Excel beginners. In this article, I am going to show you how to shift cells in Excel.


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5 Easy Ways to Shift Cells in Excel

In this article, you will see five easy ways to shift cells in Excel. In the first procedure, I will use the Copy and Paste command to copy a range of cells into another place. Then, I will utilize dragging and dropping to shift cells. Thirdly, I will use the Insert option from Excel to shift rows and columns. Fourthly, I will demonstrate how to shift a cell along a row or column in Excel. Lastly, I will apply a VBA code for shifting a particular cell range.

To demonstrate my further procedure, I will use the following data set.

5 Easy Ways to Shift Cells in Excel


1. Using Copy and Paste Commands

In the first procedure, I will copy the data from a whole column, then paste it into another place on the worksheet, thus shifting the cell values. To do that, I will use the Copy and Paste command in Excel. For a better understanding, see the following steps.

Step 1:

  • First of all, select the cell range B5:B9, as I want to copy the names of the employees rather than write them again.

Selecting Cell Range for Using Copy and Paste Commands as An Easy Way to Shift Cells in Excel

Step 2:

  • Secondly, right-click on the mouse after selecting the cell range and then choose Copy from the context menu.
  • Additionally, you can press the keyboard shortcut CTRL + C to copy the cell range.

Choosing Copy Command for Using Copy and Paste Commands as An Easy Way to Shift Cells in Excel

Step 3:

  • Thirdly, select a cell from the destination cell range and then again right-click on the mouse and select the Paste icon like the following image.
  • Moreover, you can press CTRL +V on your keyboard to do the same.

Choosing Paste Command for Using Copy and Paste Commands as An Easy Way to Shift Cells in Excel

Step 4:

  • Finally, you will find the copied data in cell range B12:B16.

Notes:

  • If you want to move cells in Excel with a keyboard and use shortcuts, then select any cell with data, then press CTRL + X, thirdly with the help of the arrow keys of the keyboard go to the desired location and press CTRL + V.

Read More: [Fix]: Arrow Keys Not Moving Cells in Excel (2 Methods)


2. Utilizing Dragging and Dropping

The second procedure will demonstrate how to shift cells from a data set to another location, without using any shortcuts or commands. Here, I will use the dragging feature to drag the cell range and drop them in the desired location.

Step 1:

  • First of all, select the cell range (B5:B9) for shifting.

Selecting Cell Range for Utilizing Dragging and Dropping as An Easy Way to Shift Cells in Excel

Step 2:

  • Secondly, move your mouse to the border of any side of the selected cell range, and you will find your mouse with a double cross arrow like the following image.
  • Then, drag the mouse icon to the desired cell location and drop it there.

Dragging Selected Cell Range for Utilizing Dragging and Dropping as An Easy Way to Shift Cells in Excel

Step 3:

  • Finally, you will find the dragged cell range in the destination.
  • Additionally, you can follow this method to shift any cells in an up, down or sideward positions.

Read More: How to Drag Cells in Excel Using Keyboard (5 Smooth Ways)


3. Applying Insert Option to Shift Cells in Excel

I will apply the Insert option of Excel to shift cells in the third procedure. By applying this option, you can shift both columns and rows in Excel. For the detailed procedure, see the following steps.

Step 1:

  • First of all, I will show you the process to shift an entire column.
  • In order to do that, select the desired column header at the top of the data set in the worksheet.

Selecting Column Header for Applying Insert Option as An Easy Way to Shift Cells in Excel

Step 2:

  • Secondly, right-click on the mouse and select Insert.

Step 3:

  • Consequently, it will shift the existing column to the right and create a new column in that place.
  • Then, fill up that column with the required data.

Step 4:

  • Furthermore, to shift rows in Excel, select the desired row header on the right side of the data set.
  • Then, again right-click on the mouse and select Insert.

Step 5:

  • Consequently, you will see the newly created row at row number 7.

Step 6:

  • Finally, fill up the newly created row with the necessary data.

Read More: How to Select Multiple Cells in Excel without Mouse (9 Easy Methods)


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4. Shifting Cells Along Column and Row

In this method, I will show you how to shift a single cell along a row or column in Excel. Here, I will not shift the entire row or column. See the following steps for a better understanding.

Step 1:

  • Firstly, select any cell from the data set and right-click on the mouse.
  • Then, from the context menu, choose the Insert command.

Selecting Specific Cell and Choosing Insert Command for Shifting Cells Along Column and RowEasy Ways to Shift Cells in Excel

Step 2:

  • Secondly, to shift cells along the row, choose Shift cells down from the Insert dialog box.
  • Then, press OK.

Step 3:

  • Thirdly, you will see the selected cells have been shifted along the row by one row.

Step 4:

  • Moreover, to shift the cell along the column select any cell from the data set.
  • Then, choose Insert from the context menu after right-clicking on the mouse.

Step 5:

  • Fifthly, select the Shift cells right command from the Insert dialog box.
  • Then, press OK.

Step 6:

  • Finally, this will shift the cells along the column by one column.

Read More: How to Shift Cells Down in Excel without Changing Formula (4 Methods)


5. Applying VBA to Shift Cells in Excel

For the last method of this procedure, I will apply a VBA code to shift cells from one location to another. By giving the correct sequence or command in the code, I will execute this action.

Step 1:

  • First of all, I will shift the value of the cell range B5:B9 to the cell range B12:B6 through VBA.
  • In order to do that, go to the Developer tab and select Visual Basic.

Selecting Developer Tab for Applying VBA as An Easy Way to Shift Cells in Excel

Step 2:

  • Secondly, you will see the VBA window after the previous step.
  • Then, from the Insert tab use Module.

Step 3:

  • Thirdly, copy the following VBA code and paste it into the module.
Sub Shifting_Cells_in_Excel()
'Selecting the cell range for shifting
Range("B5:B9").Select
'Cutting the cell range and selecting new cell destination
Selection.Cut Destination:=Range("B12:B16")
'Shifting cells in new destination
Range("B12:B16").Select
End Sub

Writing Code for Applying VBA as An Easy Way to Shift Cells in Excel

VBA Breakdown

  • Firstly, set the name of the sub-procedure.
Sub Shifting_Cells_in_Excel()
  • Secondly, select the cell range for shifting.
Range("B5:B9").Select
  • Then, cut the selected cell range and paste them into the desired cell range location.
Selection.Cut Destination:=Range("B12:B16")
Range("B12:B16").Select

Step 4:

  • Fourthly, save the code in the module.
  • Then, keeping the cursor in the module, press F5 or the Play button.

Step 5:

  • Finally, you will find the cell range in the desired destination after playing the code.

Showing Final Result for Applying VBA as An Easy Way to Shift Cells in Excel

Read More: How to Select a Range of Cells in Excel Formula (4 Methods)


Applying Formula to Move Data from One Cell to Another

In this section, I will show you how to move data from one cell to another by applying formulas in Excel. The process of doing this is very simple. Follow the below-given steps for a better understanding.

Step 1:

  • First of all, take the following data set to perform the procedure.
  • Here, I will apply a formula to move the employee name.

Step 2:

  • In order to do that, write the following formula in cell C11 to copy the data of cell B8.
=B8

Step 3:

  • Finally, after pressing Enter, it will show the same data as cell B8.


Easy Way to Move Partial Data from One Cell to Another in Excel

Now, in the last section of this article, I will show you an easy way to move partial data from one cell to another in Excel. Here, the cells will contain a large string of data and after performing some steps, the data will be separated into different cells. To do that, see the following steps.

Step 1:

  • Firstly, look at the following data set where each cell contains more than one cell value.
  • So, I will demonstrate the way to move partial data from these cells.
  • In order to do that, select the cell range B4:B8 and then go to the Data tab of the ribbon.
  • Then, from the Data Tools group select Text to Columns.

Step 2:

  • Secondly, you will see the Convert Text to Columns Wizard dialog box with steps 1 to 3.
  • In Step 1 of the dialog box, firstly, choose Delimited and then Next.

Step 3:

  • Thirdly, in the Step 2 dialog box, select Space to adjust them in different cells.
  • Then, press Next.

Step 4:

  • Fourthly, in Step 3 of the dialog box press Finish.

Step 5:

  • Finally, after performing all the steps, you will find the values of the cells separated in various cells.

Read More: How to Move a Group of Cells in Excel (4 Easy Ways)


Conclusion

That’s the end of this article. I hope you find this article helpful. After reading the above description, you will be able to shift cells in Excel. Please share any further queries or recommendations with us in the comments section below.

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Md. Abdullah Al Murad
Md. Abdullah Al Murad

Md. Abdullah Al Murad is a computer engineer who loves exploring Excel and VBA programming. Programming, to him, is a time-saving tool for efficiently managing data, files, and internet tasks. He is proficient in C, C++, Python, JavaScript, HTML, SQL, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft Office, and VBA and goes beyond the basics. He holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering from American International University-Bangladesh. He has transitioned into the role of a content developer. Beyond his work, find... Read Full Bio

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