How to Move Rows Up in Excel (2 Quick Methods)

In this article, we will illustrate the process of how to move rows up in Excel. While working with a dataset a lot of times we have to move any single row or multiple rows upward direction. Throughout this article, we will demonstrate 2 methods to move rows up in Excel.

How to Move Rows Up in Excel: 2 Easy Methods

We are going to use the same sample dataset for both two methods so that you can understand better. The dataset represents Student Names, Marks, and Subjects.

1. Move Rows Up without Overwriting Existing Row

Two scenarios can occur when shifting rows up in Excel. In the first scenario, a row moves up without overwriting the destination row’s existing row, whereas, in the second situation, the moving row replaces the destination row’s values. In this method, we will demonstrate the first method to you.

1.1 Move Up a Single Entire Row in Excel

First and foremost, we will move an entire row up in Excel. After moving it will not overwrite the values of the destination row. Take a look at the dataset given below. In this dataset, we will move row 8 to row 6.

Now, Let’s see the steps regarding this method.

STEPS:

• Firstly, select the entire 8th row.

• Secondly, move your mouse cursor to the border of the row line. An icon like the following image will be visible.

• Thirdly, hold the Shift key and click on the row border.
• Fourthly, holding the Shift key drag the row to row 6 like the following image and left the mouse click.

• Lastly, row number 8 has been moved to row number 6.

1.2 Move Up Selected Cells of a Row

Now, we will see how we can move up selected cells of a row from a data range. In this method, we will move the highlighted area of row 10 to row 6.

So, let’s take a look at the steps to perform this action.

STEPS:

• First, select (D10:E10) from row 10.

• Next, hold the Shift key and click on the row border.
• After that, holding the Shift key, drag the row to row 6 like the following image, and leave the mouse click.

• Finally, in row no.5, we can see row number 10.

1.3  Select and Move Up Multiple Consecutive Rows

Until now we were moving just one row. But in this method, we will move multiple consecutive rows to another place in the data range. In the following dataset, we have highlighted the datasets to which we will move columns 5 to 7.

Just follow the step-by-step guide to performing this method.

STEPS:

• In the beginning, press Ctrl and select rows 12, 13, and 14 for multiple selections of rows.
• You can also select the rows by mouse click selecting the range (B12:D14).
• Next, hold the Shift key and click on the row border.
• After that, holding the Shift key drag the row to row 5 like the following image and left the mouse click.

• Finally, we can see that row number 10 has been moved to row number 5.

2. Overwrite Existing Row to Move Rows Up in Excel

In this instance, we’ll show you how to move rows up in Excel by overwriting existing row values. We’ll go over four sub-methods of this technique in this scenario.

2.1 Move Rows Up in Excel Using Drag and Replace

In the following dataset, we will move row no. 10 to row no. 7 by using the Drag and Replace technique.

Let’s take a look at the steps of doing this.

STEPS:

• Firstly, select row number 10.
• Move the mouse cursor to the row border, This will make an icon visible like the following image.

• Secondly, by clicking on that icon drag row number 10 to row number 7.

• Thirdly, a dialogue box like the following one will appear. Click on OK.

• Lastly, row no. 10 will move to row no 7. We can see that this method overwrites existing row values.

Read More: How to Move Rows in Excel Without Replacing

2.2 Use Cut and Paste to Move Rows Up in Excel

The output of this method and the previous method are the same. But, in this method, we will use the cut and paste method to move a row up in Excel. In the following dataset, we will move row number 9 to row number 6.

Now, just do the following steps to perform this action.

STEPS:

• First, select row 9.
• Next, go to the Home.
• Then, select the option Cut or we can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + X.

• After that, we will select our destination row. Which is row no. 6.
• Then, from the Home tab choose the option Paste.

• Finally, row number 9 will move to row number 6. We can see that this method overwrites existing row values.

Read More: How to Move Rows Down in Excel

2.3 Copy and Paste to Move Rows Up in Excel

In this method, we will use the Copy and Paste option to move a row up in Excel. Unlike the previous techniques, this one will relocate the value to the destination cell while leaving the original unchanged. For example, in the following dataset, we will move row 10 to row 7 using the Copy and Paste options.

We will follow the below steps to perform this action.

STEPS:

• In the beginning, select row 10.
• Next, go to the Home tab and select the option Copy or you can press Ctrl + C from your keyboard to copy.

• Then, select row number 7 as the destination row.
• After that, click on the Paste option.

• So, row number 10 will move to row number 7. We can see that this method overwrites existing row values but does not remove original row values.

Read More: How to Rearrange Rows in Excel

2.4 Move Multiple Non-Consecutive Rows

Before we discussed moving up consecutive rows. In this example, we will move up non-consecutive rows in our Excel data range. In the following data range, we will copy rows 11 & 12. Then we will move them to rows 1 & 2.

So, let’s see the steps of doing this method.

STEPS:

• Firstly, press Ctrl and select rows 11 & 12.
• Secondly, go to the Home tab and select the option Copy or you can press Ctrl + C from your keyboard to copy.

• Thirdly, select row number 5 as the destination row.
• After that, click on the Paste option.

• Lastly, we can see rows number 11 & 12 are moved to rows number 1 & 2.

Download Practice Workbook

You can download the practice workbook from here.

Conclusion

To this end, this article will demonstrate how to move rows up in Excel using a variety of techniques. Download the practice workbook that comes with this article to put your skills to the test. If you have any questions, please leave a comment in the box below. We’ll do our best to respond as soon as possible. Keep an eye out for more interesting Microsoft Excel solutions in the future.

Related Articles

• How to Move Rows in Excel to Columns
• How to Move Every Other Row to Column in Excel
• Move Row to Bottom in Excel If Cell Contains a Value
• How to Move Row to Another Sheet Based on Cell Value in Excel

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