How to Move Selected Cells in Excel with Keyboard (4 Methods)

Sometimes our dataset needs to be rearranged. In this article, we have demonstrated 4 methods of how to move selected cells in Excel with the Keyboard.

We have taken 8 people’s car data to illustrate our methods as clearly as possible. Our dataset has 3 columns –  Name, Car Model, and Car Maker. Our target is to move a few of the cells from the dataset with the Keyboard.

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4 Ways to Move Selected Cells in Excel with Keyboard

1. Move Selected Cells in Excel with Keyboard by Using Cut and Paste

In this scenario, we will move row 13 to row 12. We will select the cells, then use keyboard shortcuts to move the cells. To do this with Keyboard read along with our guide.

Steps:

• Select cell range B13:D13.
• Press CTRL + X to cut.

We will see a dashed line around our cell range.

• Use the Up Arrow key to move up a row.

• Press CTRL + V to paste the value.

The first method is complete.

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

2. Using SHIFT + Drag to Move Selected Cells in Excel with Keyboard

In this method, we will move row 13 in between row 10 and row 11.

Steps:

• Select the row.
• Move the mouse to the side of the row, until getting the move cursor.

• Hold down SHIFT and start dragging upward.
• Stop dragging while you are at the destination.

There will be a green horizontal line indicating cell insertion.  If you don’t see that line, you need to hold the SHIFT button properly.

Upon release, the selected cell range will move in between the rows.

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

Similar Readings

• How to Delete a Cell in Excel (4 Easy Ways)
• Excel if One Cell Equals another then Return another Cell
• Selecting Non-Adjacent or Non-Contiguous Cells in Excel (5 Simple Methods)
• Data clean-up techniques in Excel: Filling blank cells
• What is an Active Cell in Excel?

3. Utilizing SHIFT + F10 to Move Selected Cells in Excel with Keyboard

We can bring up the Context menu using SHIFT + F10. There are 4 options to choose from to move selected cells. Those methods are explained below.

3.1. Shifting Cells Right

We will move cell D7 to the right (cell E7).

Steps: 

Bring up the Insert dialog box.

• Select cell D7.
• Press SHIFT + F10.
• Use the Down Arrow Key to highlight Insert…
• Press ENTER.

A dialog box of Insert will appear.

• Choose Shift cells right.
• Press OK.

The cell value is moved to the right cell.

3.2. Shifting Cells Down

We want to move our cell D9 to 1 cell down. This will also move down cells D10, and D11.

Steps:

• Select cell D9.

Duplicating steps from method 3.1., bring up the Insert dialog box.

• After that, choose Shift cells down.
• Press OK.

The cells are moved down by 1 cell.

3.3. Adding Entire Row

Let’s say, we want to add a row that will move the selected cells. To do that follow the steps.

Steps:

• Select cell D6.

Following the previous method in 3.1. bring up the Insert dialog box.

• Select Entire row.
• OK.

A blank row 6 has been inserted. Our original rows (except the first row) moved down by 1 row.

3.4. Inserting Entire Column

Our goal is to move the “Car Maker” column to the right by inserting a new column.

Steps:

• Select cell D8 (alternatively you can select the whole “Car Maker” column).
• Press SHIFT + F10 >>> select Insert… (How to do it was shown in method 3.1.)

A dialog box will be shown.

• Select Entire column.
• Press OK.

The “Car Maker” column has moved to the right, and there is a new column.

Read More: Select All Cells with Data in a Column in Excel (5 Methods+Shortcuts)

4. Move Selected Cells in Excel with Keyboard by Applying Copy and Paste

In our last method, we will Copy and Paste the row values to the upper row, and then we will remove the original values. Surely we can do this at once, by using the first method, however, sometimes we need to be ultra-safe. This method can become handy then.

We want to move cell range B13:D13 to B12:D12.

Steps:

• Select the range B13:D13.
• Press CTRL + C to copy.

• Move up a cell using the Up Arrow Key.
• Press CTRL + V to paste.

The selected cells are moved.

Additionally, we can select the original cell range and we can delete the rows. Finally, it should look like this.

Read More: How to Select Cells in Excel Using Keyboard (9 Ways)

Practice Section

The methods can be overwhelming. Hence, we have added practice datasets for every method. You can follow along with our guide with that.

Conclusion

We have discussed 4 methods to move selected cells in Excel with Keyboard. We have used cut paste, SHIFT + drag, SHIFT + F10, and copy-paste to fulfill our objective. Feel free to comment, if you face any problems or have any suggestions for us. Thanks for reading. Keep excelling!

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