How to Select All Rows in Excel (6 Easy Ways)

One of the most fundamental Excel operations is selecting rows. In Excel, you can select rows in a variety of methods, including by using the mouse or the keyboard (or a combination of both). In this article, we will learn how to select all rows in Excel with some easy ways.

How to Select All Rows in Excel: 6 Easy Ways

Here, we will demonstrate 6 easy ways to select all rows in an Excel worksheet. For this, we have used a dataset (B4:C8) in Excel that contains the Names and Marks of some students. In the methods below, we will see the process to select all the rows of an Excel worksheet. So, without further delay, let’s get started.

1. Select All Rows in Excel by Single Click

This is the easiest way to select all rows in Excel because here, we can do this with only a single click on the mouse. To do so, follow the steps below.

Steps:

First, open the Excel worksheet where you wish to select all the rows.
Then, click on the tiny, inverted triangle that is located in the upper left corner of the worksheet. See the screenshot below to find its location easily.

In this way, we can select all the rows in the entire worksheet instantly.
But you need to keep in mind that you can not select any chart or shape by this process. However, we can see the final result in the screenshot below.

2. Apply Keyboard Shortcut in Excel for Selecting All Rows

In this method, we will discuss how to apply the keyboard shortcut to select all the rows in an Excel worksheet. First, we will learn to select all the rows of an entire worksheet and then we will use the keyboard shortcut for selecting all the rows of a table in Excel.

2.1 Rows in Worksheet

The steps to select all the rows of an entire worksheet in Excel are below:

In the beginning, if the worksheet contains any table then you need to select a blank cell outside the table. For example, we have selected cell B10.

Next, apply the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + A
For this, you need to press the A key while holding the Ctrl key.
Consequently, all the rows of the whole worksheet will be selected properly.

2.2 All Table Rows

Follow the steps below to select all the rows in an Excel table:

For selecting all of the rows in a table, first of all, select any cell inside the table. In our case, we have selected cell B4.

Then, use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + A
To apply it, hold down the Ctrl key when pressing the A key.
Thus, we can select all the rows of an entire Excel table.

3. Drag Cursor to Select Multiple Excel Rows

In this method, we will select multiple Excel rows by dragging the cursor. The steps to do so are below:

First, select the first row in the worksheet by left-clicking on it.
Here, we have clicked on row number 4 which is located on the leftmost side of an Excel worksheet.
After clicking on the row number, the entire row will be selected.

After that, drag the mouse over all the row numbers you wish to select. In our case, we have dragged the mouse up to row 8.
After dragging the mouse over all of the rows, release it.
Hence, you’ll notice that all the rows dragged over by the mouse are highlighted in gray color which means they are selected.

4. Rows Selection with Ctrl Key in Excel

By following this method, we can select both the adjacent and non-adjacent rows. To do so follow the steps below:

In the first place, go to the keyboard and hold down the Ctrl key.
Subsequently, click on the row numbers that you need to select. See the picture below where we have selected the row numbers 4, 6 and 9.
Thus, we can select those entire rows.

5. Use Excel Name Box to Select Multiple Rows

Using the Excel Name Box, you can choose several rows very quickly. The Name Box is positioned on the top left corner of an Excel worksheet, directly on the left side of the formula bar. See the screenshot below.

The steps to use the Name Box for selecting multiple rows in Excel are below:

To begin with, select the row numbers by dragging the mouse. For example, we have selected rows 4 to 8 in our case.

Secondly, go to the Name Box and type any name for the selected rows.
But remember that you can not use any space while typing the name. In our case, we have typed NameBox for referencing the selected rows.

After that, press the Enter key.
As a result, the NameBox will be added as a reference to the selected rows.
To select the rows, go to the Name Box.
Then, click on NameBox from the dropdown.

As a result, all the rows will be selected at once. We can see that in the picture below.

6. Selecting Table Rows by Double Clicking

In this method, we will select all the rows of an entire table in Excel by double clicking. The steps are below:

First of all, keep your cursor on the upper-left corner of the table.
In turn, you can see a selection arrow just like the screenshot below.

Now, by clicking once on the mouse, you can select the table except the table headers.

If you click on the mouse again, you can select the entire table including the table headers.

Download Practice Workbook

Download the practice workbook from here.

Selecting All Rows.xlsx

Conclusion

I hope the above methods will be helpful for you to select all rows in Excel. Download the practice workbook and give it a try. Let us know your feedback in the comment section.

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