nserting, Moving and Deleting Table Rows and Columns

You may need to insert new rows into a table to add data. Also, you may want to add a column to perform a calculation based on other columns in the table. Excel provides convenient methods for inserting rows and columns. You can also delete table rows and columns you no longer need and move a table to a new location in the same worksheet.

Inserting New Rows or Columns

To add a new column to the end of a table, just active a cell in the column to the right of the table and start entering the data. Excel automatically extends the table horizontally.

Similarly, if you enter data in the row below a table, Excel extends the table vertically to include the new row. An exception to automatically extending tables is when the table is displaying a Total Row. If you enter data below the Total Row, the table will not be extended.

To add rows or columns within the table, right-click and choose Insert from the shortcut menu. The Insert shortcut menu command displays additional menu items that describe where to add the rows or columns.

When the cell pointer is in the bottom-right cell of a table, pressing Tab inserts a new row at the bottom.

When you move your mouse to the resize handle at bottom-right cell of a table, the mouse pointer turns into a diagonal line with two arrow heads. Click and drag down to add more rows to the table. Click and drag to the right to add more columns.

When you insert a new column, the Header Row displays a generic description, such as Column 1, Column 2, and so on. Normally, you'll want to change these names to more descriptive labels.

Moving a Table

To move a table to a new location in the same worksheet, move the mouse pointer to any of its borders. When the mouse pointer turns into a cross with four arrows, click and drag the table to its new location.

To move a table to a different worksheet (in the same workbook, or in a different workbook), do the following:

• Press Alt+A twice to select the entire table.
• Press Ctrl+X to cut the selected cells.
• Activate the new worksheet and select the upper-left cell for the table.
• Press Ctrl+V to paste the table.

Deleting Rows or Columns

To delete a row (or column) in a table, select any cell in the row (or column) to be deleted. If you want to delete multiple rows or columns, select them all. Then right-click and choose Delete Table Rows (or Delete Table Columns).