How to shift down in Excel

You can watch a video tutorial here.

When working with Excel, you may need to shift data down. For example, you may need to insert a new column header into a table in which case some data will have to be shifted down.

Option 1 – Insert a row

Step 1 – Select the row

• Select the cell or cells to be moved
• Right-click to display the context menu
• Select Insert

Step 2 – Choose the shift option

• Select Shift cells down
• Click OK

Step 3 – View the result

• The cells have been shifted down and a new row appears in their place

Option 2 – Drag and drop

Step 1 – Select the cells

• Select the cell or cells to be shifted
• Position the pointer at the border of the selected area

Step 2 – Drag and drop

• When the cursor changes to a move pointer, click the left mouse button
• Holding down the button, drag the area down
• Release the mouse button when the cells are in the new location

Option 3 – Cut & paste

Step 1 – Select the cells

• Select the cell or cells to be shifted

• Right-click to display the context menu
• Select Cut

Step 2 – Paste at the new location

• Position the cursor at the new location 
• Right-click to display the context menu
• Select Paste

Step 3 – View the result

• Only the selected cells are moved down