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How To Swap and Reverse Two Rows in Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is a powerful spreadsheet program that allows you to store, organize, and analyze data. One common task is to swap or reverse the order of rows in your Excel worksheets. Whether you need to alphabetize a list or correct the sequence of rows that got out of order, swapping rows in Excel is easy to do.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn multiple methods to swap and reverse two rows in Excel, using both mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts.

Why Swap or Reverse Rows in Excel?

Here are some common reasons you may need to rearrange rows by swapping or reversing their order in Excel:

  • Correct alphabetical order – If you have a list you want alphabetized, swapping rows allows you to put them in the proper A-Z sequence.
  • Fix sequencing errors – If some rows got out of order by mistake, quickly swap them to restore the right sequence.
  • Organize data – When preparing data for reporting or analysis, you may need to reorder rows into a certain logical sequence.
  • Sort a table – Excel has a Sort feature, but it’s often quicker to manually swap just a few rows to sort a small table.

Method 1: Drag and Drop Rows

The easiest way to swap two rows is by using your mouse to drag and drop:

  1. Select the row number of the first row you want to swap. The entire row will become highlighted.
  2. Position your mouse pointer over the border of the highlighted row. It will change to a four-headed arrow.
  3. Click and drag the row to the new position and release the mouse button to drop the row.

That’s all there is to it! The two rows will swap positions on your worksheet.

Tip: To swap non-adjacent rows, hold down the CTRL key while clicking additional rows before dragging.

Method 2: Cut and Paste Rows

Another mouse-driven way to swap rows is by using cut and paste:

  1. Click the row number to select the entire row you want to move.
  2. Right-click and choose Cut from the menu. Alternatively, press Ctrl + X on your keyboard. The row will disappear from the worksheet.
  3. Select the row where you want the cut row to be inserted.
  4. Right-click and choose Insert Cut Cells from the menu. Alternatively, press Ctrl + Alt + V on your keyboard.

The cut row will be moved to the new position, swapping it with the row that used to be there.

Method 3: Keyboard Shortcuts

You can save even more time by using these handy keyboard shortcuts to swap rows:

  1. Select the first row you want to swap.
  2. Press Ctrl + Arrow Key pointing in the direction you want that row moved.

For example, press Ctrl + Down Arrow to move the selected row one position down, instantly swapping it with the next row.

Some other useful row-swapping shortcuts:

  • Ctrl + Up Arrow – Move row up
  • Ctrl + Page Down – Move row down one screen
  • Ctrl + Page Up – Move row up one screen

Master these keyboard combos to rapidly rearrange rows!

Reverse Row Order

The above steps allow you to swap the positions of two rows at a time. But what if you want to reverse the order of rows – in other words, flip them so the top row becomes the bottom, the second row becomes second from last, etc?

Here is how to reverse rows in Excel with a couple clicks:

  1. Select all the rows you want to reverse. Click the first row number, hold down Shift, and click the last row number.
  2. Right-click within the row selection and choose Insert Copied Cells from the menu.

That’s it! The set of rows will now be completely reversed order.

Tips for Swapping Rows in Excel

Keep these tips in mind when reordering rows:

  • Before swapping rows, copy or save your worksheet under another name so you have the original order backed up.
  • When possible, swap rows using keyboard shortcuts to save time over mouse clicking.
  • You can swap both adjacent and non-adjacent rows in Excel – use Ctrl + Click or Shift + Click to select multiple rows before dragging.
  • Freezing panes can help when swapping – click View > Freeze Panes to lock column and row headings in place.
  • Don’t swap rows with merged cells, as it may cause unexpected results with formatting.
  • Be careful when swapping rows in tables, as it may scramble table formatting.

With this understanding of the various methods to swap and reverse rows in Excel, you can quickly rearrange worksheet data as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here are answers to some common questions about changing row order in Excel:

How do I undo swapping rows in case I make a mistake?

Press Ctrl + Z after swapping rows to immediately undo your last action. Or click the Undo button on the Quick Access Toolbar in the top-left corner.

Is there a way to automate swapping many rows?

Yes! You can write macros in Excel VBA to automate complex row ordering and rearrangement across large datasets. But for simple manual reordering, the drag and drop method works best.

Can I swap columns instead of rows?

Absolutely! The exact same methods described here for reordering rows can be applied to swapping the sequence of columns. Just select the column letters instead of row numbers when dragging cells.

What happens if I swap rows in an Excel table?

The row data will swap correctly, but Excel table formatting like banded rows may get scrambled. You’ll need to reapply the table format after swapping rows in a table.

Is it possible to swap rows between two different worksheets?

Unfortunately Excel does not allow moving rows directly between separate worksheets in the same workbook. You would need to copy the data and paste it from one sheet to the other.

Conclusion

With this comprehensive guide, you have all the techniques you need to successfully swap and reverse the order of two rows in Excel.

Whether you want to alphabetize a list, fix sequencing errors, or rearrange data for reporting, mastering these row-swapping methods will help you organize your worksheets better.

As you become adept at using simple mouse clicks or keyboard shortcuts to reorder rows, you’ll find it a handy efficiency booster for wrangling your Excel data.

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