[Quick Tip] How to Select 500 cells/rows in Excel (with a single click)

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A few days ago I was working with a dataset where I had multiple sheets full of data. I had to select the first 500 cells at one go from each worksheet and copy it.

I then had to paste this data into a tool I was using.

Now doing this manually isn’t hard, but since I had multiple worksheets, I started thinking of a faster way to do this.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you two faster methods of doing this (with and without VBA).

Select 500 rows/cells using the Name Box

There is a name box at the left of the formula bar.

It displays the reference of the active cell and can also be used to create named ranges.

We can also use it to quickly select a range of contiguous cells by just entering the range reference.

Here are the steps to select 500 cells in one go:

1. Click in the Name Box.
2. Type A1:A500.
3. Hit Enter.

As soon as I hit the Enter key, it will select the first 500 cells in the column.

Here are some other ways you can use this:

• To select first 500 rows, use the reference- 1:500
• To select first 500 cells for four columns –  A1:D500

Also read: How to Move Columns in Excel

Select 500 rows/cells using VBA

While the above method is fast, with VBA, you can easily make it a one-click activity.

Let me first give you the code that will do this:

Sub Select500Cells()
Range(ActiveCell, ActiveCell.Offset(500, 0)).Select
End Sub

Now let’s see where to put this code and make this a 1-click affair.

1. Copy the above VBA code.
2. Go to the Developer tab.
3. Click on Visual Basic.
4. In the VB Editor, right-click on any of the workbook objects.
5. Go to Insert and click on Module.
6. In the module, paste the above VBA code.
7. Close the VB Editor.

The VBA code is now a part of the workbook.

If you run this macro code now, it will select 500 cells (starting from the active cell).

Now to further simplify this process, you can add this macro to the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT).

This will allow you to select 500 cells with a single click (starting from the active cell).

Here are the steps to add the VBA macro to the QAT:

1. Click on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar icon.
2. Select ‘More Commands’.
3. In the Excel Options dialogue box, in the ‘Choose command from’ dialog box, select ‘Macros’.
4. Click on the Macro that you want to add to the QAT.
5. Click on the Add button.
6. Click OK.

The above steps would add the macro to the QAT.

Now to select 500 cells at one go, all you need to do is select the first cell and click on the macro in the QAT.

Here are some variations of the macro code that can be helpful.

Select 500 Rows using VBA

The below code will select 500 rows – starting from the active cell row.

Sub Select500Rows()
Range(ActiveCell, ActiveCell.Offset(500, 0)).EntireRow.Select
End Sub

Select and Copy 500 cells using VBA

The below code will copy 500 cells – starting from the active cell.

Sub Copy500Cells()
Range(ActiveCell, ActiveCell.Offset(500, 0)).Copy
End Sub

Select first 500 cells using VBA

The below code will select first 500 cells – starting from cell A1.

Sub SelectFirst500Cells()
Range(Range("A1"), Range("A1").Offset(500, 0)).Select
End Sub

You May Also Like the Following Excel Tutorials:

• How to Deselect Cells in Excel
• Useful Excel Macro Examples for VBA Beginners (Ready-to-use).
• 3 Quick Ways to Select Visible Cells in Excel.
• Highlight EVERY Other ROW in Excel (using Conditional Formatting).
• Delete Blank Rows in Excel (with and without VBA).
• How to Select Every Third Row in Excel.
• How to Quickly Select a Far-off Excel Cell or Range.
• How to Quickly Select Blank Cells in Excel.
• Using Loops in Excel VBA (For Next, Do While, Do Until, For Each).
• Select Till End of Data in a Column in Excel (Shortcuts)