How to Select Entire Column (or Row) in Excel (Shortcut)

The fastest way to select an entire column in Excel is the keyboard shortcut Control + Space, and Shift + Space does the same for a row. Both shortcuts work on a Mac too.

Working with Excel means working with cells and ranges in the rows and columns in it. And if you work with large datasets, selecting entire rows and columns is quite a common task.

Just like with most things in Excel, there is more than one way to select a column or row in Excel.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to select a column or row using a simple shortcut, as well as some other easy methods.

I will also show you how to do this when you’re working with an Excel table or Pivot Table.

So let’s get started!

Keyboard Shortcut to Select an Entire Column in Excel

Let’s start with the keyboard shortcut.

Below I have a car rental dataset, and I want to select the entire column C (the Customer column).

Here are the steps to do this:

1. Select any cell in column C (I have selected cell C4).

2. Use the keyboard shortcut Control + Space (hold the Control key and then press the spacebar key on your keyboard).

The above shortcut would instantly select the entire column C, all the way down to the last row of the worksheet. You will see the column header and every cell in it get highlighted, indicating that it’s selected.

You can use the same shortcut to select multiple contiguous columns as well. For example, suppose you want to select both columns C and D.

To do this, select two adjacent cells (one in column C and one in column D) and then use the same keyboard shortcut.

In a regular range like this one, Control + Space selects the full worksheet column, including all the empty cells below your data. (Excel Tables behave differently, which I cover later in this article.)

If you only want the cells with data, select the first cell of the column (C1 here) and use Control + Shift + Down Arrow instead.

It extends the selection down to the last filled cell before a blank. I cover it in Select Till End of Data in a Column in Excel.

Keyboard Shortcut to Select an Entire Row

If you want to select the entire row, select any cell in the row that you want to be selected and then use the below keyboard shortcut.

Below I have the same car rental dataset, and I want to select the entire row 5 (the rental for Kimberly Hughes).

Here are the steps to do this:

1. Select any cell in row 5 (I have selected cell C5).

2. Use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Space (hold the Shift key and then press the Spacebar key).

You will again see that the entire row gets selected and highlighted.

In case you want to select multiple contiguous rows, select multiple adjacent cells in the same column and then use the keyboard shortcut.

And if you want to select every cell in the worksheet (not just one column or row), press Control + A. When the active cell is inside your data, the first press selects the dataset and a second press selects the whole sheet.

I cover that and a few other selection tricks in 7 Easy Ways to Select Multiple Cells in Excel.

Also read: Select Every Other Row in Excel

Shortcut to Select an Entire Column on Mac

In case you’re using Excel on Mac, the shortcuts are the same as on Windows. Use Control + Space to select the entire column, and Shift + Space to select the entire row.

Note that it’s Control + Space and not Command + Space. On a Mac, Command + Space opens Spotlight search instead of selecting anything in Excel.

If Control + Space switches your keyboard language instead of selecting the column, that’s because macOS uses the same shortcut to switch input sources.

To free it up for Excel, go to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Input Sources and uncheck “Select the previous input source”.

Select Entire Column (or Row) Using the Mouse

I have a feeling you may already know this method, but let me cover it anyway (it will be short).

Below I have the car rental dataset, and I want to select the entire column D (the Car Type column).

Here are the steps to do this:

1. Hover the cursor over the column header (where it says D). You will notice that the cursor changes to a black downward-pointing arrow.

2. Click the left mouse key.

Doing this will select the entire column D.

Similarly, if you want to select the entire row, click on the row number (in the row header on the left).

Select Multiple Adjacent Columns (or Rows)

Suppose you want to select multiple columns that are next to each other (say columns D, E, and F) in the car rental dataset.

Follow the below steps to do this:

1. Place the cursor on the column header of column D (the leftmost column you want to select).

2. Press the left mouse key and keep it pressed, and drag the mouse to also cover columns E and F.

The above steps would automatically select all the columns in between the first and the last selected column.

And the same way, you can also select multiple contiguous rows by dragging over the row numbers.

Select Multiple Non-Adjacent Columns (or Rows)

This is the most common scenario where you need to select multiple columns that are not next to each other.

In the car rental dataset below, I want to select columns D and F (Car Type and Days).

Below are the steps to do this:

1. Click the column heading of one of the columns (column D in this case) to select it.

2. Press and hold the Control key, and with the Control key pressed, click all the other columns you want to select (column F here).

You can do the same with rows as well (hold the Control key and click the row numbers).

And if you want to pick separate cells or ranges instead of full columns, the same Control-key trick works there too. I cover it in How to Select Non-adjacent Cells in Excel.

Pro Tip: If you select a column by mistake, keep holding the Control key and click its header again to deselect it (this works in Excel 2019 and later, including Microsoft 365).

Also read: How to Move Rows in Excel

Select Entire Column (or Multiple Columns) Using the Name Box

Use this method when you want to:

• Select a far-off row or column
• Select multiple contiguous or non-contiguous rows/columns

Name box is a small box that is left of the formula bar.

While the main purpose of the Name Box is to quickly name a cell or range of cells, you can also use it to quickly select any column (or row).

For example, if you want to select the entire column D in the car rental dataset, click in the Name Box, enter the following and hit Enter:

D:D

Similarly, if you want to select multiple columns (say D, E, and F), enter the following in the Name Box:

D:F

And that’s not it!

If you want to select multiple columns that are not adjacent, say D, H, and I, you can enter the below:

D:D,H:H,I:I

Rows work the same way. For example, entering 5:5 selects row 5, and 2:6 selects rows 2 to 6.

When I used to work as a financial analyst years ago, I found this trick extremely useful. It allowed me to quickly select columns and format them at once, or delete/hide these columns in one go.

The Named Range Trick to Select the Same Columns Again

Let me also show you another wonderful trick.

Suppose you’re working in a workbook where you may often have a need to select far-off columns (say columns B, D, and G).

Instead of doing it one by one or entering it manually in the Name Box, here is what you can do: create a named range that refers to the columns you want to select.

Once created, you can simply enter the named range name in the Name Box (or select it from the drop-down).

Below I have the car rental dataset, and I want to create a named range for columns B, D, and G (Pickup Date, Car Type, and Amount).

The example file already has a name called RentalSummary. So if you’re following along in it, use a different name (such as MyColumns) when you try these steps.

Below are the steps to create a named range for specific columns:

1. Select the columns for which you want to create the named range (hold the Control key and then select the columns one-by-one).

2. Enter the name you want to give to the selection in the Name Box (no spaces allowed in the name). In this example, I will use the name RentalSummary.

3. Hit Enter.

Once this is done, you have created a named range in Excel that now refers to the columns you selected (B, D, and G in my example).

And now it’s time for magic.

If you want to quickly select the columns B, D, and G, just enter the name in the Name Box and hit Enter (or click on the small drop-down icon at the end of the Name Box and select the name from the list).

Voila, all the columns would be selected.

This technique is useful if you may have a need to select the same columns multiple times in the same sheet.

You can use this technique to select rows as well as different ranges. For example, if you want to select two separate ranges in Excel, just follow the same steps (instead of selecting columns, select the ranges and give them a name).

Select Entire Column in an Excel Table

When working with Excel Tables, you may sometimes have a need to select an entire row or column in the table.

This means that you don’t want to select the entire column in the worksheet, but the entire column of the table.

Below I have the car rental data in an Excel Table, and I want to select only the Car Type column of the table (not the entire worksheet column D).

Here is the trick to do this:

1. Place the cursor at the top edge of the Car Type header in the Excel Table (note this is the header of the column in the Excel table, not the one that displays the column letter). You will notice that the cursor changes into a downward-pointing black arrow.

2. Click the left mouse key.

The above steps would select the data in the Car Type column of the Excel Table (and not the full worksheet column). Click it once more and the selection will include the header cell too.

And if you want to select multiple columns, hold the Control key and repeat the process for all the columns you want to select.

To select a row of the table instead, place the cursor at the left edge of the first cell in that row until it changes into a black right-pointing arrow, and then click.

You can also select a table column with the keyboard. Select any cell in the Car Type column of the table and press Control + Space.

Inside an Excel Table, Control + Space selects only the data in that table column. Press Control + Space again and the selection expands to include the header as well.

Also read: AutoSum in Excel (Shortcut)

Select Column in a Pivot Table

Just like the Excel table, you can also quickly select an entire row or column in a Pivot Table.

Suppose you have a Pivot Table as shown below (it summarizes the car rentals by car type) and you want to select the Sum of Amount column.

Below are the steps to do this:

1. Place the cursor at the top edge of the Pivot Table header that you want to select (Sum of Amount). You will notice that the cursor changes into a downward-pointing black arrow.

2. Click the left mouse key.

These steps would select the Sum of Amount column. Similarly, if you want to select multiple columns, hold the Control key and then make the selection.

Rows work the same way. To select a row item (such as SUV), place the cursor at its left edge until it changes into a right-pointing arrow, and then click.

If the cursor doesn’t change into an arrow, the selection option is turned off for the Pivot Table.

To turn it on, click anywhere in the Pivot Table, go to the PivotTable Analyze tab, click Select (in the Actions group), and make sure Enable Selection is checked.

So these are some of the common ways you can use to select an entire column or an entire row in Excel.

I hope you found this tutorial useful!

Other Excel tutorials you may also like:

• Flip Data in Excel | Reverse Order of Data in Column/Row
• How to Lock Row Height & Column Width in Excel (Easy Trick)
• How to Delete All Hidden Rows and Columns in Excel
• How to Insert Multiple Rows in Excel
• How to Copy and Paste Column in Excel? 3 Easy Ways!
• How to Multiply a Column by a Number in Excel
• How to Group Columns in Excel?
• Select Every Other Column in Excel