Grouping rows in Excel can help you organize data and make large spreadsheets easier to work with. This tutorial will show you how to quickly group any rows you want, collapse or expand them as needed, and work more efficiently within your data sheets.
Whether you are dealing with a small table or a multi-page financial report, mastering the group feature will help you keep your work tidy and accessible. Follow these clear, step-by-step instructions to learn how to group rows in Excel.
Selecting and Preparing Rows for Grouping
Begin by opening your Excel file to the worksheet containing the rows you want to group. Ensure that you have located the exact rows for grouping. This method applies to any consecutive row selection you choose. Click and drag to highlight the rows you wish to group. For example, to group rows 1 to 15, click the number for row 1, then drag down to row 15 so that all desired rows are highlighted.
Grouping Selected Rows
Press Alt + A + V on your keyboard. This keyboard shortcut will open a small grouping options window. In the dialog that appears, confirm your selection covers the correct rows—in this case, rows 1 to 15. Adjust the highlighted selection if necessary to ensure only the intended rows are included. Click the OK or Group button in the window to apply the grouping.
Identifying the Grouped Icon
After grouping, you’ll notice a small icon appear in the margin just left of the row numbers. This icon typically looks like a minus or plus sign, indicating the group can be collapsed or expanded. Move your cursor to this icon. The presence of the icon visually confirms that your selected rows are now grouped together in Excel.
Collapsing and Expanding Grouped Rows
To hide the grouped rows and quickly collapse the group, click the small minus sign next to your selected group. Excel will immediately hide all the rows included in the group, streamlining your worksheet. If you want to make the rows visible again, look for the plus sign icon where the rows were collapsed. Simply click the plus sign, and all the previously hidden rows will expand, so you can continue editing or referencing your data as needed.
Tips for Using Groups in Excel
You can create multiple groups within the same worksheet. Just repeat the selection and grouping steps for each set of rows you wish to organize.
If your data changes, you can always modify the group by ungrouping and then re-grouping new selections using the same keyboard shortcut (Alt + A + V).
To ungroup, select the grouped rows and choose the Ungroup command from the Data tab, or use the shortcut Alt + A + U.
This feature also works with columns. If you need to group columns instead of rows, select the columns and follow the same grouping shortcut.
Grouping is especially useful when you work with large datasets, allowing you to focus only on the sections you need at any given time.
Common Uses for Row Grouping
Collapsing detailed sales or expenses data so you can see only summary totals.
Temporarily hiding auxiliary calculations or notes to declutter your main working area.
Managing sections of reports or tables to present information progressively during meetings or presentations.
Organizing student grades, project phases, or steps in a workflow for quick overviews and reveals.
Additional Notes
Group icons may look slightly different depending on your version of Excel, but the functionality remains the same.
If you do not see the grouping icons, check that the Outline view is enabled in the Data tab on your ribbon.
Keyboard shortcuts may vary with non-English versions of Excel; refer to your version’s documentation if these shortcuts don’t work as expected.
