As your spreadsheet grows you will need to add a forgotten row, remove an empty column, widen a column that shows ####, hide working columns, or keep the headings visible while you scroll. This post shows you how to manipulate columns and rows.
Build on what you learned in Forms 1–3
These Lower School ICT posts cover the basics of this topic:
- Inserting Rows and Columns, Formatting Cells and Formula Revision – inserting rows and columns
- Create a simple spreadsheet – setting up a worksheet
In this post:
- Selecting rows and columns
- Inserting and deleting
- Changing width and height (and why you see ####)
- Hiding and unhiding
- Freezing panes
- Moving rows and columns
Selecting rows and columns
- Click the column letter (e.g. C) to select the whole column; click the row number (e.g. 5) to select the whole row.
- Drag across headings, or Shift+click, to select several next to each other; Ctrl+click for ones that are apart.
Inserting and deleting
Insert a row or column (Excel):
- Right-click the row number below where you want the new row (or the column letter to the right of where you want a new column).
- Choose Insert. (Or Home → Insert → Insert Sheet Rows / Columns.)
- A blank row appears above (or a column to the left). Formulas that refer to cells that moved are updated automatically.
Delete a row or column:
- Right-click the row number or column letter.
- Choose Delete. (Pressing the Delete key only clears the contents – it does not remove the row.)
- Check formulas: if a formula used a deleted cell it will show #REF!.
Changing column width and row height
- Drag the boundary to the right of the column letter (or below the row number).
- Double-click the boundary to AutoFit to the longest entry.
- Home → Format → Column Width / Row Height to type an exact size.
- #### in a cell means the column is too narrow to show the number or date – widen it.
- Wrap Text (Home tab) lets long labels go on to several lines in a cell.
Video: Excel: Modifying Columns, Rows, and Cells – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s0OdXiuqL0
Hiding and unhiding
- Right-click a row number or column letter → Hide. The data is still there and formulas still use it – it is just not shown (or printed).
- To unhide, select the rows/columns on both sides of the hidden ones → right-click → Unhide.
- Useful for hiding working columns or confidential data before printing.
Freezing panes
Freeze Panes keeps headings visible while you scroll through a long list.
In Excel:
- To keep row 1 visible: View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row.
- To keep column A visible: View → Freeze Panes → Freeze First Column.
- To freeze both rows and columns: click the cell just below and to the right of what should stay (e.g. B2), then View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Panes.
- Unfreeze with View → Freeze Panes → Unfreeze Panes.
Video: Excel: Freeze Panes and View Options – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuhsUNBeNHw
Moving rows and columns
Select the row or column, Cut (Ctrl+X), right-click the heading where it should go and choose Insert Cut Cells. Or hold Shift and drag the border of the selection.
Google Sheets: right-click headings for Insert/Delete/Hide; View → Freeze.
LibreOffice Calc: right-click headings; View → Freeze Cells.
Try it: Which operation?
Choose the operation for each task.
| A column shows ##### instead of a date | |
| Keep the headings in row 1 visible while scrolling to row 300 | |
| Add a new student between rows 6 and 7 | |
| Stop a column of confidential salaries from printing, without losing the data | |
| Remove an empty column C completely |
Related
Related: Excel Skills Tutorial Part 1 (recorded class)
Paper 1 practice (multiple choice)
Choose the best answer for each question. Try them all before you check.
1. A cell displays ##### . The most likely reason is that
(A) the formula is wrong
(B) the column is too narrow
(C) the cell is protected
(D) the data was deleted
2. To keep the column headings visible while scrolling down, you would use
(A) Hide
(B) Freeze Panes
(C) Wrap Text
(D) Merge
3. When a row is inserted above row 5, the old row 5 becomes
(A) row 4
(B) row 5
(C) row 6
(D) it is deleted
4. Hiding a column
(A) deletes its data
(B) removes it from formulas
(C) stops it being displayed, but the data remains
(D) sorts it
5. After deleting a row that a formula refers to, the formula may show
(A) ####
(B) #REF!
(C) #VALUE!
(D) 0
Show answers
1. B
2. B
3. C
4. C
5. B
Paper 2 practice (structured question)
A form teacher keeps a spreadsheet of 35 students. Row 1 has headings (Name, Test 1, Test 2, Average, Parent Phone). When she scrolls down, the headings disappear. A new student has joined, and the Average column shows #####.
(a) State the feature that would keep the headings visible while she scrolls. (2 marks)
(b) Describe how she would insert a row for the new student between rows 10 and 11. (2 marks)
(c) Explain why the Average column shows ##### and how to fix it. (2 marks)
(d) She wants to print the list without the Parent Phone column but keep the data:
(i) name the feature (1 mark)
(ii) state ONE reason it is better than deleting the column (1 mark)
Total: 8 marks
Show answers
(a) Freeze Panes (1) – Freeze Top Row / freeze row 1 (1).
(b) Right-click row number 11 (1) and choose Insert, which adds a blank row above it (1).
(c) The column is too narrow to display the numbers (1); widen it by dragging/double-clicking the column boundary (AutoFit) (1).
(d)
(i) Hide the column (1 mark)
(ii) The data is kept and can be unhidden later/formulas that use it still work (1 mark)
Next: Spreadsheets: Number Formats, Sorting, Filtering and Pivot Tables
Syllabus link: This post is relevant to the CSEC® Information Technology Syllabus (CXC 30/G/SYLL 17), Section 5: Spreadsheets, Specific Objective 6 (“manipulate columns and rows”).
Attributions to media used in this post:
No third-party images are used in this post. Embedded videos are credited on YouTube to their channels.
Updates
2026/10/16
– Lists and algorithms laid out line by line.
© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.