Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Selecting the First Cell In a Row.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 25, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
If you need to select the first cell in a row from within your macro, you can do it with the Select method, using either of the following:
Cells(ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.Row, 1).Select ActiveCell.EntireRow.Cells(1).Select
Once executed, the selected cell becomes the first cell (in column A) of the current row. If you run this line while a range of cells is selected, then the cell in column A of the first row of the selection is selected.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7602) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Selecting the First Cell In a Row.
Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!
Does your macro need to get some input from a user? Here are the ways that Excel provides for that input to be solicited.
Discover MoreWhen you need to get rid of characters in the middle of a cell value, the best way to do it is through the use of macros. ...
Discover MoreNeed to know how to generate a full month name based on a date? It's easy to do, as discussed in this tip.
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2023-11-26 14:39:13
J. Woolley
The Tip's first sentence should be, "If you need to select the first cell in THE ACTIVE CELL'S row from within your macro...."
Here are two more ways:
ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.End(xlToLeft).Select
ActiveCell.End(xlToLeft).Select
The following should be avoided unless you are certain Selection is a Range object and not a graphic object:
Selection.End(xlToLeft).Select
Window.RangeSelection returns the Window's most recently selected Range object. If the most recently selected range has more than one row and its active cell is NOT in the top row, either
ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.End(xlToLeft).Select
or the Tip's
Cells(ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.Row, 1).Select
will select the first cell in its top row, but either
ActiveCell.End(xlToLeft).Select
or the Tip's
ActiveCell.EntireRow.Cells(1).Select
will select the first cell in the active cell's row.
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Comments