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: How Many Rows and Columns Have I Selected?.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 26, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
As I am typing along in Excel, I find it a bother to take my hands off the keyboard and fumble for the mouse. Thus, I will often use the keyboard to make selections. I simply hold down the Shift key and use the arrow keys to expand my selection. As I do so, Excel obliges me by reporting, in the Name box, the number of rows and columns I have selected.
The problem is, once I let go of the Shift key, the contents of the Name box return to normal, and I can no longer tell how many rows and columns I selected. To solve this, I find it very easy to again hold down the Shift key and press one of the arrow keys. This expands the selected range and again reports the selection size in the Name box. If I immediately press the opposite arrow key (while still holding down the Shift key), the selection returns to my original size and I can see the size of that selection in the Name box.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8849) 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: How Many Rows and Columns Have I Selected?.
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 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!
Do you need to concatenate the contents of a range of cells in the same column? Here's a formula and a handy macro to ...
Discover MoreIf you distribute a workbook that is used by others for data entry, you may want a way to make sure they fill in certain ...
Discover MoreWhen you filter rows in your data, you may want to later number those rows. This tip provides a variety of ways you can ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2024-10-29 10:01:31
J. Woolley
@Mechie
And if you use the mouse to select a bunch of cells and press Shift before releasing the mouse button, the Name box does NOT return to normal after the mouse button is released even if Shift is subsequently released.
2024-10-28 14:55:41
Mechie
Just discovered something.
If I use the mouse drag method to select a bunch of cells, it will show the number of rows and columns as long as the mouse button is held down. Once you release it, the Name box returns to showing just the active cell address.
However, if I use the Shift and Arrow keys to select a range, then the Name box does retain the number of rows and columns after releasing the shift button. Also works if I expand a range using Shift and Arrow keys that was previously selected using just the mouse.
Interesting. Never paid attention to this before so can't say if it is a change or not. And would like to hear Microsoft's reasoning for having the two different selection methods respond differently. Almost have to wonder if this is by design, or just chance.
2024-10-26 11:01:26
Allen
Huh. You are correct, James. I just checked on my latest 365, and it doesn't go away. This must be a very recent change, as it didn't work that way previously.
-Allen
2024-10-26 10:51:46
J. Woolley
I'm using Excel 365. When I "let go of the Shift key" as described in the Tip's second paragraph, the contents of the Name box does NOT return to normal; I can still see how many rows and columns I selected. I wonder which version of Excel modified the behavior described in the Tip.
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