Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Moving Rows and Columns with the Mouse.

Moving Rows and Columns with the Mouse

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated August 29, 2020)

As long as you have the Allow Text to be Dragged and Dropped option turned on (in the Word Options dialog box, click on Advanced and then look in the Editing Options section), Word allows you to use the mouse for many routine editing tasks. One such task involves moving rows or columns within a table.

To move a row or column using the mouse, follow these steps:

Select the entire row or column that you want to move.
Click on the highlighted row or column and hold down the mouse button. Shortly the pointer should change to a "ghost" insertion point with a small box next to the pointer arrow.
Drag the row or column to the place where you want it to be. You should position the insertion point in the row or column before which your moved row or column will appear.
Release the mouse button. The row or column is moved.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9655) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Moving Rows and Columns with the Mouse.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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