How to swap two rows in Google Sheets

Making tables in Google Sheets is easy and fun. The app is free and powerful, and is among the best online spreadsheet tools out there.

However, you don’t need to use the full power of Google Sheets to swap two rows in a column, especially if they are next to each other. Let’s take a look at several ways to swap a couple of misplaced rows in a Google Sheets table.

Drag and drop

There are several easy ways to change the location of two rows in a Google Sheets table. In this section, we will examine the simplest one: the drag and drop method. Note that this method only works for adjacent rows and that you cannot swap two separate rows this way.

For the purposes of this and the other two sections, we’ll use a vital statistics table for generic fantasy races. Our list includes dwarves, elves, humans, orcs, ogres, and goblins. The initial table looks like this.

Let’s say you’re not happy with the way the playable races are arranged and you want to swap places in the Ogres and Goblin ranks. To do that, you’ll only need your mouse. Let’s see how it’s done.

1. Left click on the number six to the left of the Ogre cell. This way you will select the entire row.
   
2. Left click on it once more and hold down the left mouse button.
   
3. Drag the entire Ogre row down one position. You will see a gray outline of the row as you move it.
   
4. Release the left mouse button once the Ogre row completely covers the Goblin row.
   

Copy and paste

The copy and paste method allows you more flexibility when swapping rows. Instead of just adjacent rows, you can now swap any two rows you want. However, you will not be able to exchange them directly. Instead, you’ll have to copy a row out of the table.

For this section, we will take the table as it was at the end of the previous section. We’ve moved the Goblin row on top of the Ogre row, but let’s say we now want to swap the positions of the Goblin and Elf rows. Here’s how to do this using Google Sheets’ Copy/Paste feature.

1. Left click on the number 3 next to the Elf field.
   
2. Press the Ctrl and C keys on your keyboard together.
   
3. Select a row outside the table. For this example, the tenth row will work fine. Left click on the number 10.
   
4. Press the Ctrl and V keys on your keyboard together. The result should look like this.
   
5. Next, select the Goblin row.
   
6. Press the Ctrl and C buttons on your keyboard together.
   
7. Select the third row, the original row with Elf’s stats.
   
8. Press the Ctrl and V buttons together. This will stick Goblin in the third row.
   
9. Now, select row 10 and then press the Ctrl and X buttons together.
   
10. Select row 6 and then press Ctrl and V. The final result should look like this.
    

There is another way to use the Copy/Paste method. In this case, we will use the same starting point as in the first Copy/Paste method. Follow these steps.

1. Right click on the third row, the Elf row.
2. Select the Copy option from the drop-down menu.
   
3. Right click on the tenth row.
4. Select the paste option.
   
5. Right click on the sixth row, the Goblin row.
6. Select the Copy option.
   
7. Right click on the third row, the Elf row.
8. Select the Paste option.
   
9. Right-click on the tenth row, then select the Cut option from the list.
   
10. Finally, right-click on the sixth row, then choose Paste.
    

The table should look exactly the same as in the last image.

Electric tools

Finally, Google Sheets allows you to swap table rows through Power Tools. Please note that the Power Tools option is not available and you will need to add it to Google Sheets. Go here and click on the Free button to get the Power Tools extension.

You will be asked to select which of your Google accounts you want to add the extension to. Select the one you are using to create and edit your sheets and tables. Then, select the components of your Google account you want to add it to. Be sure to check out Google Sheets.

Once the installation is complete, we are ready to explore row sharing with Power Tools. Please note that this tool is recommended for users who need to sort and arrange a large number of tables on a regular basis. However, here’s how to swap two rows in Google Sheets using Power Tools. In this example, we will try to swap the Elf and Dwarf rows.

1. Select the Dwarf row.
   
2. Keep pressing and select the Elf row. The table should look like this.
   
3. Click the Plugins tab in the menu bar above the table.
   
4. Click on the Power Tools option in the drop-down menu.
   
5. Click the Start button in the adjacent drop-down menu.
   
6. Click on the three small dots in the menu bar.
   
7. Select the Flip icon, the one on the right.
   
8. Select the “Flip entire rows” option from the drop-down menu.
   

Note: If you try to swap two rows that are not adjacent, Power Tools may not work. To swap separate rows, it’s best to rely on the old copy and paste method.

Put each row where it belongs

Swapping the places of two misplaced rows in a Google Sheets table is a piece of cake. With the methods described in this article, you will sort your tables in a minute.

Do you use drag-and-drop copy and paste, or rely on power tools? Are there other ways to swap rows that we haven’t covered? Let us know in the comments below.