How to Group Rows in Excel - Practical Guide

Learn to group rows in Excel to collapse and expand data sections, improving readability and navigation. This feature automatically creates outline levels, letting you focus on summary data or drill down into details with a single click.

Why This Matters

Row grouping enhances data organization and makes large spreadsheets manageable, enabling quick navigation between summary and detail levels without deleting data.

Prerequisites

•Basic Excel knowledge and an open workbook
•Data organized in a hierarchical or logical structure

Step-by-Step Instructions

Select rows to group

Click on the first row number, then hold Ctrl and click additional row numbers, or drag to select consecutive rows you want to group together.

Open Data menu

Go to the menu bar and click Data (Excel 2016+) or Data tab in the ribbon.

Access Group option

In the Data menu, locate and click Group > Group Rows, or simply click the Group button in the Outline section.

Confirm grouping

Excel creates outline controls; a minus (-) button appears to collapse the grouped rows and a plus (+) button to expand them.

Test collapse/expand

Click the minus (-) symbol to collapse grouped rows and the plus (+) to expand them, verifying the grouping works as intended.

Alternative Methods

Using keyboard shortcut

Select rows and press Alt + Shift + Right Arrow to group and Alt + Shift + Left Arrow to ungroup, faster for frequent grouping tasks.

Subtotal feature

Use Data > Subtotals to automatically group data by a column and insert summary calculations, ideal for financial or categorical data.

Tips & Tricks

✓Organize data logically before grouping so outline levels align with your analysis needs.
✓Use multiple grouping levels for complex hierarchies; Excel supports up to 8 nesting levels.
✓Group summary rows above detail rows for cleaner collapse/expand behavior.

Pro Tips

★Combine grouping with subtotals to create an interactive summary report with automatic calculations.
★Use the outline level buttons (1, 2, 3...) on the left to jump between summary and detail views instantly.
★Preserve grouped layout by saving as .xlsx; grouping structure persists when reopening the file.

Troubleshooting

Group option is grayed out

Ensure you've selected complete rows (by clicking row numbers, not individual cells). If using a filtered view, remove filters first and regroup.

Cannot ungroup rows

Select the grouped rows and go to Data > Ungroup. If ungroup is unavailable, verify the rows were previously grouped using the outline controls.

Grouping disappears after save

Save the file as .xlsx or .xlsm format, not .csv or .txt, which don't support grouping structure.

Related Excel Formulas

SUBTOTAL SUM

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I group rows and columns at the same time?

Yes, Excel allows both row and column grouping simultaneously. Group rows first, then select columns and use Data > Group > Group Columns to create a two-dimensional outline structure.

What's the difference between grouping and hiding rows?

Grouping creates interactive outline controls with collapse/expand buttons, while hiding simply conceals rows without structure. Grouping is better for organized navigation; hiding is for temporary viewing.

How do I remove all grouping at once?

Select all rows (Ctrl+A), go to Data > Ungroup > Clear Outline. This removes all grouping levels and outline controls from the sheet.

Can grouping be used with PivotTables?

PivotTables have built-in grouping via fields, separate from row grouping. Manual row grouping can complement PivotTables for additional detail organization.