Drag and drop · original practice scenario
Insert a copy of selected rows by dragging
Rows 4:5 hold two reusable checklist items; row 9 already holds another item.
Start here: Windows worksheet; complete rows selected by their row headers
Wait for the insertion line before dropping. Try this on a disposable workbook first.
Follow these instructions in your own desktop Excel workbook. This page explains the operation; it does not send commands to Excel.
Windows keys and context
The documented copy-and-insert gesture combines Ctrl and Shift. A Mac combination is not supplied by this review.
Ctrl+Shift+Drag
Move or copy cells using a mouse / Copy and insert. Microsoft reference ↗
Walk through the operation
- Select complete rows 4:5.
- Hold Ctrl and Shift while dragging their border to the insertion line above row 9.
- Release the mouse before releasing the keys.
Instruction 1 of 3: Select complete rows 4:5.
Expected result: Copies are inserted above the old row 9; the original rows remain.
Recall the keys
Which listed Windows combination or sequence starts this operation in the context above?
Related walkthroughs
- Copy a cell range by dragging its border
- Duplicate a worksheet by dragging its tab
- Move a selected block to another worksheet
Catalog updated 2026-10-18. US keyboard notation: + joins held keys; commas separate successive presses. Function keys may require Fn. Desktop instructions are separate from this browser's own keyboard shortcuts.