How do you add collapsible rows in google sheets?

Grouping data in Google Sheets allows you to organize your spreadsheet better which can make your data much easier to read.

You can group together rows and columns so that they expand or collapse together when clicked on.

This means you can easily condense or expand data to navigate through a spreadsheet easier.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to group rows and columns in Google Sheets

Table of Contents

• 1 How to Group Rows
• 2 How to Group Columns
• 3 Keyboard Shortcut to Group Rows or Columns
• 4 Expanding and Collapsing Groups
• 5 Creating Multiple Layers of Grouped Rows and Columns
• 6 Closing Thoughts

Grouping is a relatively simple process. To group rows in Google Sheets:

1. Highlight the rows that you want to group together. Make sure the entire row is highlighted and not just specific cells

2. Right-click with your mouse and select Group rows the numbers that are showing should correspond to the rows that you highlighted in step 1

3. You have now just grouped rows. If you have additional rows to group together you can repeat the steps. You should be seeing a line with a button and minus sign next to the rows like in the below image

How to Group Columns

The process for grouping columns together in your spreadsheet is the same.

You will highlight the columns that you want to group together, and then right-click and select the Group columns options

After your columns are grouped together you should be seeing this line across the grouped columns with a button containing a minus sign.

Keyboard Shortcut to Group Rows or Columns

There is also a keyboard shortcut to group rows and columns together. If you have multiple groups that you need to create, using the keyboard shortcut can save you a lot of time.

To use the keyboard shortcut, first highlight the rows or columns on your sheet that you want to group, and then on your keyboard press:

ALT + SHIFT + RIGHT ARROW KEY

To ungroup, the keyboard shortcut is:

ALT + SHIFT + LEFT ARROW KEY

Expanding and Collapsing Groups

To collapse a group, you will need to select the small button with the minus sign next to the group:

To expand a group, you will click on the button with the plus symbol next to the group:

Creating Multiple Layers of Grouped Rows and Columns

You can also create multiple layers of grouped rows or columns by adding another group level.

The process is the same:

1. Highlight all of the rows or columns that you want to add a second layer of grouping for

2. Right-click and select the option to group (or use the keyboard shortcut I covered earlier)

3. You should now see another layer of grouping in your spreadsheet

4. If you collapse or expand the second grouping layer the entire range of data will be hidden or expanded. This can make it easier to navigate and use your spreadsheet

Closing Thoughts

Grouping is a great feature that makes it much easier to stay organized in your spreadsheet. If you have a large dataset and begin creating groups or even multiple layers of groups, your spreadsheet can become very user-friendly.

The best way to really learn this is to try it on your own in your own sheet. Try creating groups and test out expanding and collapsing. It is very simple to learn once you do it a couple of times.

More Google Sheets Tutorials:
How to Combine Two Cells in One
How to Change Row Height
How to Add Line Breaks in a Cell