How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non

This happened to me some time ago as well, so when I stumbled across this question I thought I might share my experience.

Approach #1: Deleting rows and columns

As Matt B mentions in his answer, the first thing to try is to delete the columns which are taking up place.

Let us assume that your data uses columns A to T and rows 1 to 20.

First off, select cell U1 and press CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT to mark all cells from T1 to XFD1 (the right-most column Excel can display). Right-click any cell, choose "Delete" and "Entire column". Now you have gotten rid of the columns.

Next, select cell A21 and press CTRL+SHIFT+DOWN to mark all cells from A21 to A1048576 (the highest row number Excel displays). Right-click any cell, choose "Delete" and "Entire row". This will remove the rows.

Now it should work, as you have gotten rid of all excess columns and row.

Approach #2: using VBA

When I encountered this issue, the above solution did not work for me. However, I eventually found a solution that did work.

  1. Right-click the sheet that is causing problems.
  2. Choose "View Code"
  3. Press CTRL+G to open box "Immediate"
  4. Type in ActiveSheet.UsedRange. This will force Excel to "drop" all cells not currently in use, thus freeing up the space you need to create new columns or rows.

I hope this helps you or any other soul out there desperate to create new rows or columns in Excel.

Excel spreadsheets have become larger over time when it comes to entering data. An Excel sheet has 16,384 columns and 1,048,576 rows where you can add data. However, despite this, people still manage to fill the sheet up with enormous amounts of data, so much so that Excel physically can’t add any more cells in the worksheet — upon the addition of new cells the error “Microsoft Excel can’t insert new cells because it would push non-empty cells off the end of the worksheet” will show, inhibiting your ability to add new cells to the sheet.

However that may not always be the case — cells that appear visually empty may still have some bits of data still within; you need to clear the cells of this data before you could add more in. ​​

In this blog, we will be looking at solutions to help users resolve the error “Microsoft Excel can’t insert new cells because it would push non-empty cells off the end of the worksheet” and find possible solutions to help prevent the error from occurring again.

  1. Firstly, open the sheet the sheet that shows this error.
  2. Than ensure there is content in cell A1.
  3. After that click on cell “B1”.
  4. Now click on “CTRL + SHIFT + RIGHT” or “CMD + SHIFT + RIGHT”.
  5. Now select the column “XFD” (last column on the sheet).
  6. Now go to the “Home” tab.
  7. From the “Clear” dropdown, select “Clear Formats”.
  8. Now select the cell “XFD1”.
  9. Now click on “CTRL + SHIFT + LEFT” or “CMD + SHIFT + LEFT”.
  10. Finally, test the fix by inserting a new column.

What this process does is remove all the formatting from cells towards the end which make way for new columns to take their place. This process can be replication for rows; if row 1,048,576 has some content or even formats, you can use the process above however this time to go to cell 1,048,576 — you will need to click on “CTRL + SHIFT + DOWN” or “CMD + SHIFT + DOWN”.

How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
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What is Conditional Formatting, and how does it work?

You may have noticed we stated conditional formatting in cells to be a cause for this particular error to form. You need to remove conditional formatting from cells in order to make them fully empty so Excel sheets will accept a new row or column. In Excel, conditional formatting is a tool that allows you to apply particular formatting to cells that satisfy certain conditions. It’s most commonly used to highlight, emphasise, or distinguish facts and information in a spreadsheet using colour-based formatting.

Users of spreadsheets may accomplish a variety of things with conditional formatting. First and foremost, it highlights critical information such as deadlines, high-risk assignments, and budget items. It may also break up a wall of statistics with a visual organising component, making big data sets more consumable. Finally, conditional formatting may turn your spreadsheet (which was previously simply used to store data) into a reliable “alert” system that emphasises important facts and keeps you on top of your task.

How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non

If-Then Thinking

All conditional formatting rules are based on basic if-then logic: if X requirements are met, Y formatting is applied (commonly expressed as p q, or if p is met, apply q). However, you won’t have to hard-code any logic – You may choose the conditions you want the rules to fulfil using the built-in parameters in Excel and other spreadsheet programmes. Advanced users can utilise the built-in formulae in the software to create logic rules.

Conditions that have been set

Excel includes a large library of pre-programmed rules that cover virtually all of the tasks that novice users would need. In the next part, we’ll go through a few of the more common ones.

Application of multiple conditions

Multiple rules can be applied to a single cell or a group of cells. However, keep in mind rule hierarchy and precedence; throughout the walk-through, we’ll show you how to manage stacked rules.

Overall, conditional formatting is a simple method to keep you and your team informed about your data. For example, highlighting significant dates and deadlines, projects and assignments, financial limitations, and anything else you want to draw attention to visually. Conditional formatting, when used appropriately, will increase your productivity by decreasing time spent manually integrating data and making it simpler to detect trends, allowing you to focus on the major choices.

Step by step process – How to fix Excel error “Microsoft Excel can’t insert new cells because it would push non-empty cells off the end of the worksheet”

How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non

Step by step breakdown

  • Firstly, open the sheet the sheet that shows this error.
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
  • Than ensure there is content in cell A1.
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
  • After that click on cell “B1”.
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
  • Now click on “CTRL + SHIFT + RIGHT” or “CMD + SHIFT + RIGHT”.
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
  • Now select the column “XFD” (last column on the sheet).
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
  • Now go to the “Home” tab.
  • From the “Clear” dropdown, select “Clear Formats”.
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
  • Now select the cell “XFD1”.
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
  • Now click on “CTRL + SHIFT + LEFT” or “CMD + SHIFT + LEFT”.
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non
  • Finally, test the fix by inserting a new column.
How do you fix Microsoft Excel cant insert new cells because it would push non

That’s it for this Blog thank you for taking time out to read our content, please feel free to email our team about how it went if you followed the steps or if you need more help with the questions we answered in this Blog.

Why is Excel not letting me insert cells?

These cells might appear empty but have blank values, some formatting, or a formula. Delete enough rows or columns to make room for what you want to insert and then try again."

How do you fix Excel Cannot shift nonblank cells off worksheet?

If you do not have data in cells that can be shifted off of the worksheet, you can reset which cells Excel considers nonblank. To do this, press CTRL+End to locate the last nonblank cell on the worksheet. Delete this cell and all cells between it and the last row and column of your data then save.

What does can't push objects off the sheet mean in Excel?

The "Cannot shift objects off worksheet" message occurs when you attempt to insert rows or columns in a worksheet, and the option Nothing (hide objects) is selected under the For objects, show section in Excel options. This is a known bug in some versions of Excel.

Why I Cannot insert new row in Excel?

Please check the following methods to confirm if you have tried both to insert rows/columns: Select any cell within the row, then go to Home > Insert > Insert Sheet Rows/Columns. Alternatively, right-click the row/column number, and then select Insert.