Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Moving Rows and Columns with the Mouse.

Moving Rows and Columns with the Mouse

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 12, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

As long as you have Drag-and-Drop Text Editing turned on (in the Edit tab of the Options dialog box), Word allows you to use the mouse for many routine editing tasks. One such task involves moving rows or columns within a table.

To move a row or column using the mouse, follow these steps:

Select the entire row or column that you want to move.
Click on the highlighted row or column, and hold down the mouse button. Shortly the pointer should change to a "ghost" insertion point with a small box next to the pointer arrow.
Drag the row or column to the place where you want it to be. You should position the insertion point in the row or column before which your moved row or column will appear.
Release the mouse button. The row or column is moved.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1199) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Moving Rows and Columns with the Mouse.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Modifying Behavior of the Open Dialog Box

The Open dialog box is one that few of us think about, but you can control how it behaves with a little bit of macro ...

Discover More

Missing Header and Footer Toolbar

When you need to make changes to the header or footer of a document, the Header and Footer toolbar is invaluable. What if ...

Discover More

Shrinking Cell Contents

Need to cram a bunch of text all on a single line in a cell? You can do it with one of the lesser-known settings in Excel.

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!

More WordTips (menu)

AutoFitting Tables

Need to adjust the width of a bunch of table columns according to what is in the columns? Word provides a tool to do ...

Discover More

Putting Tables within Margins

When you first insert a table in your document, it extends from margin to margin. Later, after a bunch of editing and ...

Discover More

Splitting Table Cells

When formatting tables, you can both merge and split cells. Here's a couple of ways you can easily perform the latter ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 2 + 8?

2017-01-25 13:45:37

Sonia

im studying 2016 word

2016-06-27 06:33:26

GeordieLad

I have a problem with column movement - or rather the vertical lines between columns. When I hover, click and move the column lines with a mouse, the movement is much coarser than I'd like. What determines the amount by which the column line moves: is it a Word function or a mouse function? My mouse is a USB optical device with resolution 800dpi. Changing to a different mouse type does not show any difference.

Any views on the subject will be appreciated.

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.