How To Group Rows In Google Sheets

Grouping rows in Google Sheets allows you to organize and summarize related data. Row groups can then be expanded and collapsed with a single click to show or hide the data in that group.

This is useful when you want to keep detailed information in the spreadsheet for reference, but want the option to view a more concise, summarized dataset.

Grouped Rows Expanded

Grouped Rows Collapsed

Notice in the screenshots above how much space is saved with the row groups hidden.

You can also achieve a similar result by hiding the rows instead of grouping them, but hiding rows is less versatile as you have to select the exact rows you want to hide each time.

In contrast to hidden rows, grouped rows remain grouped even when the group is expanded, which makes it easy to show and hide these rows quickly without having to select specific rows each time.

Group Rows in Google Sheets

To group rows in Google Sheets, follow these steps:

1. Select the rows you want to group. Note that the grouped rows must be adjacent
2. Open the Data menu
3. Scroll down to the Group Rows option and click on it. This option is at the bottom of the menu

1. The rows you selected are now grouped

Expanding & Collapsing Row Groups

When you group rows in Google Sheets, you’ll see a small minus sign [-] appear to the left of the row numbers:

Click on minus to collapse the group. Then click on the plus sign that takes its place to expand again

You can also expand and collapse row groups using hotkeys. Do do this, select a range of rows that includes the group or groups you wish to expand or collapse and use the following keyboard shortcuts:

Windows

Expand: Alt + Shift + Down Arrow

Collapse: Alt + Shift + Up Arrow

Mac:

Expand: Option + Shift + Down Arrow

Collapse: Option + Shift + Up Arrow

Ungrouping Rows

It’s also easy to remove row groups you no longer need, but remember that you can always expand the group to view the grouped rows without removing the group.

Removing row groups is much the same as adding them:

1. Select the rows in the group you want to remove. This can be done easily by collapsing and then expanding the group, which automatically selects all rows in the group
2. Open the Data menu
3. Scroll down to the Ungroup Rows option and click on it
4. Your rows are now ungrouped

Summary

Example Spreadsheet: Make a copy of the example spreadsheet

In this tutorial, I covered how to group rows in Google Sheets. Want more? Check out all the Google Sheets Tutorials.