ROW Function in Excel: Explained

In this article, you will learn how to use the ROW formula in Excel. The ROW function simply returns the row number of a particular cell.

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What does the ROW formula in Excel do?

The "ROW" function in Excel is useful for returning the row number of a specified cell or range of cells. It can be used in various ways, some of which are:

1. Finding the row number: The ROW formula can be used to find the row number of a cell reference. For instance, =ROW(B8) will return the number 8, as the cell B8 is in the eighth row.
2. Conditional formatting: The ROW function can be used in conditional formatting to apply formatting based on the row number. For example, to apply a different background color to every other row, use the formula =MOD(ROW(),2)=0 in the conditional formatting rule.
3. Creating dynamic labels: The ROW function can be used in conjunction with the CONCATENATE function to create dynamic labels. For example, =CONCATENATE("Item ",ROW()) will return "Item 1" in the first row containing the formula, and this formula can be dragged down rows to create labels for each item.

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How to use the ROW function in Excel?

The syntax for the ROW function in Excel is as follows:

=ROW([reference])

Reference: is the cell for which you want to find the Row number

Note 1: The argument "reference" is optional, and it specifies the cell or range of cells for which you want to return the row number. If you don't specify a reference, Excel will assume that you want to return the row number for the cell in which the formula is located.

Note 2: If you enter an array as the “reference” parameter, the ROW function returns the row numbers of the array as a vertical array. So, make sure you have enough vertical spaces for the returned values.

Note 3: The “reference” argument can’t be multiple fields

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Some examples where ROW formula has been used are as follows

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You can learn about other Excel and Google Sheets formulas and tips that are not mentioned here on this page: LiveFlow‘s How to Guides