ROW Function in Excel: Row Number of a Cell

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LookupLevel: BeginnerAvailable in: Excel 2007+

In this article

1. Syntax
2. Examples
3. Example 1
4. Example 2
5. ROW in practice
6. Where you will use it
7. Worked example
8. Mistakes people make
9. Related functions
10. Continue learning

ROW returns the row number of a reference (or of the cell it is in). It is the quiet engine behind serial numbers and many array tricks.

Syntax

=ROW([reference])

Argument	What it means
reference	Optional cell; omitted = the formula’s own row.

Examples

Example 1

=ROW()-1

Serial numbers that stay correct when rows are sorted or deleted (header in row 1).

Example 2

=MOD(ROW(),2)=0

Conditional-formatting rule for banded rows.

ROW in practice

Where you will use it

• Automatic serial numbers
• Alternate row shading with ISEVEN(ROW())
• Position calculations in lookups

Worked example

Cell reference	Formula	Result
A1	=ROW(INDIRECT(A2))	1
B10	=ROW(INDIRECT(A3))	10
C1048576	=ROW(INDIRECT(A4))	1048576

Results calculated in Excel.

Mistakes people make

Mistake	What to do instead
Serial numbers that start wrong	Use ROW()-1 when data starts on row 2
Insert rows above the table	Use ROW()-ROW($A$1) for stability

Related functions

ROWS · COLUMN · SEQUENCE

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📎 Practice files for this article

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  Practice workbook: Lookup & reference17 tasks on realistic sales data — type your formula, the Check column turns green when it is right. Answers sheet included.
  ⬇ XLSX · 35 KB

Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.