Excel Row and Column Operations

Manage Excel row and column operations with AI‑powered automation. Insert, delete, resize, hide/unhide Excel rows and columns for perfect spreadsheet layout management.

Available Tools

row_column_operations – Excel row/column operations (insert, delete, resize, hide/unhide) with AI Excel
row_column_operations_batch – Perform multiple Excel row/column operations in batch using Excel MCP

Single Operations

Insert Rows

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "reports/layout-test.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Data",
    "operation": "insert_rows",
    "rows": "5",
    "count": 2
  }
}

Delete Columns

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "reports/cleanup.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Sheet1",
    "operation": "delete_columns",
    "columns": "C:D"
  }
}

Set Row Height

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "reports/formatted.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Report",
    "operation": "set_row_height",
    "rows": "1",
    "height": 30
  }
}

Set Column Width

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "reports/formatted.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Report",
    "operation": "set_column_width",
    "columns": "A:F",
    "width": 15
  }
}

Batch Operations

Comprehensive Layout Setup

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations_batch",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "reports/professional-layout.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Summary Report",
    "operations": [
      {
        "operation": "set_row_height",
        "rows": "3",
        "height": 30
      },
      {
        "operation": "set_row_height",
        "rows": "4:6",
        "height": 20
      },
      {
        "operation": "set_column_width",
        "columns": "C",
        "width": 20
      },
      {
        "operation": "set_column_width",
        "columns": "D:G",
        "width": 15
      },
      {
        "operation": "auto_fit_rows",
        "rows": "7:10"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Insert and Delete Operations

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations_batch",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "reports/restructure.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Sheet1",
    "operations": [
      {
        "operation": "insert_rows",
        "rows": "5",
        "count": 2
      },
      {
        "operation": "insert_columns",
        "columns": "D",
        "count": 1
      },
      {
        "operation": "delete_rows",
        "rows": "8:9"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Hide and Unhide Operations

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations_batch",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "reports/visibility.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Sheet1",
    "operations": [
      {
        "operation": "hide_rows",
        "rows": "15:16"
      },
      {
        "operation": "hide_columns",
        "columns": "H:I"
      },
      {
        "operation": "unhide_rows",
        "rows": "15"
      },
      {
        "operation": "unhide_columns",
        "columns": "H"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Auto‑Fit Operations

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations_batch",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "reports/auto-sized.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Data",
    "operations": [
      {
        "operation": "auto_fit_columns",
        "columns": "A:F"
      },
      {
        "operation": "auto_fit_rows",
        "rows": "1:20"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Operation Types Reference

Insert Operations

insert_rows – Insert new rows at the specified position
insert_columns – Insert new columns at the specified position

Delete Operations

delete_rows – Delete specified rows
delete_columns – Delete specified columns

Resize Operations

set_row_height – Set a specific row height in points
set_column_width – Set a specific column width in characters
auto_fit_rows – Auto‑fit rows to content height
auto_fit_columns – Auto‑fit columns to content width

Visibility Operations

hide_rows – Hide specified rows
unhide_rows – Show hidden rows
hide_columns – Hide specified columns
unhide_columns – Show hidden columns

Range Specifications

Row Ranges

"1" – Single row (row 1)
"1:3" – Range of rows (rows 1 to 3)
"5:10" – Multiple consecutive rows

Column Ranges

"A" – Single column (column A)
"A:C" – Range of columns (columns A to C)
"D:F" – Multiple consecutive columns

Advanced Examples

Report Header Setup

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations_batch",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "reports/header-setup.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Report",
    "operations": [
      {
        "operation": "set_row_height",
        "rows": "1:2",
        "height": 35
      },
      {
        "operation": "set_column_width",
        "columns": "A",
        "width": 25
      },
      {
        "operation": "set_column_width",
        "columns": "B:E",
        "width": 12
      },
      {
        "operation": "set_column_width",
        "columns": "F",
        "width": 18
      }
    ]
  }
}

Data Table Layout

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations_batch",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "reports/data-table.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Data",
    "operations": [
      {
        "operation": "insert_rows",
        "rows": "1",
        "count": 1
      },
      {
        "operation": "set_row_height",
        "rows": "1",
        "height": 25
      },
      {
        "operation": "auto_fit_columns",
        "columns": "A:J"
      },
      {
        "operation": "set_row_height",
        "rows": "2:100",
        "height": 18
      }
    ]
  }
}

Presentation Layout

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations_batch",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "reports/presentation.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Summary",
    "operations": [
      {
        "operation": "hide_columns",
        "columns": "B:C"
      },
      {
        "operation": "hide_rows",
        "rows": "10:15"
      },
      {
        "operation": "set_column_width",
        "columns": "A",
        "width": 30
      },
      {
        "operation": "set_column_width",
        "columns": "D:G",
        "width": 15
      }
    ]
  }
}

Measurement Guidelines

Row Heights (Points)

15 – Default row height
20 – Slightly taller for readability
25 – Good for headers
30 – Large headers
40 – Extra large for titles

Column Widths (Characters)

8 – Narrow columns (dates, codes)
12 – Standard data columns
15 – Medium text columns
20 – Wide text columns
25 – Extra wide for descriptions
30 – Very wide for long text

Best Practices

Header Sizing – Make headers taller and wider for emphasis
Data Consistency – Use consistent row heights for data rows
Auto‑Fit – Use auto‑fit for dynamic content sizing
Hide Unused – Hide empty rows/columns for a cleaner appearance
Logical Grouping – Group related resize operations in batches

Common Patterns

Report Setup Pattern

Insert title rows at the top
Set header row height
Auto‑fit data columns
Set standard data row height
Hide unused areas

Data Import Pattern

Insert rows for new data
Auto‑fit columns to content
Standardize row heights
Hide calculation columns

Presentation Pattern

Hide detail rows/columns
Enlarge summary areas
Set presentation‑friendly dimensions
Show only relevant data

Error Handling

Invalid Row Range

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "test.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Sheet1",
    "operation": "set_row_height",
    "rows": "0",
    "height": 20
  }
}

Result: Error – row numbers start from 1

Invalid Column Range

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "test.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Sheet1",
    "operation": "set_column_width",
    "columns": "ZZ",
    "width": 10
  }
}

Result: May succeed but is beyond typical usage

Missing Required Parameters

{
  "tool": "row_column_operations",
  "parameters": {
    "filepath": "test.xlsx",
    "sheet_name": "Sheet1",
    "operation": "set_row_height",
    "rows": "1"
  }
}

Result: Error – height parameter required

Excel Cell Formatting Excel Cell Operations