How to automatically fill increment cells in Excel?
In our daily work with Excel, automatically populating cells with incrementing numbers is a common requirement. For example, you might want to quickly fill a column with a sequence like1,2,3, and so on, for tracking IDs, transaction numbers, or ordered data. However, there are many situations where you need the numbers to increase by a fixed interval other than1, such as generating invoice numbers like10001,10012,10023, etc. Manually entering each value is not only time-consuming but also increases the risk of errors. Therefore, mastering the methods to automatically fill incremented sequences — whether by a simple step or a custom interval — can greatly improve your efficiency and accuracy. This tutorial explains several practical solutions, applicable to different needs and skill levels in Excel, to help you conveniently generate incrementing numbers as required.
Automatically fill increment cells with Autofill function
Automatically fill increment cells with formula
Automatically fill increment cells with Kutools for Excel 
Automatically fill increment cells with VBA code
Automatically fill increment cells with Autofill function
Excel's Autofill feature provides a fast and intuitive way to create basic sequences of incrementing values in your worksheet. This approach is especially efficient for simple patterns or when you want a quick visual solution without using formulas.
Applicable scenario: Use this method when you need to fill a series of numbers with either a constant step (like 1,2,3...) or a custom interval (such as 10001,10013,10025...), and the sequence is simple enough to define by just giving the starting numbers.
1. Click the cell where you want your sequence to begin. For example, type the starting number (such as 10001) into cell A1. See screenshot:
2. In the next cell down (e.g., A2), enter the next number as you want your interval to increase by. For instance, if you want each number to increase by11, type 10012 in cell A2. (Check this value carefully — it determines the step size for your entire series.)
3. Highlight or select both starting cells (A1 and A2). Then, move your cursor to the fill handle (the small square at the bottom-right corner of the selection). Click and drag the fill handle down the column to extend the sequence as far as needed. The cells will automatically fill following the defined increment pattern. See screenshots:
Limitations: May require re-entry if your interval changes, and it is not dynamic: changing the first value after filling down will not update the rest automatically.
Automatically fill increment cells with formula
In addition to the Autofill, you can use Excel formulas for more control and flexibility when generating incrementing sequences. This method is well suited for cases where you want the series to automatically update if the starting value changes, or if you want to copy the formula to adjust sequences elsewhere.
Applicable scenario: Use formulas for dynamic incrementing sequences, especially when the starting value or interval might need to change, or for longer lists where automation and consistency are important.
1. First, in your starting cell (for example, A1), enter your initial value. For instance, type 10001 in cell A1. Then, click on the cell immediately below (A2) and enter the following formula, using your desired step (here, the interval is 11):
=A1+11Where A1 refers to your starting cell, and 11 is the increment value. Adjust the step as needed for your sequence.
2. Press Enter to calculate the value. Then, click on cell A2 to select it, and drag the fill handle (small square at the bottom right) down to extend the formula as far as you need. This will automatically generate incrementing values with your specified interval in all selected cells.
Automatically fill increment cells with Kutools for Excel
Kutools for Excel offers the Insert Sequence Number feature for efficiently generating incrementing numbers across cells. This approach is highly recommended if you often need advanced numbering options, such as custom prefixes, suffixes, fixed digit formats, or resetting sequences. Kutools helps automate these actions without requiring complex formulas or repetitive manual input.
After free installing Kutools for Excel, please do as below:
1. Select the range in your worksheet where you want to fill incrementing numbers. Then navigate to the Kutools tab on the Excel ribbon, choose Insert, and then select Insert Sequence Number. See screenshot:
2. In the Insert Sequence Number dialog that pops up, click New to create a new sequence. See screenshot:
3. Complete the following settings in the expanded dialog:
1) Enter a name for your new sequence (useful for reusing or identifying it later);
2) Specify the Start number, which is the first value of your sequence;
3) Enter your desired interval in the Increment box (e.g., enter 11 for a step size of 11);
4) Define the number of digits for display in the No. of digits field. For example, entering "5" will pad the numbers with leading zeroes to make 10001 appear as 10001, and 15 appear as 00015.
5) You can also specify optional Prefix or Suffix, which will appear before or after each number (for example, 'ID-' or '-A').
4. After configuring your sequence, click Add to save it to the dialog, and then click Fill Range to automatically populate the selected cells based on these settings. See screenshot:
The range you selected will now be filled with incrementing numbers formatted exactly as specified, including any custom prefix or suffix.
Note:
1. To restart an incremental sequence and fill from the start number again, return to the Insert Sequence Number dialog, select your sequence from the list, and use the Reset option. Click Ok to confirm.
2. If you wish to stop the sequence at a particular number and restart from the beginning, check the End number box in the dialog and enter your desired final value. You can preview the effect before committing, ensuring that numbering meets your requirements.
Advantages: Highly versatile for generating professional-looking serial numbers or codes, especially where there are specific formatting or restart requirements. Great for batch operations and reducing human error.
Tip: Save commonly used sequence configurations for future reuse to save even more time.
Automatically fill increment cells with VBA code
When you need to automate incrementing numbers in more complex scenarios, or perform the action frequently, you might consider using VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). This approach is flexible and can generate custom incrementing series quickly, especially for large datasets or specific custom patterns.
1. Press Alt + F11 to open the Visual Basic for Applications editor. In the editor, click Insert > Module to create a new module. Then copy and paste the following VBA code into the module window:
Sub FillIncrementCells()
Dim rng As Range
Dim startVal As Long
Dim stepVal As Long
Dim i As Long
On Error Resume Next
xTitleId = "KutoolsforExcel"
Set rng = Application.Selection
Set rng = Application.InputBox("Select range to fill incrementing values:", xTitleId, rng.Address, Type:=8)
startVal = Application.InputBox("Enter the starting number:", xTitleId, "", Type:=1)
stepVal = Application.InputBox("Enter the increment step:", xTitleId, "", Type:=1)
If rng Is Nothing Then Exit Sub
For i = 1 To rng.Count
rng.Cells(i).Value = startVal + (i - 1) * stepVal
Next i
End Sub2. Then, press F5 key to run this code. In the prompt boxes, enter the starting number and the interval one after the other. The selected cells will be filled with the incrementing sequence as specified.
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