How to Add a Parent Row in Smartsheet

Updated on:

May 12, 2026

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Use this interactive demo to learn how to create a parent row using the Indent button in Smartsheet.

Quick summary

Adding a parent row in Smartsheet lets you organize tasks into hierarchical groups by using the Indent feature to promote the row above into a parent. This three-step process works directly inside any Smartsheet project grid view without extra configuration.

Steps

Inside your Smartsheet project, find and select a row that you want to become a child row.
Navigate to the top menu bar and click the Indent button to indent the selected row.
The row immediately above the indented row will automatically become a parent row in your Smartsheet project.

📌 Why this matters

Creating parent rows in Smartsheet is essential for building hierarchical task structures that reflect real project organization. By using the Indent feature, teams can instantly group related tasks under a parent row, enabling roll-up summaries, cleaner reporting, and better visibility into project hierarchy. This capability makes Smartsheet a powerful tool for project managers who need to organize complex workloads without manual restructuring. Understanding how to add parent rows helps teams maximize Smartsheet's built-in hierarchy and dependency management features.

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