How to delete cells in excel

Answer

To delete cells in Excel, perform the removal through the Delete command on the Home tab. The action shifts the surrounding cells to maintain the sheet’s structure. Windows and Mac support the same feature through different keyboard placements.

Windows Steps

1. Select the cells that you want to delete.

2. Go to the Home tab.

3. Click Delete in the Cells group.

4. Choose Delete Cells….

5. Pick one option:

   • Shift cells left

   • Shift cells up

6. Confirm with OK.

Mac Steps

1. Select the cells that you want to delete.

2. Go to the Home tab.

3. Click Delete in the Cells group.

4. Pick Delete Cells….

5. Select one option:

   • Shift cells left

   • Shift cells up

6. Confirm with OK.

How to Delete Entire Rows or Columns

To delete full rows or columns, use the structural delete commands on each system.

Windows Steps

1. Select the entire row or column.

2. Right-click the selection.

3. Choose Delete.

4. The worksheet adjusts automatically.

Mac Steps

1. Select the entire row or column.

2. Right-click the selection.

3. Choose Delete.

4. The worksheet adjusts automatically.

How to Delete Cell Content Without Removing the Cell

To clear content only, remove the data while keeping formatting and cell structure intact.

Steps for Both Windows and Mac

1. Select the cells containing the content that you want to erase.

2. Press Delete on the keyboard.

3. The grid remains unchanged.

How to Use the Clear Command

To remove content, formats, comments, or hyperlinks, use the Clear tool.

Steps

1. Select the cells that require clearing.

2. Go to the Home tab.

3. Open Clear in the Editing group.

4. Choose one option:

   • Clear All

   • Clear Contents

   • Clear Formats

   • Clear Comments and Notes

   • Clear Hyperlinks

How to Delete Cells With a Keyboard Shortcut

To use a shortcut, trigger the delete dialog through the system combination.

Windows Shortcut

1. Press Ctrl + –.

2. Select the shift direction.

3. Confirm.

Mac Shortcut

1. Press Command + –.

2. Select the shift direction.

3. Confirm.

How to Avoid Data Loss When Deleting Cells

To prevent losing important information, confirm the shift option before executing the delete command. The shift direction determines how the worksheet rewrites surrounding values. A left shift reorganizes values horizontally. An upward shift reorganizes values vertically. A full row delete removes 100% of values in that row. A full column delete removes 100% of values in that column.

How to Restore Mistaken Cell Deletions

To reverse a deletion, use the undo function.

1. Press Ctrl + Z on Windows or Command + Z on Mac.

2. The sheet returns to the previous state.

How Excel Handles Structure After Deleting Cells

Excel rewrites the grid by compressing data around the removed position. A left shift compacts the row. An upward shift compacts the column. A row delete compacts the entire worksheet vertically. A column delete compacts the worksheet horizontally. The interface maintains cell references, although formulas referencing deleted cells return a #REF! error.

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