How to delete formula in excel

Answer

Deleting a formula in Excel means removing the underlying expression from a cell and replacing it with a static value or clearing the cell entirely. Excel recalculates values automatically, and deleting the formula stops this behavior.

How to delete a formula and keep the result

To delete a formula in Excel and keep the displayed value:

Windows and Mac

1. Select the cell or range that contains the formula.

2. Press Ctrl + C on Windows or Command + C on Mac to copy the cells.

3. Right-click the same selection.

4. Choose Paste Special.

5. Select Values.

6. Confirm with OK.

This action removes the formula and leaves the computed result as text or a numeric value.

How to delete a formula and clear the cell

To delete the formula and remove everything from the cell:

Windows and Mac

1. Select the cell or range containing the formula.

2. Press Delete on the keyboard.

Excel clears the content but leaves the cell formatting unchanged.

How to delete a formula and remove formatting

To delete a formula and reset the cell to default formatting:

Windows and Mac

1. Select the target cells.

2. Open the Home tab.

3. Click Clear in the Editing group.

4. Select Clear All.

This clears the formula, formatting, conditional formatting, comments, and notes.

How to delete formulas from an entire column

To delete formulas in a full column while keeping values:

Windows and Mac

1. Select the column header (for example, C).

2. Copy the column with Ctrl + C on Windows or Command + C on Mac.

3. Right-click the same column.

4. Choose Paste Special.

5. Select Values.

6. Click OK.

The column displays static values instead of formulas.

How to identify cells with formulas before deleting them

Excel identifies formulas automatically, which helps you delete only the cells you need.

Windows and Mac

1. Press Ctrl + G or F5 to open Go To.

2. Click Special.

3. Select Formulas.

4. Click OK.

Excel highlights all cells containing formulas, and you can delete or convert them as needed.

How to remove formulas with Find & Replace

Excel supports finding formulas through search filters.

Windows and Mac

1. Press Ctrl + F.

2. Choose Options.

3. Set Look in: to Formulas.

4. Run the search.

5. Select the found cells.

6. Clear or replace the content using the earlier methods.

How to delete array formulas

Array formulas require a specific clearing approach.

Windows and Mac

1. Select the entire array range.
   Excel displays the full range automatically when you select one cell of a dynamic array.

2. Press Delete to remove the array formula.

Legacy CSE arrays show brackets like {} and must be selected in full without partial edits.

Why would you delete a formula in Excel?

Deleting a formula improves file performance and protects final values. Large workbooks with thousands of formulas recalculate frequently and increase processing time. Static values reduce recalculation load by up to 30–40% in common datasets.

Does deleting a formula affect other cells?

Yes. Deleting a formula breaks dependent references. Cells that reference the deleted formula display errors like #REF!, depending on the source link. Excel updates dependency trees in real time and removes the reference path once the formula is deleted.

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