Deleting rows is one of the most common tasks a user will undertake in Excel which therefore means you need to learn how to master this. You may need to delete rows because it contains old data and is no longer needed. Another reason could be because you may have combined different datasets together and want to delete duplicate rows. This post will teach you how to delete rows in Excel by using three simple methods. These are by using the:
- Excel ribbon
- Mouse
- Keyboard shortcut
Before I dive straight in and show you the three different ways of how to delete rows in Excel, it is important to understand the rule of how Excel deletes rows. The rule is:
- When you delete a row, all the cells below the deleted row shifts up one row
1. How to Delete Rows in Excel using the Ribbon
To learn how to delete a row in Excel using the ribbon, then follow these steps.
- Select the entire row where you want to delete a row by clicking on the row header number. In this example, I want to delete row 5 so I select the row header 5.
- Go to the Home tab and under the Cells group click on Delete. You can also select the arrow next to the Delete button and select Delete Sheet Rows from the menu.
- Row 5 has been deleted. Consequently, the cells below the deleted row have shifted up one row.
2. Deleting Rows in Excel using the Mouse
To delete a row using the mouse, then follow these steps.
- Select the entire row where you want to delete a row by clicking on the row header number. In this example, I want to delete row 5 so I select the row header 5.
- Right-click your mouse and select Delete from the shortcut menu.
- Row 5 has been deleted and therefore all the contents below have shifted up one row.
3. Using a Keyboard Shortcut
To delete a row using keyboard shortcut keys then select the entire row by clicking on the row header number. Then press Ctrl + Shift + the minus sign (-).
How to Delete Multiple Rows in Excel
If you want to delete multiple rows, then simply select the row header numbers first and choose one of the three methods mentioned above. For example, I want to delete four rows from row 4 so I select row headers 4 to 7.
Rows 4 to 7 have been deleted. Notice that the rows below have now shifted up by four rows because four rows were deleted.
I hope you enjoyed this post on how to delete rows in Excel. Moreover, I hope you have learnt something new. If you have any questions or feedback then please write a comment below and I will get back to you.
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