Deleting rows and columns is a common task in Excel, and there are a few different ways to do it. The most common way is to select the row or column you want to delete and then press the delete key. However, there are a few keyboard shortcuts that can make this task even easier.
To delete a row, first select the row you want to delete. Then, press the following keys:
- Ctrl + –
To delete a column, first select the column you want to delete. Then, press the following keys:
- Ctrl + Shift + –
If you want to delete multiple rows or columns at once, you can select multiple rows or columns by holding down the Shift key while you click on the row or column headers. Then, you can use the same keyboard shortcuts as above to delete the selected rows or columns.
Here are a few more keyboard shortcuts that can be useful when deleting rows and columns:
- Ctrl + Y: Delete the selected cells
- Ctrl + Shift + Y: Delete the selected rows
- Ctrl + Shift + X: Delete the selected columns
Remember, you can always Undo any changes you make by pressing the Ctrl + Z keys.
Excel is a powerful tool for organizing and analyzing data, but it can be time-consuming to perform certain tasks manually. One of the most common tasks in Excel is deleting rows and columns, which can be tedious if you’re doing it one at a time. Fortunately, there are several keyboard shortcuts that can make this process much faster and easier. In this article, we’ll cover 15 keyboard shortcuts for deleting rows and columns in Excel.
Deleting Rows
1. Delete a single row
To delete a single row in Excel, simply select the row by clicking on the row number on the left-hand side of the screen, and then press the “Ctrl” and “-” keys at the same time. This will bring up the “Delete” dialog box, where you can choose to shift the cells up or delete the entire row.
2. Delete multiple rows
If you want to delete multiple rows at once, simply select the rows by clicking and dragging over the row numbers, and then press “Ctrl” and “-” as before. This will bring up the same “Delete” dialog box, where you can choose to shift the cells up or delete the entire rows.
3. Delete a row without the dialog box
If you want to delete a row without bringing up the “Delete” dialog box, simply select the row as before, and then press the “Ctrl” and “�” keys followed by the “Enter” key. This will delete the row and shift the cells up without any further prompts.
4. Delete a row using the context menu
You can also delete a row using the context menu. Simply right-click on the row number and select “Delete” from the menu. This will bring up the “Delete” dialog box, where you can choose to shift the cells up or delete the entire row.
5. Delete a row using the ribbon
If you prefer to use the ribbon, you can delete a row by selecting the row as before, and then clicking on the “Delete” button in the “Cells” group on the “Home” tab. This will bring up the “Delete” dialog box, where you can choose to shift the cells up or delete the entire row.
Deleting Columns
6. Delete a single column
To delete a single column in Excel, simply select the column by clicking on the column letter at the top of the screen, and then press the “Ctrl” and “-” keys at the same time. This will bring up the “Delete” dialog box, where you can choose to shift the cells left or delete the entire column.
7. Delete multiple columns
If you want to delete multiple columns at once, simply select the columns by clicking and dragging over the column letters, and then press “Ctrl” and “-” as before. This will bring up the same “Delete” dialog box, where you can choose to shift the cells left or delete the entire columns.
8. Delete a column without the dialog box
If you want to delete a column without bringing up the “Delete” dialog box, simply select the column as before, and then press the “Ctrl” and “�” keys followed by the “Enter” key. This will delete the column and shift the cells left without any further prompts.
9. Delete a column using the context menu
You can also delete a column using the context menu. Simply right-click on the column letter and select “Delete” from the menu. This will bring up the “Delete” dialog box, where you can choose to shift the cells left or delete the entire column.
10. Delete a column using the ribbon
If you prefer to use the ribbon, you can delete a column by selecting the column as before, and then clicking on the “Delete” button in the “Cells” group on the “Home” tab. This will bring up the “Delete” dialog box, where you can choose to shift the cells left or delete the entire column.
Other Shortcuts
11. Undo a deletion
If you accidentally delete a row or column, you can undo the deletion by pressing “Ctrl” and “Z” at the same time. This will restore the deleted cells to their original location.
12. Delete a row or column with contents
If you want to delete a row or column that contains data, you can use the “Ctrl” and “�” keys followed by the “Shift” and “Enter” keys. This will delete the row or column and shift the cells up or left, but it will also delete the contents of the cells.
13. Delete a row or column and keep the contents
If you want to delete a row or column and keep the contents of the cells, you can use the “Ctrl” and “�” keys followed by the “Ctrl” and “Shift” keys and the “Enter” key. This will delete the row or column and shift the cells up or left, but it will keep the contents of the cells.
14. Delete a row or column and fill the gap
If you want to delete a row or column and fill the gap with the cells from the adjacent rows or columns, you can use the “Ctrl” and “�” keys followed by the “Ctrl” and “Enter” keys. This will delete the row or column and fill the gap with the cells from the adjacent rows or columns.
15. Delete a row or column and shift the cells down or right
If you want to delete a row or column and shift the cells down or right instead of up or left, you can use the “Ctrl” and “+” keys instead of the “Ctrl” and “-” keys. This will bring up the “Insert” dialog box, where you can choose to shift the cells down or right instead of up or left.
These are just a few of the many keyboard shortcuts available in Excel. By using these shortcuts, you can save time and work more efficiently, allowing you to focus on analyzing your data instead of performing repetitive tasks.
