Clear Excel Shortcut: Contents, Formats, and Cells

To clear the contents of selected Excel cells on Windows, select them and press Delete. This removes values and formulas but keeps the cells’ formatting; use Alt, H, E, A in sequence to clear everything from the selected cells, including formatting.

What the Delete key clears in Excel

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, Delete is the quickest way to empty one or more cells without removing the cells themselves. A cell containing a number, text, a date, or a formula becomes empty. The worksheet grid and the selected cells’ formatting remain in place, so column widths, borders, number formats, and fill colors are not removed by this action.

That distinction matters when a cell appears blank but is not truly empty. For example, a formula such as =A1+B1 can display a result; pressing Delete removes the formula as well as its displayed result. If a formula returns an empty string, such as ="", the cell can look blank while still containing a formula. Delete removes that formula too.

Deleting contents is different from deleting worksheet cells. It does not shift surrounding data or close a gap in a table. It simply clears what is stored in the selected cells.

Choose the right kind of clear

Excel’s Clear commands offer separate options because people often want to remove one aspect of a cell while keeping another. On Windows, the Home tab’s Clear menu is available at Home > Editing > Clear. The relevant choices are:

Clear Contents: removes values and formulas while retaining formatting. Press Alt, H, E, C in sequence to invoke it with ribbon KeyTips.
Clear Formats: removes cell formatting, such as number formats, borders, font styling, and fills, but leaves the values and formulas. The Windows KeyTip sequence is Alt, H, E, F.
Clear All: removes contents and formatting, and clears other cell-level items handled by the command. The Windows KeyTip sequence is Alt, H, E, A.

These Alt sequences are pressed one key at a time, not held as a four-key combination. They use Excel’s ribbon KeyTips, which can differ if the ribbon layout or language differs. If a sequence does not work, open the Clear menu and choose the command by name.

Clear contents with the keyboard

For an ordinary cleanup where only the data should go, use this simple process:

Select the cell or range. You can drag across a block, click a cell, or select a whole row or column using its heading.
Press Delete.
Check that the cell is empty and that its formatting is still present if you need it.

You can select a nonadjacent set of cells by holding Ctrl while clicking each cell or range, then press Delete once to clear the selected areas. For a large block, use the Name Box to select a range by address, such as C3:F20, and then press Delete. Take care with whole-row or whole-column selections: the key clears the contents across the selection, not just the visible portion of a table.

If you specifically want the Clear Contents command rather than the Delete key, use Home > Editing > Clear > Clear Contents. The ribbon route is useful when you are already working with the mouse or when keyboard KeyTips are unavailable.

Clear versus delete cells, rows, and columns

A common source of confusion is the difference between clearing a cell and deleting it. Pressing Delete leaves the grid structure unchanged. By contrast, the Ctrl+- shortcut opens Excel’s Delete dialog for cells, rows, or columns. Depending on your choice, Excel can shift neighboring cells up or left, which changes the layout and may affect formulas or references.

For example, suppose a worksheet has quantities in B2:B10 and prices in C2:C10. Clearing C5 removes the price in that position but leaves the rows below in place. Deleting cell C5 and shifting cells up could move the next price into C5, misaligning prices with their quantities. If your goal is to keep the worksheet’s structure, clear contents rather than deleting cells.

Similarly, to empty a row but keep its position, select the row and clear its contents. To remove the row from the worksheet altogether, use the row heading’s context menu or the Delete command. These are different operations, so check the selected range and the intended result before confirming a structural deletion.

Clearing formats without losing data

Sometimes the problem is not the value but the way Excel displays it. A number may look like a date because the cell has a date format, or an old fill color may remain after data is replaced. In those cases, choose Home > Editing > Clear > Clear Formats instead of pressing Delete. The cell’s value or formula stays, while its direct formatting is removed.

Clearing formats can change how values appear. A number stored as a date may display as a serial number after its date format is removed; the underlying value has not necessarily changed. Formatting also may come from conditional formatting rules rather than a direct fill or font setting. If a color remains after Clear Formats, inspect Home > Conditional Formatting and review or remove the relevant rule. A table’s built-in style can also continue to affect its appearance.

Use Clear All only when you want a more complete reset. It is broader than clearing values or formats alone, so it is usually not the safest first choice when you are unsure what is causing a cell’s appearance.

Excel on Mac and Excel for the web

On Excel for Mac, the physical keyboard’s Delete key is commonly labeled for backspace, and keyboard layouts vary. If pressing the key does not clear the selected cells as expected, use the ribbon command Home > Clear > Clear Contents. The Home tab provides the same basic distinction between clearing contents and clearing formats. Windows Alt KeyTip sequences should not be assumed to work on Mac; use the visible command or the Mac-specific shortcut shown in Excel’s menus or Help for your version.

In Excel for the web, select the cells and press Delete to clear their contents, or use the Home tab’s Clear options when you need to choose a different kind of clearing. A browser or keyboard configuration can affect how keys behave, so the ribbon command is a useful fallback. The workbook’s saved state and available features can also depend on whether it is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and on your access permissions.

Across these versions, the central choice is the same: clear contents to remove data while retaining the cell’s formatting; clear formats to keep data but remove direct styling; or choose Clear All for a broader reset.

Common problems and safe recovery

If Delete seems to do nothing, first confirm that the intended cells are selected and that the worksheet is not protected in a way that prevents editing. In a protected sheet, some cells may be locked; clearing them may require the sheet owner to unprotect the worksheet or grant the appropriate access. Also check whether you are editing the text inside a cell. Press Esc to leave edit mode, select the cell itself, and then clear it.

If the cell looks blank but calculations still treat it as occupied, check the formula bar. A formula returning an empty string is still a formula, and a cell containing spaces is not empty. Pressing Delete removes either from the selected cell. If you only want to hide a value, avoid deleting it: use an appropriate number format or another display method, since clearing the content changes the data used by calculations.

For an accidental clear, immediately press Ctrl+Z on Windows to undo. On Mac, use Command+Z. Undo is most dependable before you close the workbook or perform many later actions. If the workbook is shared, saved, or managed with version history, available recovery options depend on its storage and organization settings. Save important work before making broad changes, especially before using Clear All on a large selection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the shortcut to clear Excel cells but keep formatting?
Select the cells and press Delete. This removes their values and formulas without removing the cells’ formatting.

What is the shortcut to clear everything in Excel?
On Windows, select the cells and press Alt, H, E, A in sequence to use Clear All. Alternatively, choose Home > Editing > Clear > Clear All.

Does pressing Delete remove Excel formatting?
No. Delete clears contents, not the cell’s direct formatting. Choose Clear Formats from the Clear menu to remove formatting while keeping the values and formulas.

What is the difference between Clear Contents and Delete Cells?
Clear Contents empties selected cells and leaves the worksheet layout intact. Delete Cells can remove cells and shift nearby data, which may change how rows and columns line up.

How do I clear contents in Excel on a Mac?
Select the cells and use the keyboard’s Delete key if it clears the selection on your layout. Otherwise, choose Home > Clear > Clear Contents; Windows Alt KeyTip sequences are not the Mac equivalent.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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