Excel Delete Shortcut: Clear Cells, Rows, and Columns

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, press Delete to clear the contents of selected cells without removing the cells or their formatting. To delete cells, rows, or columns so surrounding data shifts, select them and press Ctrl+- (Ctrl plus the minus key), then choose the appropriate option if Excel displays a dialog.

The two shortcuts and what they do

The word “delete” can mean two different things in a spreadsheet: erase what is inside a cell, or remove the cell itself and rearrange the grid. The distinction matters because the wrong command can shift data out of alignment.

Delete: clears the contents of the selected cells. Their positions and formatting stay in place.
Ctrl+-: opens the Delete dialog for selected cells, where you can shift other cells or remove entire rows or columns.

For example, if B4 contains a formula and you select B4 and press Delete, the formula is cleared, but column B and row 4 remain. If you select B4 and press Ctrl+-, Excel can remove that cell and shift cells below it up or cells to its right left. If you select the entire fourth row first, Ctrl+- removes the row instead.

These are Windows shortcuts for the desktop version of Excel. On a Mac, the Delete key clears selected cell contents; Control+- is the usual shortcut for opening the delete-cells command. Keyboard layouts and Excel versions can affect key combinations, so the ribbon commands described below are a dependable alternative.

What pressing Delete actually clears

When a cell or range is selected, pressing Delete removes its cell contents, such as typed text, numbers, dates, and formulas. If A1 contains =SUM(B1:B5), for example, selecting A1 and pressing Delete removes that formula and its displayed result. It does not delete the row or column, move neighboring data, or remove the cell’s formatting. A fill color, border, or number format can therefore remain visible after the value is gone.

Delete is useful when you want to empty cells but preserve a worksheet’s layout. You might clear last month’s entries from a prepared template while keeping its headings, borders, and formulas elsewhere. Select a range by dragging across it, or select individual nonadjacent cells with Ctrl-click, then press Delete to clear the selected contents.

There is an important mode-related exception: if you are editing inside a cell rather than selecting the cell itself, Delete acts on the text being edited. Press Esc to cancel editing or Enter to finish it, then select the cell and use Delete to clear its contents. If the goal is to remove only part of a cell’s text, edit the text rather than clearing the whole cell.

Delete cells and shift nearby data

Use Ctrl+- when the cell positions themselves should be removed and other cells should move to fill the gap. First select the cell or range, then press Ctrl+- on Windows. Excel’s Delete dialog offers choices such as shifting cells left, shifting cells up, deleting the entire row, or deleting the entire column. The available choices depend on what you selected.

Select the cell or rectangular range you want to remove.
Press Ctrl+-.
Choose Shift cells left or Shift cells up, then confirm with Enter or click OK.

Choose the direction with the surrounding layout in mind. If you remove C3 and choose Shift cells up, the cells below C3 in column C move up one position. If you choose Shift cells left, cells to the right move left. A small deletion can disrupt a table if neighboring columns contain related records, so inspect the row and column before confirming.

For instance, if each row represents one person and contains a name, email, and status, deleting just one cell and shifting the column up can pair an email with the wrong person. In that situation, deleting the entire record’s row is usually more appropriate than shifting a single cell.

Delete a whole row or column

To remove a row, select it using the row-number heading at the left of the worksheet, then press Ctrl+- and confirm if prompted. To remove a column, select its letter heading at the top and use the same shortcut. When a full row or column is selected, Excel deletes that row or column rather than merely emptying it. The rows below or columns to the right move to close the gap, and the worksheet’s remaining row or column labels adjust automatically.

You can select a row or column without using the mouse:

On Windows, press Shift+Space to select the row of the active cell.
On Windows, press Ctrl+Space to select its column.
Then press Ctrl+- to delete the selected row or column.

Be careful with Ctrl+Space if your computer uses that combination for an operating-system input or language feature. Selecting the row or column heading with the mouse avoids that potential conflict. To delete several neighboring rows or columns, select all their headings before invoking the delete command. This removes the selected block at once rather than leaving gaps between separate deletions.

Clear contents, formatting, or everything

If Delete does not do quite enough—or does too much—use Excel’s Clear commands. In the Windows desktop ribbon, go to Home > Clear. The menu separates clearing contents from clearing formats and other cell information. Clear Contents has the same general purpose as pressing Delete: empty the selected cells while retaining their formatting. Clear Formats removes formatting while leaving the cell contents in place. Clear All removes both contents and formatting, so use it only when you intend to reset the selected cells more completely.

The Clear menu is especially useful when a cell looks empty but has unwanted formatting, or when you want to remove formatting without erasing a value. It also makes the choice explicit if you are unsure whether the Delete key will preserve what you need. In Excel for the web, use the Home tab’s Clear options when available; if a keyboard shortcut behaves differently in the browser, the ribbon is a straightforward way to choose the intended action.

Clearing and deleting are not interchangeable. Clear Contents leaves the grid structure intact. The Delete command for cells, rows, or columns removes grid positions and shifts other data. Before using either, consider whether the problem is the cell’s contents, its appearance, or its position.

Use the ribbon or context menu

Keyboard shortcuts are fast, but you can perform the same operations from Excel’s interface. To clear selected contents, choose Home > Clear > Clear Contents. To remove cells, select them and choose Home > Delete > Delete Cells; Excel then presents the shift choices. For a whole row or column, select its heading and use Home > Delete > Delete Sheet Rows or Home > Delete > Delete Sheet Columns.

Right-clicking a selected cell, row heading, or column heading also provides a Delete command in the context menu. The exact menu options depend on what is selected. This is often the easiest approach when you need to pause and verify whether you are clearing data or removing part of the worksheet structure. On a Mac, ribbon or context-menu commands are also useful if the keyboard’s Delete key is labeled differently or a shortcut conflicts with a system setting.

Undo and avoid accidental data loss

If you clear or delete the wrong thing, press Ctrl+Z on Windows promptly to undo the action. The Undo button on the Quick Access Toolbar is another option. Excel can undo many ordinary edits, including clearing contents and deleting rows, but do not treat Undo as a backup plan: later actions can make it harder to return to the exact state you need, and changes made outside Excel may not be reversible there.

Before deleting, check whether the selected range includes more than the visible cell. A selection can span multiple rows or columns, and deleting a full row affects every column in that row, including cells outside the part of the sheet currently in view. If the workbook is important, save it first or make a copy before a large cleanup. For a safer small-scale check, select the intended range and confirm the highlighted boundary before pressing a destructive shortcut.

Also review formulas that refer to the cells being removed. Excel may adjust references when rows or columns are deleted, but that can change the meaning of a calculation. Clearing a formula cell removes the formula itself; deleting a referenced row can alter formulas elsewhere. After a substantial deletion, check key totals and dependent worksheets.

Windows, Mac, and Excel for the web

The instructions above primarily describe Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows. On Mac, Delete clears the selected cell contents, while Control+- is commonly used to open the delete-cells command. Some Mac keyboards label the key that removes text as Delete even though it behaves like Backspace on a Windows keyboard. If a shortcut does not behave as expected, use the Home tab’s Clear or Delete menus instead. The ribbon labels provide a clearer guide to whether you are clearing data or removing cells.

Excel for the web runs in a browser, so browser and operating-system shortcuts can sometimes compete with Excel’s shortcuts. The Delete key will generally clear selected contents, but use the Home tab’s Delete or Clear commands when you need a specific result or Ctrl+- is intercepted. The browser version’s menus may not match every desktop option exactly, and available commands can change as Microsoft updates Excel. For removing cells, rows, or columns, check the command and any confirmation dialog before proceeding.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the shortcut to delete a row in Excel?
On Windows, select the row with Shift+Space, then press Ctrl+- to delete it. You can also click the row number and press Ctrl+-. On a Mac, select the row and use Control+- if supported, or choose Home > Delete > Delete Sheet Rows.

Does the Delete key remove cell formatting?
No. Pressing Delete clears selected cell contents but generally leaves formatting, such as fills, borders, and number formats. Use Home > Clear > Clear Formats to remove formatting, or Clear All to clear contents and formatting together.

How do I delete a cell without shifting other cells?
Press Delete or choose Home > Clear > Clear Contents. Those actions empty the cell while leaving the worksheet grid and surrounding cells in place. Ctrl+- is for removing cells and can shift neighboring data.

Why does Ctrl+- show a dialog instead of deleting immediately?
Excel needs to know what should happen to the cells around the selection. Choose Shift cells left, Shift cells up, Entire row, or Entire column as appropriate. If you selected a complete row or column, Excel can act on that whole selection.

Can I undo a row deletion?
Usually, press Ctrl+Z immediately in Excel for Windows, or use the Undo button. If you have performed other actions or closed the workbook, recovery may be limited; saving a copy before large deletions is safer.

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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