20 Keyboard Shortcuts for Deleting in Excel: A Comprehensive List

Excel is a powerful tool for data analysis and management, but navigating through its various features can be time-consuming. One of the most common tasks in Excel is deleting data, and knowing the right shortcuts can significantly boost your productivity. In this article, we will explore 20 essential shortcuts for deleting data in Excel, helping you work more efficiently and save valuable time.

Deleting data in Excel is a frequent task, whether you’re removing unnecessary information, clearing formatting, or starting fresh with a new dataset. While using the mouse and navigating through menus is an option, it can be slow and cumbersome. By mastering a few simple keyboard shortcuts, you can streamline your workflow and delete data quickly and easily.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Deleting for Windows Users

1. Delete Contents Without Deleting Formatting

To delete the contents of a cell or range of cells without affecting the formatting, use the following shortcut:

• Windows: Delete key

2. Delete Cells and Shift Remaining Cells Up

To delete selected cells and shift the remaining cells up, use this shortcut:

• Windows: Ctrl + - (minus sign)

3. Delete Cells and Shift Remaining Cells Left

To delete selected cells and shift the remaining cells to the left, use:

• Windows: Ctrl + Shift + - (minus sign)

4. Delete an Entire Row

To quickly delete an entire row, select any cell in the row and use:

• Windows: Ctrl + Shift + - (minus sign) or Shift + Space, then Ctrl + -

5. Delete Multiple Rows

To delete multiple rows at once:

1. Select the rows you want to delete by clicking and dragging the row numbers.
2. Use the shortcut: Ctrl + - (minus sign)

6. Delete an Entire Column

To delete an entire column, select any cell in the column and use:

• Windows: Ctrl + - (minus sign) or Ctrl + Space, then Ctrl + -

7. Delete Multiple Columns

To delete multiple columns at once:

1. Select the columns you want to delete by clicking and dragging the column letters.
2. Use the shortcut: Ctrl + - (minus sign)

8. Clear All Formatting

To remove all formatting from selected cells without deleting the contents, use:

• Windows: Ctrl + \ (backslash)

9. Delete All Comments

To delete all comments in a worksheet, use the following shortcut:

• Windows: Alt + E + D + A

10. Delete a Single Comment

To delete a single comment, select the cell containing the comment and use:

• Windows: Alt + E + D + D

11. Delete Conditional Formatting

To remove conditional formatting from selected cells, use:

• Windows: Alt + H + L + C

12. Delete Hyperlinks

To remove hyperlinks from selected cells without deleting the text, use:

• Windows: Ctrl + Shift + F9

13. Delete Named Ranges

To delete a named range:

1. Press Ctrl + F3 to open the Name Manager.
2. Select the named range you want to delete and press the Delete key.

14. Delete Pivot Table

To delete a pivot table, select any cell within the pivot table and use:

• Windows: Alt + J + T + D

15. Delete Worksheet

To delete the current worksheet, use:

• Windows: Alt + H + D + S

16. Delete Multiple Worksheets

To delete multiple worksheets at once:

1. Select the worksheets you want to delete by holding Ctrl and clicking on the sheet tabs.
2. Right-click on one of the selected sheet tabs and choose “Delete” from the context menu.

17. Delete All Blank Rows

To delete all blank rows in a worksheet, use this shortcut:

• Windows: Alt + H + D + R

18. Delete All Blank Columns

To delete all blank columns in a worksheet, use:

• Windows: Alt + H + D + C

19. Delete Duplicates

To remove duplicate values from a range of cells:

1. Select the range containing duplicates.
2. Press Alt + A + M to open the Remove Duplicates dialog box.
3. Choose the columns to check for duplicates and click “OK.”

20. Delete Outline

To remove the outline structure from a worksheet, use:

• Windows: Alt + A + G + U

Keyboard Shortcuts for Deleting for Mac Users

1. Delete Contents Without Deleting Formatting

To delete the contents of a cell or range of cells without affecting the formatting, use the following shortcut:

• Mac: Fn + Delete or Fn + Backspace

2. Delete Cells and Shift Remaining Cells Up

To delete selected cells and shift the remaining cells up, use this shortcut:

• Mac: ⌘ + - (minus sign)

3. Delete Cells and Shift Remaining Cells Left

To delete selected cells and shift the remaining cells to the left, use:

• Mac: ⌘ + ⇧ + - (minus sign)

4. Delete an Entire Row

To quickly delete an entire row, select any cell in the row and use:

• Mac: ⌘ + ⇧ + - (minus sign) or ⇧ + Space, then ⌘ + -

5. Delete Multiple Rows

To delete multiple rows at once:

1. Select the rows you want to delete by clicking and dragging the row numbers.
2. Use the shortcut: ⌘ + - (minus sign)

6. Delete an Entire Column

To delete an entire column, select any cell in the column and use:

• Mac: ⌘ + - (minus sign) or ⌘ + Space, then ⌘ + -

7. Delete Multiple Columns

To delete multiple columns at once:

1. Select the columns you want to delete by clicking and dragging the column letters.
2. Use the shortcut: ⌘ + - (minus sign)

8. Clear All Formatting

To remove all formatting from selected cells without deleting the contents, use:

• Mac: ⌘ + \ (backslash)

9. Delete All Comments

To delete all comments in a worksheet, use the following shortcut:

• Mac: ⌥ + ⌘ + E + D + A

10. Delete a Single Comment

To delete a single comment, select the cell containing the comment and use:

• Mac: ⌥ + ⌘ + E + D + D

11. Delete Conditional Formatting

To remove conditional formatting from selected cells, use:

• Mac: ⌥ + ⌘ + H + L + C

12. Delete Hyperlinks

To remove hyperlinks from selected cells without deleting the text, use:

• Mac: ⌘ + ⇧ + F9

13. Delete Named Ranges

To delete a named range:

1. Press ⌘ + F3 to open the Name Manager.
2. Select the named range you want to delete and press the Delete key.

14. Delete Pivot Table

To delete a pivot table, select any cell within the pivot table and use:

• Mac: ⌥ + ⌘ + J + T + D

15. Delete Worksheet

To delete the current worksheet, use:

• Mac: ⌥ + ⌘ + H + D + S

16. Delete Multiple Worksheets

To delete multiple worksheets at once:

1. Select the worksheets you want to delete by holding ⌘ and clicking on the sheet tabs.
2. Right-click on one of the selected sheet tabs and choose “Delete” from the context menu.

17. Delete All Blank Rows

To delete all blank rows in a worksheet, use this shortcut:

• Mac: ⌥ + ⌘ + H + D + R

18. Delete All Blank Columns

To delete all blank columns in a worksheet, use:

• Mac: ⌥ + ⌘ + H + D + C

19. Delete Duplicates

To remove duplicate values from a range of cells:

1. Select the range containing duplicates.
2. Press ⌥ + ⌘ + A + M to open the Remove Duplicates dialog box.
3. Choose the columns to check for duplicates and click “OK.”

20. Delete Outline

To remove the outline structure from a worksheet, use:

• Mac: ⌥ + ⌘ + A + G + U

Final Thoughts

Mastering these 20 shortcuts for deleting data in Excel will help you work more efficiently and save time on repetitive tasks. By incorporating these shortcuts into your daily workflow, you’ll be able to navigate and manage your data with ease, allowing you to focus on analysis and decision-making.

Remember, practice makes perfect! The more you use these shortcuts, the more natural they’ll become, and you’ll find yourself deleting data in Excel with speed and precision.

By incorporating these essential shortcuts into your Excel toolkit, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an Excel power user, boosting your productivity and efficiency in managing and analyzing data, regardless of whether you use a Windows or Mac operating system.

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Vaishvi Desai

Vaishvi Desai is the founder of Excelsamurai and a passionate Excel enthusiast with years of experience in data analysis and spreadsheet management. With a mission to help others harness the power of Excel, Vaishvi shares her expertise through concise, easy-to-follow tutorials on shortcuts, formulas, Pivot Tables, and VBA.