How to Delete Rows in Excel - Practical Guide

Learn how to delete rows in Excel to remove unwanted data and clean up your spreadsheets. This essential skill helps you maintain organized datasets by permanently removing rows containing errors, duplicates, or irrelevant information. Deleting rows differs from clearing content—it shifts remaining rows upward and reduces your dataset size.

Why This Matters

Deleting rows is crucial for data management and maintaining spreadsheet accuracy in professional environments. It prevents errors and ensures your analysis reflects only relevant, current information.

Prerequisites

•Basic understanding of Excel spreadsheet structure and row/column layout
•Excel application installed and a workbook open

Step-by-Step Instructions

Open your Excel spreadsheet

Launch Excel and open the workbook containing the rows you want to delete.

Select the row(s) to delete

Click on the row number on the left side to select the entire row. For multiple consecutive rows, click the first row number, hold Shift, and click the last row number. For non-consecutive rows, hold Ctrl and click individual row numbers.

Right-click to open context menu

Right-click on any selected row number to display the context menu.

Click Delete option

In the context menu, click 'Delete' to remove the selected row(s) permanently.

Verify and save your changes

Check that the correct rows were deleted and remaining rows shifted upward correctly. Save your file using Ctrl+S.

Alternative Methods

Using the Home ribbon

Select row(s), then go to Home > Delete > Delete Sheet Rows in the ribbon menu for a streamlined interface approach.

Keyboard shortcut method

Select row(s) and press Ctrl+- (minus sign) to open the Delete dialog, then confirm deletion.

Tips & Tricks

✓Use Ctrl+Z immediately after deletion if you accidentally delete the wrong rows—Excel allows multiple undo steps.
✓Delete blank rows in bulk by selecting all visible blank rows and deleting them together to save time.

Pro Tips

★Before deleting large datasets, create a backup copy of your spreadsheet to prevent irreversible data loss.
★Use AutoFilter (Data > Filter) to show only rows meeting specific criteria, then delete them together for precision.
★Combine row deletion with Find & Replace to identify and remove rows containing specific text patterns automatically.

Troubleshooting

Row numbers show gaps or appear non-sequential after deletion

This is normal behavior—Excel renumbers remaining rows sequentially. The gap appearance occurs if you deleted multiple non-consecutive rows. Check your data to ensure correct rows were deleted.

Cannot delete rows (Delete option is grayed out)

The sheet may be protected. Go to Review > Unprotect Sheet, enter the password if prompted, then retry deletion. Check if cells are locked in protected mode.

Undo is unavailable after deleting rows

Undo history clears when you save the file. Reopen the file without saving (File > Revert) if you deleted immediately before saving, or restore from a backup copy.

Related Excel Formulas

FILTER SORT COUNTIF

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete rows without shifting other rows upward?

No, deleting a row always shifts remaining rows upward—this is Excel's default behavior to maintain data integrity. If you want to keep the row structure unchanged, use Clear Contents instead to empty cells without removing the row.

How do I delete multiple non-adjacent rows at once?

Hold Ctrl and click on each row number you want to delete. All selected rows will be highlighted in blue. Then right-click and select Delete, or use Ctrl+- to remove them simultaneously.

What's the difference between deleting and hiding rows?

Deleting permanently removes rows and shifts remaining data upward. Hiding rows (Format > Hide) only conceals them visually without affecting the spreadsheet structure, making them easy to unhide later.

Can I recover deleted rows after saving the file?

If you saved the file after deletion, recovery is not possible through Undo. Use your file backup or recovery software. Always save backups before bulk deletions.