Click a cell in the row, press Shift + Space to select the whole row, then press Ctrl + – (Ctrl and the minus key). Excel deletes the row and moves the rows below it up.
If only a cell is selected, Ctrl + – opens the Delete dialog instead. Press R to choose Entire row, then Enter. The minus key on the numeric keypad works the same way.
To delete several rows that sit together, press Shift + Space, extend the selection with Shift + ↓, and press Ctrl + –. For rows that are apart, hold Ctrl, click a cell in each row, press Ctrl + – and choose Entire row.
Without selecting the row first, use the key tips Alt, H, D, R (Home → Delete → Delete Sheet Rows), pressing the keys one after another.
Check two things after you delete. A formula that referred to a cell in the deleted row now returns #REF!, so press Ctrl + Z straight away if one appears. And rows you hid by hand inside the selection are deleted too, whereas rows hidden by a filter are left alone.
Latest Video Tutorial – 10 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts (Probably YOU are NOT Using)
While working in Excel, you often want to delete unnecessary or unwanted rows to keep the data clear and clean. Excel can delete one row or several rows at a time. Deleting a row is as easy as adding one, and you can do it manually or with keyboard shortcuts.
Keyboard Shortcut to Delete Row in Excel
- Select any cell in the row you want to delete. Press Shift + Space to select the entire row. And in the end, press the below-mentioned keys:
- Windows: Ctrl + Minus Sign (-)
- Mac: Command + Minus Sign (-)
Steps to Delete Row(s) using a Keyboard Shortcut
- First, press the “Shift + Spacebar” shortcut keys to select the entire row, and then simply press “Ctrl + Minus Sign (-)” to delete that selected row.
- Or, click on any cell of the row that you want to delete and press the shortcut keys “Ctrl + Minus Sign (-)”. As only a cell is selected, Excel opens the Delete dialog box (see step 4).
- In case you have multiple non-sequential rows to delete, press and hold the “Ctrl” key, click on a cell in each row that you want to delete, and then press the shortcut keys “Ctrl + Minus Sign (-)”.
- After that, the “Delete” dialog box opens. With the Down Arrow key (or by pressing R), select the “Entire row” option.
- Now, press the “Enter” key and you will get those rows deleted.
One common mistake is not selecting the entire row before pressing the delete shortcut, which opens the Delete dialog box instead of deleting the row right away.
Delete Several Rows in One Go
- First of all, select a cell in the first row that you want to delete and press Shift + Space.
- After that, hold Shift and press the Down Arrow key to extend the selection to the rows below.
- In the end, press Ctrl + Minus Sign (-), and all the selected rows are deleted at once.
You can also use the ribbon keys Alt → H → D → R (Home ➜ Delete ➜ Delete Sheet Rows), which deletes the rows of the selected cells without opening the dialog box.
Delete vs Clear
The Delete key on your keyboard doesn’t delete the row. It only clears the contents of the selected cells, and the empty row stays there. Ctrl + Minus Sign (-) removes the row itself, and the rows below move up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I undo a deleted row?
Press Ctrl + Z (Command + Z on a Mac) right after deleting, and the row comes back with its data.
Why is Delete Row greyed out?
The sheet is probably protected, or the workbook is shared or opened as read-only. Unprotect the sheet (Review ➜ Unprotect Sheet) and try again.
Will deleting a row break my formulas?
Formulas that refer to a range update on their own. But a formula that refers directly to a cell in the deleted row shows the #REF! error.