How to Remove Blank Rows in Excel: A Step-by-Step Guide and More

Introduction

Do you find yourself frequently dealing with Excel spreadsheets that contain blank rows? While it may not seem like a big problem, blank rows can hinder your ability to analyze data and create visualizations. Additionally, if you’re working on a large project, manually removing these rows can be tedious and time-consuming. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to remove blank rows in Excel, and this article will guide you through each method step by step.

Step-by-Step Guide

One of the easiest and most reliable ways to remove blank rows in Excel is by using the “Go To Special” function. Here’s how you can use it:

1. Select the range of cells that you want to check for blank rows. You can do this by clicking and dragging your mouse over the cells or clicking on the column and row headers to select the entire sheet.
2. Click “Find & Select” in the “Editing” section of the “Home” tab, then select “Go To Special.”
3. Choose “Blanks” and click “OK.”
4. This will select all the blank cells in your chosen range. To delete these rows, right-click on one of the selected row numbers and choose “Delete.” Alternatively, you can select “Delete Sheet Rows” in the “Delete” dropdown list found on the “Home” tab.

Using the “Go To Special” function is a straightforward and efficient way to remove blank rows in Excel. However, there are a few tips and best practices to keep in mind:

• Always make a backup of your original data before making changes. This way, if you accidentally delete important data, you can easily revert back to the original sheet.
• If you are using a table in your sheet, the “Go To Special” method doesn’t work as well. In that case, see the next section about how to use filters and tables to remove blank rows.

Shortcut Methods

Aside from using the “Go To Special” function, there are other shortcuts you can use to remove blank rows in Excel. Here are some commonly used keyboard shortcuts:

• To delete a row, select the row and press “Ctrl” + “-” (minus).
• To delete a column, select the column and press “Ctrl” + “-” (minus).
• To delete both a row and column, select the cell in that row and column and press “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “-” (minus).

Keep in mind that these shortcuts only work for single rows or columns, and you’ll need to use them multiple times for larger ranges of data. There are other ways to quickly remove blank rows, such as filtering and using tables.

VBA Code

If you’re unfamiliar with VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), it may seem daunting at first. However, using VBA code to automate the process of removing blank rows can save you a lot of time and hassle. Here’s how:

1. Open the worksheet that contains the blank rows you want to delete and press “ALT” + “F11” to open the VBA Editor.
2. Click “Insert” and select “Module” to insert a new module.
3. Paste the following code into the new module:

Sub DeleteBlankRows()
     Dim rng As Range
     Dim row As Range
     
     Set rng = Application.ActiveSheet.UsedRange
     
     For Each row In rng.Rows
         If WorksheetFunction.CountA(row.EntireRow) = 0 Then
             row.Delete
         End If
     Next
     
     Set rng = Nothing
     Set row = Nothing
     
End Sub

4. Return to the Excel sheet and press “ALT” + “F8” to open the Macros dialog box.
5. Select the “DeleteBlankRows” macro and click “Run.”

That’s it! The code will automatically scan through your selected range and delete any rows that contain no data. Keep in mind that VBA code can be powerful, but it’s important to use it responsibly. Be sure to test your code on a small chunk of data before applying it to entire sheets and workbooks.

Macro Recording

If you’re not comfortable writing VBA code, Excel’s macro recording function is a user-friendly alternative. Here are the steps:

1. Select the range of data that you want to check for blank rows.
2. Click “View” in the “Developer” tab of Excel. If this tab is not visible, you can make it visible by clicking “File,” then “Options,” then “Customize Ribbon,” then selecting “Developer.”
3. Click “Record Macro.”
4. Name your macro, select a location to store it, and click “OK.”
5. Select “Blanks” under “Go To Special” in the “Editing” section of the “Home” tab, then press “Delete.” This will delete the blank rows in your selected range.
6. Click “Stop Recording” in the “Developer” tab to stop the recording.

You can now reuse this macro for other worksheets or data. Keep in mind that macro recording can sometimes result in bloated, inefficient code. It’s always a good idea to analyze your recorded macro and simplify it if necessary.

Filters and Tables

Filters and tables can be useful tools for quickly identifying and removing blank rows in Excel.

1. Select a column or range of data, then click “Format as Table” in the “Styles” section of the “Home” tab. Choose a table style that suits your data (this step is optional but recommended).
2. Select a cell in the table and click “Filter” in the “Data” section of the “Home” tab.
3. Click the filter dropdown arrow in the column you want to filter and uncheck the “Blanks” option. This will hide all the rows that contain blank cells in that column.
4. To permanently delete these filtered rows, right-click any visible row number and choose “Delete.”

Using filters and tables can be especially effective if you’re working with large datasets. Keep in mind that removing blank rows in this way is permanent, so always make a backup of your original data before doing so.

Find and Replace

If you only have a few blank cells to remove, using Excel’s “Find and Replace” function can be a quick and efficient solution:

1. Select the range of cells that you want to check for blank rows.
2. Press “Ctrl” + “H” to open the “Find and Replace” dialog box.
3. In the “Find what” field, type two consecutive spaces (” “) and leave the “Replace with” field blank.
4. Click “Replace All.”

That’s it! This method is particularly useful for removing blank cells that are scattered throughout the data rather than in a contiguous group.

Plugin Tools

If none of the previous techniques work for you or if you work with Excel frequently and would like to streamline your workflow, there are several third-party plugins available that can help:

• The ASAP Utilities add-in has a “Delete Blank Rows” tool that can help you quickly identify and remove blank rows in a selected range of data.
• The Kutools for Excel plugin has a “Select Same & Different Cells” tool that can help you find and highlight blank rows.
• The Power Query plugin (built into Excel 2016 and later versions) has a “Remove Rows” function that can help you select and remove specific types of rows, including blank ones.

Depending on your needs, any of these plugins may be a great addition to your Excel toolkit. Keep in mind that third-party plugins can sometimes be unreliable or contain security vulnerabilities, so always research and download from reputable sources.

Conclusion

Removing blank rows in Excel can seem like a small task, but it can make a big difference in the efficiency and accuracy of your data analysis. Depending on your preferences and experience with Excel, there are multiple ways to remove blank rows, from utilizing the “Go To Special” function to using VBA code and third-party plugins. Always be sure to back up your data and test your changes before committing them permanently.