Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Conditionally Deleting Rows.

Conditionally Deleting Rows

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 19, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021


1

When you are working with data tables containing information that you received from another person, you may want to prune the amount of data in the table by deleting rows if a particular condition is met. There are several ways you can approach such a task.

The first method is to use Excel's AutoFilter feature. This works particularly well if you have a rather simple criteria by which to delete rows. When you turn on the AutoFilter, Excel places pull-down buttons at the right side of each cell in the data table's header row. Using these pull-down buttons you can specify the records you want displayed. You should select a filter value that will result in displaying only those rows you want to delete. With those rows displayed, you can select them and use the ribbon tools to get rid of the rows. When you turn AutoFilter off, then you are left with only the rows you wanted.

Another method involves the use of macros to do the deleting for you. This approach works well if you have to perform the deletions on lots of data, or if you do it quite often. The following macro can delete rows based on a key value:

Sub DeleteRows()
    Dim sToDelete As String
    Dim ThisRow As Integer
    Dim ThatRow As Integer
    Dim ThisCol As Integer
    Dim J As Integer
    Dim iDeleted As Integer

    sToDelete = InputBox("Value to Trigger Delete?", "Delete Rows")

    With Selection
        ThisRow = .Row
        ThatRow = ThisRow + .Rows.Count - 1
        ThisCol = .Column

        For J = ThatRow To ThisRow Step -1
            If Cells(J, ThisCol) = sToDelete Then
                Rows(J).EntireRow.Delete
                iDeleted = iDeleted + 1
            End If
        Next J
    End With
    MsgBox "Number of deleted rows: " & iDeleted
End Sub

To use the macro, select the key range that covers the rows you want checked. For instance, if the key to be checked is in column G, and you want to check rows 5 through 73, then you would select the range G5:G73. When you run the macro, it asks you what value it should check for. If any cells in the range G5:G73 contain the value you specify, the corresponding row for that cell is deleted.

Remember that if you use the macro to delete rows, those rows are permanently deleted. This could be a drawback in some situations. If so, you should rely on the AutoFilter technique, or make a copy of your worksheet before running the macro.

There are obviously other ways to delete rows based on a value. For a good selection of different methods, take a look at this page:

https://www.ozgrid.com/VBA/VBACode.htm

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12256) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Conditionally Deleting Rows.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Automatically Adding Captions

Word can automatically add captions to various elements of your document, such as tables or figures. Here's how to ...

Discover More

Shortcut to Move between Two Worksheets

Moving between to adjacent worksheets is easy; Excel provides a shortcut key to do the trick. If you want to move between ...

Discover More

Setting Page Margins

When getting ready to print your worksheet, you may want to take a moment to check what margins Excel will use on the ...

Discover More

Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2013 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Editing the Same Cell in Multiple Sheets

When creating a workbook, you may need to make changes on one worksheet and have those edits appear on the same cells in ...

Discover More

Getting Rid of Non-Printing Characters Intelligently

Is your worksheet, imported from an external source, plagued by non-printing characters that show up like small boxes ...

Discover More

Viewing Formula Results

When editing information in a cell, you may need to know the result of a portion of your formula. The shortcut described ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is three less than 3?

2022-11-21 16:39:50

Julie

This is pretty handy. Something I figured out today - if you're going to use this with a big workbook/lots of calculations, changing calculation to Manual first is a good idea.


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.