The fastest way to delete a row

Right-click on the row number on the left side of the spreadsheet. A menu will appear. Click Delete row. The row disappears, and all rows below it shift up one position.

That is the whole process for a single row. If you need to delete multiple rows at once, select them first by clicking the first row number, then holding Shift and clicking the last row number you want to remove. Right-click and choose Delete rows. All selected rows vanish at once.

You can also delete a row using the menu bar: click Edit, then Delete rows, then choose whether you want to delete the row above or below your current position. This method works the same way but takes more clicks.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click the row number on the left and select Delete row to remove a single row in one action.
  • Select multiple rows by clicking the first row number, holding Shift, and clicking the last row number, then right-click and choose Delete rows.
  • Deleted rows cannot be recovered unless you undo the action when ready with Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac).
  • Deleting a row removes all data in that row and shifts every row below it upward by one position.

Selecting multiple rows before you delete

If you want to remove several rows that are not next to each other, you can select them one at a time. Click the first row number, then hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click each additional row number you want to delete. All selected rows will highlight in blue. Right-click any highlighted row number and choose Delete rows.

This method is useful when you have data scattered throughout your sheet and only want to remove specific rows. For example, if you are cleaning up a list and want to delete rows 3, 7, and 12 but keep everything else, this approach lets you target exactly those rows without affecting the ones in between.

What happens to your data when you delete a row

When you delete a row, every row below it moves up one position. If you delete row 5, what was in row 6 becomes row 5, what was in row 7 becomes row 6, and so on. This is automatic and happens when ready.

Any formulas in other cells that reference the deleted row will break. For example, if cell C10 contains the formula =SUM(A5:A9) and you delete row 5, the formula will now sum A6:A9 instead, which may not be what you intended. Check your formulas after deleting rows to make sure they still calculate what you need.

Undoing a deletion if you made a mistake

If you delete a row by accident, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) when ready to undo the deletion. The row will reappear in its original position with all its data intact. This works only if you undo right away — once you close the spreadsheet or perform other actions, the undo option disappears.

Google Sheets keeps a limited undo history, so you can undo multiple recent actions by pressing Ctrl+Z or Command+Z several times. However, do not rely on this for permanent recovery. If you need to keep a version of your spreadsheet before making large deletions, make a copy first by clicking File and then Make a copy.

Hiding rows instead of deleting them

Sometimes you do not want to delete a row permanently — you just want it out of sight. Google Sheets lets you hide rows instead. Right-click the row number and select Hide row. The row stays in your spreadsheet but does not appear on screen. Any formulas that reference hidden rows still work normally.

To unhide a row, click the row number above where the hidden row is, then hold Shift and click the row number below it. Right-click and choose Show rows. All hidden rows in that range will reappear. This is useful when you have data you want to keep but do not need to see every day.

Clearing row contents without deleting the row itself

If you want to erase the data in a row but keep the row in place, select the entire row by clicking its number, then press Delete. All the data in that row disappears, but the empty row remains. This is different from deleting the row, which removes the row structure itself and shifts everything below it upward.

Use this method when your spreadsheet has a fixed structure — for example, if you have headers in row 1 and always want exactly 100 rows of data space below them. Clearing contents preserves that structure while removing unwanted data.

Deleting rows based on a condition

If you need to delete many rows that match a certain pattern, you can use Google Sheets' filter feature to show only those rows, then delete them all at once. Click Data, then Create a filter. Click the filter icon in the column you want to filter by, and select only the values you want to delete. All other rows will hide temporarily.

Now select all the visible rows (except the header) by clicking the first data row number, holding Shift, and clicking the last visible row number. Right-click and choose Delete rows. Only the filtered rows will be deleted. Click the filter icon again and choose Clear filter to see the remaining data. This approach is much faster than deleting rows one at a time when you have dozens or hundreds to remove.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a row if it contains a formula that other cells depend on?

Yes, you can delete it, but the cells that reference it will show an error. Before deleting, check which cells use that row in their formulas. You may need to update those formulas first or copy the data elsewhere before removing the row.

What is the difference between deleting a row and clearing its contents?

Deleting a row removes the row itself and shifts all rows below it upward. Clearing contents erases the data but leaves the empty row in place. Use delete when you want to reduce the total number of rows; use clear when you want to keep the row structure but remove the data.

If I delete a row, do the row numbers below it change automatically?

Yes. When you delete row 5, what was row 6 becomes row 5, row 7 becomes row 6, and so on. All row numbers below the deleted row shift up by one. This happens when ready and automatically.

Can I delete rows in a shared Google Sheet?

Yes, but anyone else viewing the sheet will see the deletion happen in real time. If multiple people are editing the same sheet, consider letting them know before you delete large sections of data, since their view will update when ready.

How do I delete an entire row using the keyboard only?

Click the row number to select it, then use the menu: press Alt+E (Windows) or Control+Option+E (Mac) to open the Edit menu, then press D to delete. This is slower than right-clicking, so most people use the mouse method instead.