It often happens when you don’t want to have a specific worksheet in the spreadsheet. In that case, Excel allows you to remove that sheet quickly without disturbing the other data. Here in this post, you will get to know all the potential ways that answer how to delete a sheet in Excel.
Deleting something in Excel was never difficult, however, sometimes you have to learn the process. Also, bear in mind that deleting a sheet does not take time but you can never retrieve that sheet back. Deleting an unwanted worksheet is as easy as adding a new worksheet.
When your workbook has many worksheets, deleting a sheet could be a pain sometimes. But don’t worry, we have come up with all the best solutions to this issue. Along with easy keyboard shortcuts, you will get to know other methods as well.
Keyboard Shortcuts to Delete a Sheet in Excel
Let’s discuss some easy-to-follow keyboard shortcuts:
- Go to the Excel workbook.
- Open the sheet that you don’t want in your workbook.
- Press the CTRL + SHIFT + F11 keys all at once.
- Press the Delete Sheet button.
- Click on the Yes button and the sheet will be deleted.
That’s it! using this shortcut will save you time when you need to delete a sheet in Excel.
Legacy Keyboard Shortcut to Delete Worksheets
Excel uses pre-ribbon style methods and for compatibility reasons, some of these methods do not exist. Some keyboard shortcuts from the old style are also available in the latest versions.
The legacy keyboard shortcut works perfectly to delete a sheet in Excel. For this you need to press:
ALT + E + L
Regular Keyboard Shortcut to Delete Sheet
You need to press keys: ALT + H + D + S
Without using mouse clicks, you can use this keyboard shortcut that works finely to delete a sheet in Excel. Press these keys all at once in the given sequence. In comparison with other shortcuts, it may seem a bit lengthy, however, it works perfectly once you get used to it.
Hybrid Keyboard Shortcut to Delete Sheet
In this shortcut, you may press the keys: Right-click + D
This shortcut works faster when you use it to delete the selected worksheets. With right-click, simply press the D key from the keyboard at the same time. It works better than other methods in which mouse clicks are required.
Delete a Sheet in Excel using the Ribbon Menu
Other than keyboard shortcuts, you can use some valuable methods such as an option on the Excel Ribbon menu. For this, follow the steps given below:
- Open the Excel spreadsheet.
- Click the sheet you want to delete from the bottom of the spreadsheet.
- When the worksheet opens, choose the “Home” tab given at the top ribbon of Excel. Choose the down-arrow icon placed next to “Delete” from the “Cells” section. Click “Delete Sheet.”
- If the sheet is empty, you can remove it directly. If the sheet isn’t empty, you will be notified. Click “Delete” in the given prompt to delete the sheet.
That’s it! your unwanted sheet from the Excel workbook is now deleted safely.
Delete the Sheet in Excel using the Right-Click Menu
For the workbook, you can delete a worksheet easily by using right-click option in Excel. Follow the steps given below:
Open the spreadsheet with Excel and find the unwanted sheet from the bottom of your workbook.
To delete the sheet, right-click the worksheet and choose the “Delete” option from the given menu.
When the selected sheet is blank, it will be deleted instantly. On the other hand, if the sheet has data, you will be prompted. Continue with the delete option and click “Delete.”
This is it. Your unwanted sheet is now deleted safely.
Delete Sheet in Excel using VBA
The above-mentioned methods are highly effective when you need to delete one or more than one sheet. VBA method works significantly only when you need to repeat the task more than once. VBA helps in regulating the process because it works remarkably when you need to delete a sheet in Excel.
Let’s find some advanced situations and before that let’s know how you can delete an active worksheet with VBA. Below is the VBA code to be used for deleting the active sheet:
Sub DeleteSheet() ActiveSheet.Delete End Sub
While using it in the immediate window, simply enter the line given below:
ActiveSheet.Delete
Using the above code will delete the active sheet instantly. Similarly, you will get a prompt of the sheet contains some data. Continue with the delete option and get rid of unwanted worksheets.
Excel allows you to explore much more features than you think. Keep trying and continue exploring.
