Creating tables in Excel can be a very useful way to organize and analyze data. The structured format allows you to easily sort, filter, and work with large datasets. However, sometimes we format data as a table accidentally or later realize it’s not actually helpful.
Thankfully, Excel provides a variety of simple options to undo a table and convert it back into a normal range of cells. Whether you want to completely remove the table or just alter parts of its formatting, you can undo a table in Excel with just a few clicks.
This guide will walk through the various methods, from pressing a single button to reverting workbook versions, so you can quickly eliminate any Excel table you don’t need.
Use the Undo Button
The easiest way to undo a table is to click the Undo button on the Quick Access Toolbar. This button looks like a left-facing curved arrow near the top-left corner of the Excel window.
When you convert a range to a table, click this Undo button once to revert the range back to normal data. The Undo button lets you sequentially undo multiple actions, so you may need to click it multiple times to undo back to the state before the table was created.
Press CTRL + Z
You can also use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + Z to undo your last action. So if you just created an Excel table, press CTRL + Z immediately afterward to remove the table formatting and convert it back into a normal range of data.
This keyboard shortcut is handy because you don’t have to move your hands from the keyboard after making a change in order to undo it. Just press CTRL + Z and you’ve undone it!
Use the Undo Dropdown
The Undo dropdown menu provides you with a list of recent actions that can be undone. It’s located right next to the Undo button on the Quick Access Toolbar.
- Click the dropdown arrow and you’ll see a chronological list of your recent actions.
- Click on any action in this list to revert the worksheet back to that state.
- For example, if “Format As Table” is in the list, clicking it will remove the table. This gives you more control over what gets undone.
Revert to Last Saved Version
If you want to undo all changes since the last time you saved the workbook, you can revert back to the last saved version.
Click File > Info > Version History > Restore and select the latest saved version. Click Restore and the entire workbook will reload to the state it was in last time you saved. Any unsaved changes, including new tables, will be gone.
Recover Unsaved Versions
If you created a table but didn’t save the workbook yet, Excel automatically saves recovery versions every few minutes. You can revert back to one of these auto-saved versions to undo the table.
Click File > Info > Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks. Choose the recovery version from right before the table was added and click Open. This version won’t have the new table.
Manually Remove Table Formatting
If undo options aren’t working, you can always manually remove the table formatting. This converts a table back into a normal range.
Select any cell in the table and go to the Table Design tab. Click Convert to Range to instantly remove all table formatting and features. The data remains but is no longer structured as a table.
Delete the Table
You can also delete the entire table altogether if you don’t want to keep the data. This removes both the structure and data in one step.
Select any cell in the table and press Delete. Or go to the Home tab and click the Erase button.
When the delete confirmation message appears, click Yes to permanently erase the table. This cannot be undone, so only do it if you don’t need the table data.
Conclusion
Accidentally creating a table in Excel is easy to undo. The fastest ways are using the Undo button, keyboard shortcut CTRL + Z, or the Undo dropdown menu. You can also revert to an older version without the table. And if needed, deleting or removing parts of the table provides a manual cleanup. With these handy options, unwanted Excel tables are easy to eliminate.
