How to Delete Blank Rows in Google Sheets

Are you looking to learn how to delete blank rows in Google Sheets? It’s a valuable skill that I use regularly, and fortunately, it’s easy to learn. In this guide on deleting blank rows in Google Sheets, I’ll show you all the methods I’ve found to make it easier for you.

The Best Way to Delete Blank Rows in Google Sheets

To delete blank rows in Google Sheets, you can select each blank row by holding down the CTRL key (or CMD on macOS) and clicking on the row. Then, right-click on the selected rows and choose “Delete rows”.

However, this method works best when you only have a few blank rows in your dataset. But what do you do when you have thousands of blank rows? In that case, I would be more inclined to use a filter. And can Google Sheets delete blank rows in any other way?

Of course! Below, I’ll show you some powerful ways to delete blank rows simultaneously. And while you’re at it, take a look at my guide on removing duplicates.

How to Manually Delete Blank Rows

If I don’t have a large dataset or too many blank rows, I would manually delete them by selecting and deleting the blank rows.

Follow the steps below to learn how to manually delete blank rows in Google Sheets:

1. Hold down the CTRL button for Windows (or CMD for Mac).
2. Select each blank row.
3. Right-click on the selected rows to open the context menu.
4. Choose the “Delete rows” option.

While this is the simplest method to delete extra rows in Google Sheets, it also requires a lot of effort if you have a large dataset because you have to select all the blank rows.

In such cases, if I have a large dataset, I would use another method highlighted below.

How to Filter and Delete: Delete Blank Rows in Google Sheets

Let’s say you have a dataset in one of your spreadsheets, as shown below, with multiple blank rows. It looks messy, doesn’t it?

Let’s remove the blank rows from the spreadsheet to clean it up by removing rows 6, 10, 11, and 14. The best way to delete rows in Google Sheets is to use a filter. The process takes no more than a few minutes, and it’s the same on both Mac and PC.

Moreover, you can filter the dataset based on various criteria when cells are empty, which is helpful. Additionally, once you have filtered out all the blank rows, you can select and delete them (while the other rows remain unchanged).

And most importantly, you don’t need to use a Google Apps script! Note that this process is different from my method for highlighting duplicates.

Follow the steps below to learn how to filter and delete blank rows.

1. Select the entire dataset.

   • You need to select all the cells in the dataset, including the empty ones.

2. Click on the “Data” tab.

3. Click on the “Create a filter” option.

   • This will add filters to the headers of the dataset.

4. Click on the filter icon in one of the columns (small inverted pyramid icon to the right of the header cell).

5. In the dropdown menu, click on “Clear” to deselect each option.

6. Manually select the “Empty” option.

7. Click “OK” to confirm your selection.

Once the above steps are complete, you’ll have a filtered dataset with all the blank rows hidden, while all the rows with data remain visible.

Next, you can use the method below to delete the blank rows in Google Sheets.

1. Click on the column number to the left of the row.

2. Hold down the Shift key (⇧) and click on the last blank row in your dataset.

   • This will select all the blank rows in the dataset.

3. Right-click on one of the selected column numbers.

4. Click on “Delete rows 6-14” (in your case, it will display the number of your rows).

The above steps will only delete the blank rows from the dataset and not all the rows with data.

Once that’s done, remove the filter, and you’ll have a dataset where the blank rows have been deleted.

NOTE: To remove the filter, click on the “Data” tab and then click on “Turn off filter”.

How to Sort and Delete: Delete Blank Rows in Google Sheets

While the method of filtering data and deleting blank rows is one that I prefer, there are several ways to achieve the same result.

Another equally good method is to sort the dataset; when you group all the blank rows together, you can select and delete them.

Here are the steps to delete blank rows in Google Sheets by sorting the dataset:

1. Select the entire dataset.

   • You need to select all the cells in the dataset, including the empty ones.

2. Click on the “Data” tab.

3. Click on the “Sort range A-Z” option.

Once done, this will sort your entire dataset and group all the blank rows at the bottom of the dataset. You can then ask Google Sheets to delete the blank rows at the bottom.

Now that you have all the blank rows grouped together, you can select and delete them all at once.

Here are the steps to delete blank cells in Google Sheets:

1. Click on the column number to the left of the row.

2. Hold down the Shift key (⇧) and then click on the last blank row in your dataset.

   • This will select all the blank rows in the dataset.

3. Right-click on one of the selected header rows.

4. Click on “Delete rows 12-15” (in your case, it will display the number of your rows).

While this method works great, there’s a reason why I said it’s almost as good as the filter method (and not as good or even better).

Here are a few points to keep in mind when using this method:

1. When you finish deleting the blank rows, you are left with a sorted dataset. This is great if you want to sort the data anyway, but you can’t do it if you want to go back to the original order of the dataset.

   • Although there is a long way to do it (by adding a serial number column and sorting it to restore it to the original order), it’s better to filter the data and delete the blank rows.

2. You need to sort the data from Z to A, not from A to Z.

   • If you sort the data from A to Z, your data headers can also get sorted, and you’ll end up somewhere in the middle or end of the dataset.

Delete Blank Rows in Google Sheets: Video

To learn the quickest way to delete rows using Google Sheets, watch my video “Delete Blank Rows” on Google Sheets above. It’s available below, and I’ve also uploaded it to YouTube.

You can also continue reading my detailed guide with screenshots and step-by-step instructions.

Deleting Empty Cells with an Extension

While both of the above methods don’t take much time and are easy to perform, if you need a more convenient approach, you can use certain Google Sheets extensions to achieve it.

An extension is a code that someone has created for a specific purpose (deleting blank rows in our example). All you have to do is install that extension and, whenever you want to delete blank rows, use the extension (which usually provides an easy interface to do the job, like a simple click of a button).

Here are the steps to install an extension that deletes blank rows in Google Sheets:

1. Click on the “Add-ons” option in the menu.

2. Click on “Get add-ons…”

3. In the open dialog box, type “Delete Blank Rows” in the search field at the top right and press “Enter”.
   • This will show you a list of extensions in Google Sheets related to your search query.

4. Click on the “FREE” button for the “Delete Blank Rows (and more!)” extension.
   • You can also try other extensions, but for this tutorial, I will be using this particular extension.

5. Sign in with your account details if you’re not already logged into your Google account.

6. It may also prompt you to allow this extension to access your account.

   • This is quite common and a safe extension to use. Click on “Allow”.

Once you’ve followed all these steps, you’ve added the extension to your account to delete blank rows or columns in Google Sheets.

Steps to Delete Rows Add-on

There will also be occasions where you’ll need to remove an extension. Fortunately, the process is quick and easy. Simply follow the steps below and use this extension to delete blanks from your dataset method:

1. Select the entire dataset.

2. Click on the “Add-ons” option in the menu.

3. Hover over the “Delete Blank Rows (and more!)” option.

4. Click on the “Delete/Hide Empty Rows/Columns” option.

5. In the “Delete Blank Rows” pane that opens,

   • Make sure the option “All cells in rows must be empty” is selected (reason explained in a few paragraphs below).
   • In “More options”, make sure to select “Delete blank rows”.

6. Click on “Delete”.

Deleting all the blank rows may take a few seconds depending on your dataset.

Note: I asked you to select “All cells in rows must be empty” because you may have data in the same row, but that data is not part of your dataset.

This option ensures that only the blank rows are deleted (and it applies not just to the dataset but to the entire sheet).

When you add an extension to Google Sheets, it becomes available for use in all the other Google Sheets documents you use.

This is account-dependent, so any Google Sheets you create or work on with the same account you used to add the extension will be able to use the extension. It’s a huge time-saver; once you’ve added it, you’ll see how much more efficient your workflow becomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before I conclude, I’d like to address the remaining questions about cleaning up extra space in your spreadsheet. I’ll do my best to answer the most common questions here. If I miss any, feel free to ask them in the comments!

Why Delete Rows in a Spreadsheet?

In many cases, it’s simply a personal preference to delete unnecessary rows. Extra rows and columns also mean that you’ll have to scroll more to get to the end of the sheet.

You may also delete blank rows in Google Sheets to ensure that your formulas display error messages if you accidentally list empty cells as arguments.

What’s the Fastest Way to Delete Blank Rows?

If you’ve grouped all your blank rows together, the fastest way is to click on the topmost blank row, then hold down the Shift key (⇧) and the down arrow (↓). This will select all the blank rows.

You can right-click on this selection and click on “Delete”. Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to directly delete blank rows in Google Sheets.

How to Delete Blank Columns in Google Sheets?

While deleting blank rows in Google Sheets is quite simple, it’s different for deleting columns. Filtering data and sorting data methods work for rows, but you can’t do it for columns. In this case, the simplest solution is to use the script editor.

The “Delete Blank Rows (and more!)” extension allows you to delete blank columns, but it applies to the entire dataset, not just the selection. If the extension doesn’t work for you, you can also consider creating your own Google Apps Script that loops through the cells in the dataset and deletes only columns in the dataset.

If you need additional information about columns in Google Sheets, please visit the help page.

Conclusion of the Guide to Deleting Blank Rows in Google Sheets

Cleaning up data by deleting blank rows in Google Sheets is very useful. Above, I’ve shown you the best available methods, along with my video on deleting blank rows. I hope my step-by-step guide on deleting blank rows in Google Sheets has answered some of your questions and improved your workflow.

You may also enjoy the following Google Sheets tutorials:

• How to Indent Text in Google Sheets
• How to Transpose Data in Google Sheets
• How to Filter by Color in Google Sheets
• How to Color Alternate Rows in Google Sheets
• How to Insert Multiple Rows in Google Sheets
• How to Hide Columns in Google Sheets
• How to Show Hidden Rows in Google Sheets
• How to Delete Multiple Sheets in Google Sheets