How to Remove Empty Rows in Excel Quickly [8 Ways]

Part 1. Quick Answer: The Fastest Way to Remove Blank Rows in Excel

⭐ Best for: 90% of users | Large datasets | One-click cleanup

When you have hundreds (or thousands) of entries, blank rows can break the flow of your data, mess up sorting and make analysis harder than it needs to be. The fastest built-in way to remove multiple blank rows at once is Excel’s “Go To Special” and then the “Blanks” feature. It automatically finds all empty cells in a selected range so you can delete the rows in one move, no scrolling, filtering or manual deletions.

Method: Remove Multiple Blank Rows in Excel Using “Go To Special”

This method works best when your data is in a clean table or continuous range and blank rows are truly empty.

• Select the entire range where you want to remove blank rows. You can press Ctrl + A to select all data if needed.

• Go to the “Home” tab and click “Find & Select” in the Editing section.

• From the dropdown menu, select “Go To Special”.

  

• In the dialog box that appears, choose “Blanks” and click “OK.” Excel will instantly highlight every empty cell within your selected range.

  

• Right-click on any highlighted blank cell and click “Delete.”

• When the delete options appear, select “Entire row,” then click “OK.”

  

• Excel will automatically delete all blank rows from your sheet.

Part 2. Before You Start: Why Excel Has Blank Rows & What Counts as "Blank"

Before you start, it helps to understand why Excel has blank rows and what truly counts as “empty”. Users often struggle because not all blank-looking rows are actually empty.

Common Reasons Excel Has Blank or “Fake Blank” Rows

• Users press Enter accidentally, inserting empty rows.
• Imported CSV files come with extra spacing.
• Copy-pasted data often includes invisible formatting.
• Rows with spaces appear blank but aren’t.
• Hidden formulas or characters create “fake blank rows”.
• Merged cells create gaps that behave like blank rows.
• Filtered tables leave empty rows between visible data.
• Excel files corrupted (common after sharing online).
• Data imports often create hundreds of empty rows

Types of Blank Rows You Must Identify

• Fully empty rows: No values, no formulas, no hidden characters.
• Partially empty rows: Some cells are empty, some are filled (maybe you want to remove only those fully blank).
• Fake blank rows: Rows that look empty but contain spaces, formulas or invisible symbols.
• Structured blanks: Intentional separators for readability (you may not want to delete them).

Once you have identified the type, select the appropriate method below.

Part 3. How to Remove Blank Rows in Excel (7 Fast & Full Methods)

Below are 7 ways to remove blank rows in Excel, from simple filtering to advanced automation. Choose the one that matches your file and goal.

Method 1. Remove Empty Rows in Excel with Filters (Most Accurate)

Filtering is one of the most accurate ways to find and delete blank rows in Excel because it shows only the rows that contain no visible content. This method works best when your dataset has clear headers and you suspect empty rows in between. It also helps avoid deleting rows that appear blank but actually contain formulas or spaces.

Steps Steps

• Select your entire data range by pressing "Ctrl + A".

• Go to the "Data" > "Filter" button to turn on AutoFilter.

  

• In the each column, click the filter drop-down, uncheck “(Select All)” and tick the “(Blanks)” box. Hit “OK” to display only the empty rows.

  

• Select the visible rows (Alt + ).

• Right-click on the rows, select “Delete Row” > “Entire row”.

  

• Turn off the filter and blank rows gone forever.

The most accurate way to eliminate blank rows in Excel inside data blocks.

Method 2. Remove Blank Rows in Excel Online Using Sort (Excel Web Version)

Excel Online doesn’t support all desktop features, but you can still delete blank rows in Excel quickly using sort. This method is perfect for clearing empty rows in Excel at the bottom or removing blank rows between data when working in a browser. It’s simple, safe and no add-ins required. Great for Excel, delete blank rows between data and remove empties at the bottom.

• Select your whole column or columns.

• Go to the “Data” tab, open “Sort and Filter,” and select either “Sort Z to A” or “Sort A to Z”

  

• All truly blank rows will move to the “top” or “bottom.”

• Highlight the blank rows. Right-click and choose “Delete Rows.”

Method 3. Delete Empty Rows in Excel Using Helper Formula (Dynamic Method)

When your data changes frequently, a dynamic solution is better than manual cleanup. Using a formula helps you remove empty rows in Excel automatically by creating a “cleaned” list that ignores blanks. This is great for dashboards, reports or anytime you want to find and delete blank rows in Excel without actually deleting source data. Perfect when you want a dynamic way to clear blank rows in Excel.

Steps:

• Add a new column at the end of your data and name it “Blanks”.

• In the first cell of this new column, enter the formula and highlight all data cells: =COUNT A (A2:C2)

  

• Double-click the fill handle to copy down.

• Filter the Blanks filter and pick options showing only 0.

  

• Select the filtered rows and delete the entire row..

• After deleting, only fully blank rows are removed; all other rows remain.

• Finally, you can delete the helper Blanks column if you want. Or, to show rows with some blanks, filter again and uncheck 0.

That will display only rows that have one or more empty cells. Also, if you

Method 4. Remove All Blank Rows at Once Using Excel's Power Query

Power Query is the pro-level way to delete blank rows in Excel at once, especially for large files. It treats your sheet like a database, so you can delete empty rows in Excel, refresh later and keep everything repeatable. This is top pick for ongoing reporting workflows.

Steps:

• Select the range where you want to delete empty rows.

• Go to the “Data” tab, open the “Get & Transform” group and click “From Table/Range”. This will load your table into the Power Query Editor.

  

• In the Power Query Editor, open the “Home” > “Remove Rows” > “Remove Blank Rows.”

  

• Click “Home” > “Close and Load.” The cleaned table will be loaded into a new worksheet, and the Query Editor will close.

After these steps, your table will no longer have empty rows. But you may notice some unwanted changes, like currency formatting being removed and dates showing in the default format instead of your custom one.

Method 5. Automatically Delete Blank Rows in Excel Using VBA

If you need to find and delete blank rows in Excel at once frequently, a simple VBA macro can automate the whole process. With one click, it will scan your sheet and remove any row that has no data. This is best for advanced users or anyone comfortable running scripts in Excel Desktop.

Steps:

• Press ALT + F11 to open the VBA editor.

• In the left pane (Project Explorer), find your workbook name VBAProject (YourFileName.xlsm).

• Right-click it select “Insert” > “Module”.

  

• Paste this VBA code into the right blank white window:

Sub DeleteBlankRows()

On Error Resume Next

Columns("A").SpecialCells(xlCellTypeBlanks).EntireRow.Delete

End Sub

• Close the VBA editor windows and save your files as Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (.xlsm).

• Press Alt + F8, pick the macro DeleteAllBlankRows_OneClick, click “Run.”

Reusable excel erase blank rows workflow.

Method 6. Remove Blank Rows in Google Sheets

Excel Online and Google Sheets have similar tools to delete empty rows, especially useful when collaborating. Sorting and filtering are the fastest options and Google Sheets adds powerful bulk-delete shortcuts.

Steps (Google Sheets):

• Enable the filter after selecting the full range.

• Open any filter drop-down and choose "Filter by condition." Then, select "Is empty" and click "OK."

  

• Now only the blank rows will be visible.

• Select all visible empty rows by clicking their row numbers.

• Right-click and choose "Delete selected rows."

  

• Turn off the filter by clicking the filter icon again. Your sheet will now have no blank rows.

Filters help you quickly find empty rows, whether you want to hide them or delete them for good. If you want an even faster option, there are automated tools that can remove empty rows with one click.

Cross-platform delete empty rows in Excel, and plus Sheets cleanup.

Method 7. Fix Rows That Look Blank But Aren’t (Fake Blank Rows)

Sometimes rows look empty but aren’t truly blank—maybe they contain spaces, hidden characters, line breaks or formula outputs like "". These “fake blank rows” won’t delete properly using normal filters. You need to clean hidden content first, then remove blank rows in Excel using Go To Special.

Steps (Hidden content cleanup):

• Select your data range.

• Press Ctrl + H to open the "Find and Replace" dialog box.

• In Find What, press Ctrl + J (this finds line breaks, but also catches most invisible junk).

• Leave “Replace with ” empty. Then click "Replace All."

  

• Repeat Ctrl + H, leave Find what with leave blank while keeping Replace with with nothing. Then hit “Replace All”. (this removes remaining spaces/apostrophes).

• Now run Method 1 again and delete the real blanks

Fix fake blank rows and then delete blank rows in Excel properly.

Part 4. What to Do If Blank Rows Keep Reappearing: Repair Your Excel File

If blank rows keep reappearing in your Excel sheet, even after deleting them manually. It’s often a sign that the file itself is corrupted. Corrupted Excel workbooks may display blank rows, gibberish characters, missing data, formula errors or fail to open entirely. When this happens, repairing the file is the most effective solution.

This is where 4DDiG File Repair comes in handy. It is a professional file repair tool designed to fix damaged Excel files and restore your tables, formulas, charts, pivot tables and formatting with high accuracy. The software supports batch repair, advanced repair modes and lets you preview your repaired Excel file before saving.

Why 4DDiG File Repair Helps With Excel Blank Row Issues

4DDiG is especially effective for issues like recurring blank rows because it:

• Repairs corrupted Excel files that repeatedly insert blank or broken data
• Fixes unreadable, unresponsive or gibberish-filled text in Excel workbooks
• Restores key elements such as tables, charts, formulas and cell formatting
• Supports all major Excel formats, including .xlsx, .xls and .xlsm
• Works with Excel 2019/2016/2013/2010 and earlier versions
• Allows repairing multiple corrupted Excel files at once

If you suspect your Excel file is corrupted, 4DDiG File Repair can fix it in seconds.

Steps to Fix Corrupted Excel Files Using 4DDiG File Repair

Here’s how to repair your Excel file and get rid of recurring blank rows:

• Open 4DDiG File Repair and click “File Repair”. Click “Add Files” to upload your corrupted Excel file (.xlsx, .xls, .xlsm).

  

• Click "Repair All" and allow 4DDiG to analyze and repair your Excel document.

  

• Once repaired, click "Preview" to check the restored Excel file.

  

• Click "Save" or "Save All" to export your restored Excel file to your computer.

  

Once repaired, your deletions/formatting should persist normally, and the “phantom blank rows” issue usually disappears.

Part 5. People Also Ask about Excel Delete Blank Rows

There’s no single shortcut for blank rows. Fast way: select range, press F5, choose Special, pick Blanks, then Ctrl + - and select Entire row.

In Google Sheets, select your data range. Use “Filter” to find empty rows quickly. Go to “Data” and turn on “Create a filter”, filter blank rows, select them and delete.

Yes. Select the range, press F5, Special, Blanks to highlight all blank rows. Then press Ctrl + - and select Entire row to delete them all.

Excel Online also has "Go To Special" for blanks. Select data, open "Find and Select", choose "Go To Special" and "Blanks", then delete rows

Select the empty area and delete it. Click the first empty row, press Ctrl + Shift + Down, then delete.

The standard command uses the "Go To Special" and "Blanks" features. Select blanks, then delete Entire Row to clear all blank rows at once.

Conclusion

Blank rows can break formulas, exports, and data structure. This guide showed 8 fast methods for removing blank rows in Excel, from Go To Special to Power Query and VBA, plus how to remove empty rows in Excel safely at the bottom. If empty rows keep returning, don’t fight a broken file; repair it. 4DDiG File Repair can restore corrupted Excel sheets, protect your data, and stop blank-row glitches for good.