How to clear formatting in excel

Answer

To clear formatting in Excel, select the cells you want to modify, go to the Home tab, click the Clear button in the Editing group, and choose Clear Formats.

Methods to Clear Formatting

Excel provides multiple ways to remove formatting from cells while preserving data. The Clear Formats option removes all visual formatting, including fonts, colors, borders, and number formats. The cell values remain unchanged after clearing formats.

Method 1: Using the Ribbon

1. Select the cells containing formatting you want to remove
2. Navigate to the Home tab
3. Locate the Editing group on the right side
4. Click the Clear button (eraser icon)
5. Select Clear Formats from the dropdown menu

Method 2: Using Keyboard Shortcuts

• Windows: Select cells and press Alt + H + E + F
• Mac: Select cells and press Control + Option + Space

Method 3: Using Right-Click Menu

1. Select the target cells
2. Right-click on the selection
3. Choose Clear Contents
4. Select Clear Formats

Types of Formatting You Can Clear

Clear Formats removes these elements:

• Font styles (bold, italic, underline)
• Font size and typeface changes
• Cell background colors and patterns
• Border styles and colors
• Number formats (currency, percentage, date)
• Alignment settings
• Conditional formatting rules
• Cell protection settings

Difference Between Clear Options

Clear All removes both content and formatting from selected cells. The cells become empty after this operation.

Clear Contents deletes only the data within cells. All formatting remains intact for future data entry.

Clear Formats removes only visual formatting. Data, formulas, and comments stay in place.

Clear Comments and Notes deletes annotations without affecting cell data or formatting.

Clear Hyperlinks removes links while keeping display text. The Remove Hyperlinks option appears when right-clicking hyperlinked cells.

Clearing Specific Format Types

Number Formatting: Select cells with number formatting, open the Format Cells dialog (Ctrl+1 on Windows, Command+1 on Mac), choose the Number tab, and select General to restore default formatting.

Conditional Formatting

1. Select the range with conditional formatting
2. Go to Home tab
3. Click Conditional Formatting
4. Choose Clear Rules
5. Select either "Clear Rules from Selected Cells" or "Clear Rules from Entire Sheet"

Table Formatting

1. Click anywhere in the table
2. Go to Table Design tab (Windows) or Table tab (Mac)
3. Click Convert to Range
4. Confirm the conversion

Preserving Data While Clearing Formats

Excel maintains formulas and values when clearing formats. A cell containing a formula like =SUM(A1:A10) continues calculating after format removal. Text and numbers remain in their original form unless specifically deleted through Clear Contents or Clear All.

Using Format Painter for Consistency

Format Painter helps apply consistent formatting after clearing:

1. Select a cell with desired formatting
2. Click Format Painter in the Home tab
3. Click or drag over cells to apply formatting

Double-clicking Format Painter allows multiple applications. Press Escape to deactivate the tool.

Clearing Formats from the Entire Worksheet

To remove all formatting from a worksheet:

1. Press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac) to select all cells
2. Click Clear in the Home tab
3. Choose Clear Formats

This action affects only the used range of the worksheet. Empty cells beyond the data range remain unaffected.

Troubleshooting Format Clearing Issues

Protected worksheets prevent format clearing. Unprotect the sheet through the Review tab > Unprotect Sheet before attempting format removal.

Merged cells may require unmerging before clearing formats completely. Select merged cells, go to the Home tab, and click Merge & Center to unmerge.

Pivot tables have special formatting rules. Refresh the pivot table after clearing formats by right-clicking and selecting Refresh.

Best Practices for Format Management

Create a backup before clearing extensive formatting. Copy the worksheet or save a version of the file to preserve original formatting.

Use Find & Replace (Ctrl+H on Windows, Command+H on Mac) with Format options to locate specific formatting before clearing.

Apply cell styles from the Home tab for consistent formatting across workbooks. Cell styles update automatically when modified, maintaining uniformity.

Yes · 0 No · 0 Add Comment · 0

Add ·

Report