How to clear formatting in excel
Tutor 5 (70 Reviews)
Excel Tutor
Still stuck with a Excel question
Ask this expertAnswer
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
- Select the cells containing formatting you want to remove
- Navigate to the Home tab
- Locate the Editing group on the right side
- Click the Clear button (eraser icon)
- 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
- Select the target cells
- Right-click on the selection
- Choose Clear Contents
- 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
- Select the range with conditional formatting
- Go to Home tab
- Click Conditional Formatting
- Choose Clear Rules
- Select either "Clear Rules from Selected Cells" or "Clear Rules from Entire Sheet"
Table Formatting
- Click anywhere in the table
- Go to Table Design tab (Windows) or Table tab (Mac)
- Click Convert to Range
- 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:
- Select a cell with desired formatting
- Click Format Painter in the Home tab
- 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:
- Press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac) to select all cells
- Click Clear in the Home tab
- 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.
. Was this Helpful?Get Online Tutoring or Questions answered by Experts.
You can post a question for a tutor or set up a tutoring session
Answers · 1
How to add secondary axis in excel
Answers · 1
How to switch columns to rows in excel
Answers · 1
How to subtract on excel
Answers · 1
How to combine two cells of text in excel
Answers · 1