5 Easy Ways to Remove Table Formatting in Excel

Table formatting in Excel can be a powerful tool for organizing and presenting data. However, there may come a time when you need to remove table formatting from a range of cells. While this may seem like a daunting task, it is actually quite simple. By following the steps outlined below, you can quickly and easily remove table formatting from your worksheet without losing any of your data.

One of the easiest ways to remove table formatting is to use the “Clear” command. First, select the range of cells that you want to clear. Then, click on the “Home” tab in the Excel ribbon. In the “Editing” section of the ribbon, you will see a button labeled “Clear.” Click on this button and select “Clear Formats” from the drop-down menu. This will remove all of the table formatting from the selected cells, including borders, shading, and cell styles.

If you only want to remove certain aspects of the table formatting, you can use the “Table Tools” tab in the Excel ribbon. First, select the range of cells that you want to modify. Then, click on the “Table Tools” tab in the ribbon. In the “Design” section of the ribbon, you will see a section labeled “Table Style Options.” In this section, you can uncheck the boxes next to the formatting options that you want to remove. For example, if you want to remove the borders from the table, you would uncheck the box next to “Borders.” Once you have made your changes, click on the “OK” button to save them.

Deactivating Table Style

Deactivating a table style involves reverting the table back to its default format, removing any custom styling or formatting that was previously applied. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to deactivate table style in Excel:

Step 1: Select the Table

Begin by selecting the table whose formatting you wish to remove. To do this, click anywhere within the table to highlight it.

Step 2: Clear Table Style

Navigate to the ‘Table Design’ tab in the Excel ribbon. Within this tab, locate the ‘Table Styles’ group and click on the ‘Clear’ drop-down button.

Step 3: Confirm Style Removal

From the ‘Clear’ drop-down menu, select the ‘Clear Tables’ option. A confirmation dialog box will appear, asking if you want to convert the table to a normal range of cells and remove all formatting. Click ‘Yes’ to confirm.

Step 4: Observe Table Conversion

After confirming the style removal, the table will revert to its default appearance. The table borders, shading, and any other custom formatting will be removed, leaving you with a standard table or range of cells.

Note: Deactivating table style does not delete or remove the data within the cells. It simply removes the visual formatting of the table, making it easier to edit or modify as needed.

Additional Considerations:

Clearing Table Style Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Using Ctrl + T

This is the most straightforward method for clearing table formatting. Place the cursor anywhere within the table and press Ctrl + T. A small menu will appear, offering you the option to “Convert to Range.” Clicking on this option will remove all table formatting, leaving you with a regular range of cells.

Using Alt + H + F + T

This keyboard shortcut is a bit longer than the previous one, but it can be useful if you have multiple tables in your worksheet and want to clear the formatting from all of them at once. Press Alt + H + F + T, then select “Clear Table Style” from the menu that appears. All tables in the worksheet will have their formatting removed, leaving you with a clean slate.

Using Home Tab

Start by going to the Home tab in the Excel ribbon. Then, in the Styles group, click on the arrow next to the Table Styles button. A drop-down menu will appear, containing various table style options. Select “Clear Table Style” from this menu to remove any formatting from the selected table.

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Shortcut

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Description

|
|:—|:—|
| Ctrl + T | Converts the table to a range of cells |
| Alt + H + F + T | Clears the table style from all tables in the worksheet |
| Home Tab | Use the Table Styles button in the Styles group to clear the table style |

Using the Convert to Range Option

The Convert to Range option provides a quick and straightforward way to remove table formatting from a selected range of cells. Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Select the Table

Click anywhere within the table to select it. The entire table, including its headers and formatting, will be highlighted.

Step 2: Access the Table Tools

On the ribbon, go to the “Table Tools” tab. This tab only appears when you have selected a table.

Step 3: Convert to Range

In the “Table” group, click on the “Convert to Range” button. A confirmation dialog box will appear.

Step 4: Confirm the Conversion

In the confirmation dialog box, ensure that the “Convert to range” option is selected and click “OK.” The table formatting will be removed immediately.

Step 5: Verify the Results

Check the previously selected cells to confirm that the table formatting has been removed. The cells should now appear in the same style as the surrounding cells, without any special header or gridlines.

As an alternative to this method, you can also use the “Clear” command to remove table formatting. However, the Convert to Range option is more specific and efficient for this purpose.

Deleting Table Headers and Borders Manually

If you have a table created in Excel and you want to remove the formatting, here are the manual steps to do so:

Step 1: Select the Table

Click anywhere inside the table to select the entire table.

Step 2: Remove Table Headers

Select the header row by clicking on the first row number. Right-click and choose “Delete” to remove the header row.

Step 3: Remove Table Borders

Select the entire table again. Go to the “Home” tab in the ribbon and click on the “Borders” button. Choose “No Borders” to remove all borders from the table.

Step 4: Clear Table Formatting (Optional)

If you want to completely remove all formatting, not just the headers and borders, follow these additional steps:

1. Select the table.
2. Go to the “Table Tools” tab (which appears when you select a table).
3. Click on the “Design” tab.
4. Choose “Clear” from the “Table Styles” group.
5. Select “Clear All” to remove all formatting, including the table style, borders, and shading.

By following these steps, you can easily remove the formatting from a table in Excel and customize it to meet your needs.

Applying Regular Cell Formatting

To apply regular cell formatting, you can use the following steps:

1. Select the cells you want to format.
2. Click the “Home” tab in the ribbon.
3. In the “Font” group, select the desired font, font size, and font color.
4. In the “Alignment” group, select the desired alignment (left, center, or right).
5. In the “Number” group, select the desired number format (currency, percentage, date, etc.).
6. If you want to apply a fill color or border, click the “Fill” or “Borders” button in the “Home” tab.

Here is a table summarizing the steps for applying regular cell formatting:

Using the Paste Special Tool

The Paste Special tool offers a versatile way to remove table formatting while retaining the data itself. Follow these steps for a more detailed explanation:

1. Copy the Table Data

Select the table and press Ctrl + C (Windows) or Cmd + C (Mac) to copy the data.

2. Create a New Worksheet or Workbook

If desired, you can create a new worksheet or workbook to paste the unformatted data into.

3. Right-Click and Select “Paste Special”

In the new worksheet or workbook, right-click and select “Paste Special” from the context menu.

4. Choose “Values” Option

In the “Paste Special” dialog box, select the “Values” option under the “Paste” section. This will paste only the table data, excluding any formatting.

5. Check the “Transpose” Option (Optional)

If the table is in a vertical (columnar) format and you want to convert it to a horizontal (row-based) format, check the “Transpose” option.

6. Advanced Settings:

You can customize these settings based on your requirements.

Utilizing the Clear Formatting Option

The Clear Formatting option provides a convenient way to remove specific formatting elements from selected cells without affecting the data within them. This option can be accessed in several ways:

• Right-click on the selected cells and select Clear > Clear Formats from the context menu.
• Go to the Home tab in the Excel ribbon and click the Clear button in the Editing section.
• Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + H + S to open the Clear Formatting dialog box.

Once you have accessed the Clear Formatting option, you can choose to remove specific formatting elements or clear all formatting altogether. To clear specific elements, simply uncheck the corresponding boxes in the Clear Formatting dialog box. For example, if you want to remove only the font formatting, uncheck the box next to Font. To clear all formatting, simply click OK without making any changes.

The Clear Formatting option is a powerful tool that can help you to quickly and easily remove unwanted formatting from your Excel worksheets. Whether you need to remove specific formatting elements or clear all formatting altogether, the Clear Formatting option provides a convenient and efficient solution.

Employing the Find and Replace Function

The Find and Replace function in Excel offers a powerful tool for removing table formatting. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Select the Table: Highlight the entire table where you want to remove formatting.

2. Access Find and Replace: Press Ctrl + F or click the Find & Select button on the Home tab, then select Replace.

3. Find What: In the Find what field, enter any character or symbol not present in the table data. For example, a “{” symbol can be used.

4. Replace With: Leave the Replace with field blank.

5. Format > No Format: Click the Format button in the Find and Replace dialog box. In the Font tab, clear any font formatting and select No Format from the Effects drop-down menu.

6. Find Next: Click the Find Next button to locate the first occurrence of the character entered in step 3.

7. Replace: Click the Replace button to remove the formatting at the current location.

8. Repeat and Select All: Repeat steps 6 and 7 for all occurrences. Alternatively, click Replace All to automatically replace all instances and remove the formatting at once.

Note: The following table summarizes the Find and Replace settings for removing table formatting:

Applying Custom Number Formatting

Custom number formatting allows you to set specific rules for how numeric values are displayed. To apply custom formatting, follow these steps:

1. Select the cells or range you want to format.
2. Right-click and choose “Format Cells” from the context menu.
3. In the “Format Cells” dialog box, choose the “Custom” category.
4. Enter a custom format code in the “Type” field.
5. Click “OK” to apply the formatting.

Using Custom Format Codes

Custom format codes consist of various sections, each specifying the format of a different part of the number. Here’s a table summarizing the common sections:

0

#

.

,

%

$

Example: Removing Table Formatting

To remove table formatting from selected cells, use the following custom format code:

General

This code returns cells to their default formatting, removing any applied table style or number formatting rules.

Resetting Worksheet Settings

To reset all worksheet settings to their default values, including any conditional formatting, follow these steps:

1. Select the entire worksheet by clicking the small square at the top-left corner of the worksheet, where the row and column headers intersect.
2. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click the Clear drop-down arrow.
3. Select Clear Formats.

This will clear all formatting, including fonts, colors, borders, and conditional formatting.

You can also reset the worksheet settings to their default values by using the “Clear All” function.

1. Select the range of cells you want to clear.
2. Right-click and select “Clear All”.

This will clear all formatting, as well as any data that is contained in the cells.

How to Remove Table Formatting in Excel

There are two easy ways to remove table formatting in Excel:

1. Clear Table > Convert to Range: Select the table, go to the “Table Design” tab, and click “Convert to Range.”

2. Use Keyboard Shortcut: Select the table and press “Ctrl + T,” then press “Esc” to cancel the table creation process.

Once you perform either of these steps, the table formatting will be removed, and the cells will be converted back to a regular range.

People Also Ask about How to Remove Table Formatting in Excel

How do I clear table formatting in Excel without losing data?

Using the “Convert to Range” option preserves all data within the table.

Why can’t I remove table formatting in Excel?

Ensure that you have selected the entire table, including the table header. Partial selection may prevent the formatting removal.

Can I remove table formatting through VBA?

Yes, you can use the “ListObjects.Delete” method to remove table formatting and convert it to a regular range.