How To Delete Columns In Google Sheets

Outdated or incorrect data can quickly make a spreadsheet less accurate and harder to use.

Fortunately, when you find you have a column of data in your spreadsheet that you no longer need, you can easily delete by following these steps:

Step 1

Select the column or columns you want to delete.

To highlight multiple columns, hold down Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac while you select the columns.

Step 2

Right click on the selected columns and choose Delete Columns from the menu.

The menu option will show which columns you’re deleting. E.g. “Delete Columns B – C”

Step 3

The selected columns and all data they contain will be removed from the spreadsheet

Note that if your spreadsheet contains any references to cells in the deleted columns, those references will break when the column is deleted.

The broken reference will show up as an error in the cell that reads #REF! And will look like the image below.

To fix these errors, you’ll have to re-write the formulas they contain to reference cells that still exist in your spreadsheet.

Summary

Example Spreadsheet: Make a copy of the example spreadsheet

In this tutorial, I covered how to delete columns in Google Sheets. Want more? Check out all the Google Sheets Tutorials.