To remove table formatting in Excel, first decide whether you want to keep the table. In desktop Excel, select a table cell, open Table Styles, and choose Clear to remove its style. Use Convert to Range to remove table behavior. For ordinary cell formatting, select the cells and choose Home > Clear > Clear Formats.
These commands do different jobs. Suppose your sales report in A1:D20 has a blue header and striped rows. You might want a plainer report while keeping its filters, or you might want regular worksheet cells again. Choose the result you need before changing anything.
Choose what you want to remove
| What you want | Use this method | What stays |
|---|---|---|
| Remove the table's style | Clear in the Table Styles gallery | Data, formulas, and the Excel Table |
| Stop using an Excel Table | Convert to Range | Data, formulas, and existing formatting |
| Remove ordinary cell formatting | Home > Clear > Clear Formats | Cell values and formulas |
| Get an unformatted ordinary range | Convert to Range, then Clear Formats | Cell values and formulas |
A colored block of cells isn't necessarily an Excel Table. Our table design walkthrough explains the difference using a data-entry worksheet. The distinction matters here because a table style belongs to a Table, while fill colors and borders can be applied to any cells.
Remove the table style and keep the table
In Excel for Windows or Mac:
- Select one cell inside your table, such as B2 in the sales report.
- Open Table Design on Windows or Table on Mac.
- Expand the Table Styles gallery and select Clear. You can also reach the gallery through Home > Format as Table.
The applied table style is removed; the cells remain a Table. Existing filter buttons and table references still work. Separately applied formatting may remain. Microsoft documents this distinction in its table formatting instructions.
Excel for the web: For striped rows, select a table cell and turn off Banded Rows under Table Design > Table Style Options. To follow the full style-removal procedure above, open the workbook in desktop Excel.
Convert the table to a normal range
Use this when you no longer need table features. The conversion preserves the existing appearance, so seeing the same blue rows afterward is expected.
Select a cell inside the table, then use the command for your version:
| Version | Command |
|---|---|
| Windows | Table Design > Tools > Convert to Range |
| Mac | Table > Convert to Range, then Yes |
| Excel for the web | Right-click the table and choose Table > Convert to Range |
Confirm the conversion if Excel asks. The table's filter arrows disappear. On desktop Excel, formulas that use structured references—references containing table and column names—change to ordinary cell references. The formulas remain; their references change. Microsoft's conversion guide covers these platform-specific steps and consequences.
If your goal is an unformatted range, continue with Clear Formats below. If you only wanted to stop using a Table, you're done.
Clear cell formatting without deleting values or formulas
Use this method for an ordinary range, including a table you've already converted to a range. For the example report, complete Convert to Range above, then select A1:D20, including the headings. On the Home tab, open Clear and choose Clear Formats. This removes cell formatting, including number formats, borders, and conditional formatting. Your entries and formulas stay in place. See Microsoft's explanation of the Clear commands.
If the cells still belong to an Excel Table, its table style can remain after Clear Formats. To keep the Table and remove that style, use Clear in the Table Styles gallery as described above.
The Home > Clear > Clear Formats path is also documented for Excel for the web. On Mac, you can alternatively use Edit > Clear > Formats, as described in Microsoft's Mac formatting guide.
Choose the command carefully: Clear Contents, Clear All, and the Delete key can remove your data. If you've just used one by mistake, use Undo immediately.
Check a formula cell afterward: its formula should still appear in the formula bar. Dates, percentages, and currency amounts may now look different because their display formats were removed. Reapply the number formats you need to those columns.
If the result doesn't look right
Some cells are still colored after clearing the table style
A manually applied fill or a conditional formatting rule can give a cell its color independently of the table style. Our guide to table styles and conditional formatting shows how these layers work together.
Select an affected cell and check Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules. If a rule supplies the color, edit or remove that rule. Use Clear Formats only when you're ready to remove the other cell formatting too.
Table Design doesn't appear
Select a cell inside the data first; on Mac, look for Table. If neither tab appears, your selection may already be an ordinary range. Try the cell-formatting method instead of searching for a table-style command.
Dates or amounts look wrong after Clear Formats
For example, a percentage displayed as 25% can appear as 0.25 after its number format is cleared. The value is still there. Select that column and restore its percentage format; do the same for date or currency columns as needed.
If you wanted only to remove the stripes, use Undo and return to the table-style method. That avoids clearing the number formats your report needs.