I have no earthy idea why it took me so long to figure out how to delete the contents of a cell or range in Excel for Mac. Ever since I bought my MacBook Pro I've known the Delete key on a Mac isn't really a Delete key.
I mean, since my background is with Windows, I have ingrained knowledge on how the Delete Key works on a computer. Ingrained, I tell you.
But all of that knowledge was shattered upon getting a Mac.
Where Is the Excel Delete Button on Mac
After some consternation, I learned where is the delete button on a Mac. To press the delete button on Mac computers you have to hold down the fn key and the Delete key at the same time when you want to delete something on a Mac. (Skip to video)
After a while, you get used to the idea that the Delete key on a Mac is really a backspace key and using fn+Delete gives you the real Delete key action. :)
Of course if you're a long time Mac user you probably think I'm cuckoo. But hey, this is my blog, think what you like. I'm not the only one who's decided to start using a Mac after a lifetime of Windows abuse use.
Excel for Mac
Anyway, when using Excel on a Mac — I've got versions 2008 and 2011 — you run into a learning curve with all the unusual shortcut keys, function keys (1, 2), and menu and ribbon things that are different from the Windows version of Excel. So there's a tendency to forget about how the Delete key works on a Mac.
I mean, this is Excel we're talking about here. Hitting the Delete key is supposed to delete the contents of the active cell, for cryin' out loud.
In Excel for Mac it does that, but the cursor also gets stuck inside the cell in edit mode. You have to hit the enter key to finish deleting the contents, but this act also moves the active cell to the next cell down.
And if you've selected a range and hit the Delete key, the active cell contents are deleted and the cursor is stuck inside the cell in edit mode. You have to hit the Enter key, which does nothing but take you to the next cell. The range contents are still there, with the exception of the active cell.
Not the kind of behavior that occurs in Excel for Windows.
How to Delete Cell and Range Contents in Excel for Mac
The trick is to remember that fn+Delete is really a keyboard shortcut to the Delete key on a Mac. Then the world rights itself and the planets align. Frustration abates. You've finally found the magic. Your mojo is back!
Watch this 54 second video to see what I've been babbling about for the past 454 words.
THANK YOU!!!! I'm just like you and I was going nutz.
MaeSeptember 15, 2011 at 04:22 AM
I was about ready to pull my hair out until I found you. Your article is hilarious! Only because I went through the same emotions, right down to the (%!#$@!)...LOL! Thank you so much!!!
Glad you liked it. It's nice to know I'm being helpful.
dewOctober 23, 2011 at 03:03 PM
I figured out the fn+ Del thing but was doing a search hoping there was some preference setting that would let me tell the Delete what to do- serious bummer. This means I need to use both hands on the key board to delete a range. I did find that I can get to it by right clicking and selecting clear contents and that you can customize the tool bar to put a clear contents button (looks like a chalkboard eraser). For me the toolbar is usually the easiest option so thought I would share.
On another note- I knew that the delete key acted differently on mac but had not put it together that it was actually equivalent to the backspace key on a PC and there essentially is no 'delete' key on a mac and did not realize until you pointed it out that the fn+delete works in all the other mac os applications as the 'PC delete key' so thanks for that!
Using the clear contents button is a good idea and one I didn't think about. Thanks!
dewOctober 23, 2011 at 03:31 PM
I just realized that eraser button is on the ribbon too so I did not need it to add it to the tool bar LOL... using both mac and pc is messing with my brain!
RelinNovember 7, 2011 at 01:00 AM
If you go to edit, find then find what you are looking for in Excel, if you want to highlight and delete the row you have to close the find box before you can do anything. Have you found a work-around? It is not as easy as the PC when you find, delete and the box is still open and you can go to the next.
Actually on the PC you can select everything you find in the Find box by using Ctrl+A, then delete all rows at one time.
On a Mac it just doesn't work the same. You have to close the Find dialog box as you mentioned. And I haven't found a work around. Sorry to disappoint but there you go.
RCNovember 8, 2011 at 04:12 AM
The full-size Mac keyboard has a delete key on the numerical pad that deletes with one key. There are also 3rd party apps that allow users to reprogram keys for the Mac.
I didn't know the full-size Mac keyboard had a delete key!
I've found that the more I use my Mac the less I think about a "delete" key.
RCNovember 8, 2011 at 04:42 AM
Also the new mac os lion allows you to program any menu selection into a keyboard shortcut.
https://lifehacker.com/343328/create-a-keyboard-shortcut-for-any-menu-action-in-any-program
RelinNovember 8, 2011 at 05:09 AM
I have a delete key, but can't delete or click on anything without closing the find box.
Am I ever glad that I found this blog - I've been deleting individual ranges for months now wondering why the %$@& things are so different in the Mac world. Thank you
I now also live on the planet of those a little less insane. Just recently switched to Mac after 20+ years as a PC girl. THANK YOU!
mikevallanoJanuary 9, 2012 at 09:04 PM
I have no idea why Mac does this, but thanks so much for the info!
Next thing is how to hit enter and auto populate the autocomplete instead of having to use down arrow and then enter.
My Mac keyboard doesn't have and End key. I'm using the down arrow, then hitting the enter key.
MacJanuary 25, 2012 at 07:02 PM
There are a few annoying things about excel.. and mac!
I hate that I am unable to the F2 - i.e. go into a cell
and when i copy a cell and press enter, it doesn't copy into another cell..
If you wonderful people have come across these little annoying things.., then I would be most grateful if you can let me know.
Mac's are pretty awesome computers, but man.. the delete and other excel items you are used to are just too annoying.
At the moment I am figuring out how to maximise the excel and words page!!!!! so it doesn't have the mac 'best fit' version.
Ahh the joys of owning a mac! could turn into an expensive door mat soon.
On my macbook pro, office 2010, in excel I can hit crtl+u to enter a cell. That drove me nuts for 2 months!
I use ctrl+c and ctrl+v to copy and paste cells.
SuzFebruary 18, 2012 at 12:19 PM
I came across your blog while searching for help with my transition from Windows to Mac. It has been quite an experience. It has taken a while to find a site that explains things the way they should be; not only "how" to do something, but "why" would you need/want to do something. As a former PC instructor, I SO appreciate your "lessons." Your blog is very clear, very easy-to-understand, and you have a sense of humor one needs to get through this rocky road into the Mac world. I will be MUCH more productive having learned about the simple tricks of how to use the Delete and F4 keys!!! Looking forward to reading, and learning more. Thank you!
@Suz, I'm framing your comment and putting it on my wall. Thanks for the inspiration!
AliciaFebruary 26, 2012 at 05:17 AM
OMG, this was such an amazing find. I love Excel and use it for a lot of things and have had a Mac for almost five years and was perpetually flummoxed by the lack of a delete key on my personal computer (I, too, had grown comfortable with it at work and school). Thanks again!
So glad i found ur blog. I'm really good with excel in windows but now i'm on a mac. That "delete" key was really pissing me off. :)
CarolMarch 29, 2012 at 05:28 PM
Gregory,
You are now bookmarked on my favorites. Between the "damn backspace key" and the F2 pages I read from you, I am a new woman! My husband is an AppleSeed to the Max, apple, apple, apple. I am the Excel queen. I could not STAND using Excel for Mac for the two reasons stated above and all we would do is fight. Me: "Mac sucks" Him: "No, you're an idiot and all you do is B-----". You know, happily married! :-)
Well many thanks to you and your great and very funny blogs!
Nice comment!
The dialogue between you and your spouse is going on inside my head, I love the Mac, but Excel on the Mac sucks. Hence a lot of the articles I write are a form of therapy. Glad you liked it.
MilesApril 10, 2012 at 06:05 PM
I literally laughed out loud three times watching the video and reading peoples' comments. I can't even write, I'm still laughing! Thank you!
Hey thanks for that on the delete button as a 30 yr user of PC and now this year to mac with excel 2012 you have reduced the expletives emanating from my desk by a quantum
Thank you, that has been driving me crazy for a year now. I wish I would have googled this earlier!
JacquieMay 6, 2012 at 11:02 AM
Brilliant! It has been driving me nutty. Succinctly put and V useful. keep up the good work.
ps, I don't really Hates Apple any more - just occasionally get frustrated as I struggle to learn this 'intuitive' system.
If you hadn't said Hates Apple I wouldn't have noticed your email address. You can always create an email alias for your me.com account in iCloud. (They let you create up to 3 alias')
JennMay 28, 2012 at 07:32 PM
Bless you. I was going batshit trying to work on stuff for the last few month. Amazing how many different word combo searches I had to google before finding this article. And zero notations in the Excel help menu!
Thanks! Helped
Found that line HILARIOUS! :)
" I’m not the only one who’s decided to start using a Mac after a lifetime of Windows abuse use."
wendsJune 13, 2012 at 01:49 PM
You rock. I was so sure I was the only stupid person who couldn't figure it. I typed "delete data in excel mac" in Google to find your blog. I've also been a solid Windows user, and I use Excel every single day so it was killing me to manually delete the data on every. single. cell. if I wanted to keep the formulas intact. Bookmarked your blog, thank you soooooo much.
I understand you
thanks a lot, it helped me from right clicking and checking "clear contents" from the menu
YemzeeJune 17, 2012 at 10:13 AM
After years of working in Windows Excel making the move to Mac Excel is not as smooth as I though it might be...Thanks for the transition tips !!
There is also a one handed way to delete both single and multiple cells in MAC Excel - CTRL + B
The Control+B keyboard shortcut removes all cell content and formatting. Or at least that's what the Customize Keyboard dialog box says, but that's not correct.
It just deletes the cell contents like you mentioned. Thanks for the tip!
Christian DelgadoAugust 3, 2012 at 05:00 PM
Awesome Tip! Definitely Made my work much easier! Thanks!!!
StanAugust 21, 2012 at 08:06 PM
Man, you are great. I'm having the same problem - just got a used mac for programming... It's so...... I don't know how to say... Definitely some things are pretty good, but so many Windows easy functions are missing in Mac and it's so frustrating... I adjusted as I could the mouse, the screen, etc.
Thanks for your article - it helped me a lot! At least I finally found Delete key!!! I was so upset with delete key that I wanted to sell my mac and get macCloud for windows...
Thanks again
LanceAugust 27, 2012 at 02:01 AM
THNAK YOU!!!
TessAugust 29, 2012 at 10:56 PM
THANK YOU!! I have been vexed by this as well! After being a 30-year PC user, moving to Mac was extremely painful - it's not as superior to Windows as Mac ravers claim! There is a lot I miss - a real delete key is one of them! You are a life saver!
Thanks for this tip! I wish I had googled it earlier...
Mary AnnNovember 3, 2012 at 11:29 PM
Thank you! It's been driving me crazy. The transition from Windows to Mac can be painful. Not that one is better, but when something is so ingrained it's hard to think a different way.
TracyeNovember 24, 2012 at 03:41 AM
I love you! No, not in that kind of way, I'm married, you probably are too. I love you in that crawling-through-the-dessert-and-you-have-brought-me-to-an-oasis kind of love.
What an incredibly little, and yet absolutely phenomenal discovery you have made. I have been frustrated by this for years (YEARS!) until now.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
thanks a lot. I am having hard time in understanding Mr. MAC...its either me who is a slow learner or Mr. MAC who is really trying to make my life harder...
When it comes to Excel, Mr. MAC is a real sick in the mud.
NicoleDecember 16, 2012 at 11:45 AM
Thanks new best friend!!! :)
MadeyFebruary 11, 2013 at 09:44 PM
Thank you, from the bottom of my very appreciative heart, for taking the time to post this magical secret. You're my new hero -- right up there with the first guy to put wheels on a suitcase. xoxoxox
Your comment made me smile, chuckle a few times, and put a spring in my step.
KVFebruary 20, 2013 at 01:12 PM
Gregory: You da man! This has been driving me nuts for years.
AngelaFebruary 24, 2013 at 12:41 PM
Thank you! After years and years and years of using a PC and swearing I would never get a mac I just got my first and this was one of the things driving me nuts about Excel!!!!
WQMarch 11, 2013 at 05:03 AM
Thank you very much!
The information is very helpful.
AikidokaratefanMarch 12, 2013 at 05:41 PM
Thank you so much. I wish I had looked here first before killing an hour of my time.
Hey, if you had not posted it I wouldnt have been able to find it via google. I couldnt figure that shit either, it should be the command key in my opinion.
Rie Aleksandragetfituae.comMarch 23, 2013 at 05:36 AM
I am not surprised that your blog post keeps on living 1,5 years after. I just got a Mac after years of using a PC and always with as many shortcuts and hot keys as possible. I have worked extensively in Excel before, and I am sort of dreading taking it up again. I feel like a kid trying to ride a bike without support wheels for the first time, or someone trying to fish with only their hands. Or like someone who has only two fingers on each hand and is being told to go bowl.
This post has definitely made my life easier, thank you Sir. All the way from the Middle East. :)
KrisMarch 24, 2013 at 11:34 PM
oh man.... that's a year and a half of frustration just gone..
why didn't I think of checking this earlier.. thank you.
Wow, thanks. I've been a professional on windows for 20+ yrs and my husband convinced me to take his MacBook Pro. I've been having such a hard time. All my quick and easy shortcuts are missing. I'm glad I took a few moments to look this one up. Thanks so much.
Faisal KhanApril 3, 2013 at 12:33 PM
Thanks...this information really helps...you have not only gone through the pain of learning new stuff but you have also done a favor to others by setting up this blog !
JimApril 8, 2013 at 12:37 PM
Gregory
I moved to iMac from Windows last year - love my Mac, but it does have its shortcomings.
Many thanks for your clear advice on multiple data deletion in Excel, it has been driving me potty for a long time!
I know this is an old thread, but I just spent the last few weeks assembling a list of Windows and Mac Excel shortcuts. Right now, the list is just over 200* shortcuts: https://exceljet.net/keyboard-shortcuts
Seems like every time I look at the list, I find a problem to fix, but it's a start. Hope it's useful for those who need to use both platforms.
* I took a pretty granular approach, so some shortcuts are near duplicates (e.g. selecting columns in a table and selecting columns in the worksheet are listed separately, but the behavior is a little different)
Fantastic! Thanks for the link. It's now one of my favorites.
JenApril 27, 2013 at 07:44 PM
THANKS! This drove me crazy all morning and no one would believe me this was happening!
MichelleApril 27, 2013 at 09:48 PM
You're my hero!! Thanks for the tips. Have been using a Mac for a year now after years and years of Windows which I was quite proficient in and these little differences drive me crazy!! You have a new fan. :-)
Finally! Thank you. This has been bothering me for like 4 years. I don't know why I waited so long to try to figure out how to delete multiple selected cells. Again, thank you!
The Hallelujah chorus is playing and my world feels so much better! New to MacBook Pro
Phil ParadisMay 31, 2013 at 01:04 AM
Note that there is a Windows-style "Delete" key on the full-size Mac keyboards, in it's usual place to the left of the End key. (It's labeled with a funny-looking symbol instead of "Delete", and is referred to in most documentation as "Forward Delete".) This key functions exactly as Delete on a Windows keyboard and Fn-Delete on the laptop/wireless Mac keyboards. The full-size model also has a 10-key number pad for those who prefer them, though some of the operator keys are misplaced relative to the PC layout which can take some getting used to.
I have no earthy idea why it took me so long to figure out how to delete the contents of a cell or range in Excel for Mac. Ever since I bought my MacBook Pro I've known the Delete key on a Mac isn't really a Delete key.