How to Delete Sheets in Excel – 5 Examples

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Example 1 – Use the Home Tab

• Click the sheet you want to delete. Keep it as the active sheet.
• Go to the Home tab and click Delete.
• Select Delete Sheet.

• Click Delete in the prompt.

The Use_Home_Tab worksheet is deleted.

Example 2 – Use the Context Menu in the Sheet Tab

• Right-click the sheet.
• Select Delete.

• Click Delete in the prompt.

The Apply_Context_Menu sheet is deleted.

Example 3 – Use the Navigation Pane in theView Tab

• Click the View tab.
• Select Navigation.

• Select Use Navigation Pane.

• Click Delete.

• Click Delete in the prompt.

The worksheet is deleted.

Example 4 – Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Delete a Sheet in Excel

4.1 Use a Keyboard Shortcut

• Select the sheet.
• Press Alt and hold.
• Press H + D + S one by one.

• Click Delete in the prompt.

The selected worksheet is deleted.

4.2 Use the Legacy Keyboard Shortcut

• Select the sheet.
• Press Alt and hold.
• Press E and L.

• Click Delete in the prompt.

The worksheet is deleted.

Example 5 – Right-Click and use the Keyboard

• Right-click the sheet you want to delete.

• Press D.
• Click Delete in the prompt.

Read More: Shortcut to Delete Sheet in Excel

How to Delete Multiple Sheets in Excel?

1. Use the Home Tab

• Press and hold Shift.
• Select the sheets one by one.

• Click the Home tab >> select Delete.
• Click Delete Sheet.

2. Use the Mouse and the Keyboard

2.1 Press Shift and Right-click to delete Adjacent Sheets

• Press and hold Shift and select the sheets you want to delete.
• Right-click.

• Select Delete or press D.

The selected sheets will be deleted.

2.2 Press Alt and Right-click to delete Non-Adjacent Sheets

• Press Alt and hold to select non-adjacent sheets.
• Select the sheets you want to delete and right-click.
• Select Delete or press D.

The selected non-adjacent sheets will be deleted.

Read More: How to Delete Multiple Sheets in Excel

Can I Use VBA to Delete Sheets in Excel?

Launch the VBA Editor:

• Go to the Developer tab. If you don’t have the Developer tab on the Ribbon, enable it in Excel Options.
• Select Visual Basic.

• Enter the VBA code in the code window.

• Select Insert and add a new Module.

1. Delete the Active Sheet

Sample_Dataset is the active worksheet.

• Enter the code in the VBA editor window.

Sub Delete_active_sheet()
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
ActiveSheet.Delete
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
End Sub

• Run the code by pressing F5.

The active sheet is deleted.

2. Delete a Sheet by Name

• Sales_Data is the active sheet.

• Copy this code into the VBA editor.

Sub delete_sheet_by_name()
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
Sheets("Sales_Data").Delete
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
End Sub

• Run the code.

The Sales_Data sheet is deleted.

3. Delete Sheets with a Specific Text in the Sheet Name

The workbook contains 4 Sheets with sales and product details in 2020 and 2021. To delete all sheets containing “2020”:

• Copy this code into the VBA editor.

Sub DeleteSheetsWithSpecificText()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Dim searchText As String
    Dim wsToDelete As Worksheet
    
    ' Define the text you want to search for in sheet names
    searchText = "2020"
    
    ' Loop through all worksheets in the workbook
    For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets
        ' Check if the sheet name contains the specified text
        If InStr(1, ws.Name, searchText, vbTextCompare) > 0 Then
            ' Set the sheet to delete
            Set wsToDelete = ws
            ' Delete the sheet without confirmation
            Application.DisplayAlerts = False
            wsToDelete.Delete
            Application.DisplayAlerts = True
        End If
    Next ws
End Sub

• Press F5 to run the code.

The two sheets containing “2020” are deleted.

4. Delete All Sheets Except the Active Sheet

• Copy this code into the VBA editor.

Sub Delete_sheets_except_active_sheet()
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
    For Each ws In Worksheets
        If ws.Name <> ActiveSheet.Name Then
            ws.Delete
        End If
    Next ws
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
End Sub

• Run the code and all sheets will be deleted, except the active sheet.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I Delete all data in a sheet?

Answer: Select all cells in the sheet. Click the upper-left corner of the sheet. Right-click the selected cells and choose”Delete“.

2. How to insert a sheet in Excel?

Answer: Click the “+” sign beside the existing sheets.

3. Why can’t I delete a sheet in Excel?

Answer: Possible reasons:

• The sheet is protected. To unprotect it, go to the “Review” tab >> click “Unprotect Sheet,” >> enter the password if required.
• If the sheet you want to delete is hidden, unhide it. Right-click any sheet tab, select “Unhide,” >> choose the sheet you want to delete.
• If there is a macro in your workbook that prevents sheet deletion, you need to modify the code. 
• The workbook is shared and deletion is restricted. 

Delete Sheet in Excel: Knowledge Hub

• How to Delete All Sheets in Excel Except One
• How to Delete Hidden Sheets in Excel
• How to Undo Delete Sheet in Excel
• [Fixed!] Delete Sheet in Excel Not Working

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