Remove Objects from Worksheets in Microsoft Excel


Excel

There could be any number of reasons you want to do this:

  • You've copied your eBay auctions list and all the silly little rating stars came over with the data and got pasted into your worksheet
  • You want to copy the data from a worksheet somebody else created, and it had all kinds of fancy macro buttons on it
  • You received a workbook that's 10 MB, but the data is only 30 Columns by 10 Rows, so you want to check for "junk" (Yes, I've actually received workbooks where someone used the Drawing Tools to create borders.)

Try one of three methods.

  • The easiest to delete them all is Edit Go To Special, choose Objects and hit OK. Hit your Delete key.
  • A way to choose just one or a few is to make sure you're viewing the Drawing Toolbar (see this article), and use the Selector tool to select the object(s), then hit your Delete key.
  • If neither of the above methods work, it may be a control. Hit View Toolbars and choose Control Toolbox. Turn on Design Mode by clicking the top-left button. Select the object(s) and hit Delete. Turn Design Mode off when you're done!