How to Delete Entire Columns in Google Sheets

To delete columns in Google Sheets on a computer, right-click a column’s letter header and choose Delete column. To remove several columns together, select their headers, right-click the selection, and choose Delete columns. You need editing permission and permission to change any protected ranges involved.

Deleting removes the columns themselves. If you want to erase their contents while keeping the columns in place, select their headers and press Delete instead.

Select and delete columns on your computer

Open your spreadsheet and find the letter above the column you want to remove. Right-click that letter, then choose Delete column. For neighboring columns, select their letter headers together, right-click the selection, and choose Delete columns.

For separated columns, hold Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac while clicking each target letter header. Right-click the selection and choose Delete columns. Check the selected letters before acting; the menu command can include those letters.

For a large range, focus the Name box by pressing Ctrl + J on Windows or ChromeOS, or Command + J on macOS. Enter A:F to select entire columns A through F, substituting your intended range, then press Enter. Press Shift + F10 and choose Delete columns.

For a heading change, see how to rename columns in Google Sheets. To manage which columns are visible, see how to hide and unhide columns.

Use keyboard shortcuts and menus

Select complete columns before using the direct deletion shortcut. On Windows or ChromeOS, press Ctrl + Alt + -; on macOS, press Command + Option + -. If you select cells instead of whole columns, this shortcut opens the delete menu.

You can also select the columns, open Edit > Delete, and activate column deletion. In Chrome on Windows or on ChromeOS, the keyboard sequence is Alt + E, then D, then E. In other Windows browsers, press Alt + Shift + E, then D, then E. On macOS, press Ctrl + Option + E, then D, then E.

For the keyboard context menu, select complete columns and press Shift + F10. Choose Delete columns from that menu. This workflow also supports screen-reader operation.

If keyboard or language limitations affect a shortcut, select the columns and click Search in the toolbar, or open Help > Search the menus. Enter Delete column and activate the matching command. You can open this tool finder with Alt + / on Windows or ChromeOS, or Option + / on macOS.

Delete columns on Android or iPhone

On an Android phone or tablet, open the spreadsheet in the Google Sheets app. Touch and hold the target column’s letter header. In the menu that appears, tap Delete.

On an iPhone or iPad, open the spreadsheet in the Google Sheets app and tap the target column’s letter header. Tap the right arrow in the menu, then tap Delete column. You need editing permission for either app workflow.

Ask Gemini to delete a column

On a computer, you can request column deletion through Gemini with an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan, or applicable Workspace Experiments access. Availability also depends on your account and supported language. If you are working with an Excel file, first choose File > Save as Google Sheets.

Open the spreadsheet and click Ask Gemini. Enter a prompt identifying the column and sheet, then press Enter. Review the Action preview card to check the proposed deletion, then click Apply.

Record column deletion as a macro

In the web app, open Extensions > Macros > Record macro. Choose Use absolute references or Use relative references as appropriate, then perform the column deletion. Click Save, name the macro, optionally assign a shortcut, and click Save again.

To replay it, open Extensions > Macros and select your macro. Apps Script access and any required authorization must be available. Repeated deletion at fixed positions can remove different data after columns shift, so recurring routines must identify their intended columns each time.

Use Apps Script for repeatable deletion

With authorized editing access, open Extensions > Apps Script. Add the following function, replace Sheet1 with your target sheet’s name, and save it:

function eraseColumns() {
  
SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
    
.getSheetByName('Sheet1')
    .deleteColumns(2, 3);
}

Select eraseColumns in the editor and click Run, completing account authorization if requested. This example deletes B through D because Apps Script counts column positions starting at one. To delete only B, replace deleteColumns(2, 3) with deleteColumn(2).

To import your saved function as a macro, return to the spreadsheet and open Extensions > Macros and choose the import command. Select the function and click Add function, then open Extensions > Macros > Manage macros. Assign an unused shortcut and click Update. Run it from Extensions > Macros or press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + your assigned number key.

For a clickable deletion button in a computer web browser, keep the function saved in the spreadsheet’s bound script and insert an image or drawing through Insert > Image or Insert > Drawing. Select it, open its small drop-down menu, and choose Assign script. Enter eraseColumns without parentheses and click OK. Click the image or drawing to execute the deletion.

For a custom menu, add the following function alongside eraseColumns. The menu and item names are labels defined by this example:

function onOpen() {
  SpreadsheetApp.getUi()
    .createMenu('Column tools')
    .addItem('Erase B:D', 'eraseColumns')
    .addToUi();
}

Save the script and reopen the spreadsheet. Choose Column tools > Erase B:D to run the deletion function.

For scheduled or event-triggered deletion, first prepare an authorized function that identifies its intended columns each time it runs. Open its Apps Script project and click Triggers > Add Trigger. Select the function, configure the required schedule or spreadsheet-event trigger, and click Save. This automation requires custom code, and you can use a bound or standalone script.

For an integration using an authorized Sheets API v4 client, send a POST request to the target spreadsheet’s spreadsheets.batchUpdate endpoint with the following body. Set the target spreadsheet ID in the request and replace SHEET_ID with the target sheet’s ID:

{"requests":[{"deleteDimension":{"range":{"sheetId":SHEET_ID,"dimension":"COLUMNS","startIndex":1,"endIndex":4}}}]}

This request deletes B through D. API indices start at zero, and endIndex is exclusive. The client must have authorized access to edit the spreadsheet.

Remove empty or hidden columns with Power Tools

Power Tools is an optional third-party add-on for Google Sheets on computers, with trial or licensing requirements. To obtain it, open Ablebits’ official Power Tools product page and follow its Google Workspace Marketplace link. Once installed, open Extensions > Power Tools > Start.

To remove empty columns inside your data, first select any cell in your table, then open the Smart Toolbar’s Remove drop-down, represented by a grid with a red X. For workbook-wide removal, first check Remove from all sheets, then click Remove all empty columns. To remove empty columns after your data instead, use the same drop-down and click Remove unused columns, checking Remove from all sheets first if needed.

For hidden columns, open Extensions > Power Tools > Start, click Clear, and expand Remove hidden rows & columns. Check Remove all hidden columns and optionally Remove from all sheets. Hidden columns may contain data, so review the scope before clicking Run. Ablebits also refers to this final action as Clear, so check the button label in your installed version.

Clear contents while keeping your columns

In Google Sheets on a computer, select the entire columns whose contents you want to erase, then press Delete. This clears their contents without removing the column structure or shifting other columns. Use it when you want empty columns in the same positions.

Choose structural deletion when you want to remove the columns themselves. If you need additional columns afterward, see how to add columns in Google Sheets.

Fix permission and automation problems

If deletion is blocked, check that you have editing permission and permission to alter any protected ranges involved. On a computer, spreadsheet owners can manage protection through Data > Protect sheets and ranges. If you are not the owner, ask the owner to review the relevant permissions.

If scripts or macros are blocked on a managed Google Workspace, Cloud Identity, or G Suite account, an administrator with Drive & Docs privileges can check the Apps Script service. The administrator opens Google Admin console > Menu > Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs > Google Apps Script. To enable it organization-wide, the administrator clicks On for everyone, then Save. This permits script-based methods; you still need the required editing access and authorization.

If a recurring routine deletes different data on later runs, check whether it targets fixed column positions. Columns shift after deletion, so update the routine to identify its intended targets each time before deleting them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you delete a column by right-clicking a cell?

On a computer, you can right-click a cell and choose Delete column to remove its containing column. Check the cell’s column before choosing the command because the action removes the entire column.

How many macros can have assigned shortcuts?

You can assign shortcuts to up to ten macros in a Google Sheets spreadsheet. When assigning another shortcut, choose an unused shortcut in Extensions > Macros > Manage macros.

Can you run an assigned deletion script by tapping its image on mobile?

Google says clicking an image or drawing with an assigned script does not execute that script on mobile. To use that deletion button, open the spreadsheet in a computer web browser.

Whose account runs an installable deletion trigger?

An installable Apps Script trigger runs under the account of the person who created it. If you create the trigger, it runs under your account, so check the deletion function’s targets before saving the trigger.