Deleting Data

To delete the data in a cell or range of cells , select them and press Delete . Excel also offers some additional options for deleting cells and their contents:

• With the Edit , Clear command, you can delete only the formatting of a cell (or an attached comment) without deleting its contents. The formatting of a cell includes the cell's color , border style, numeric format, font size, and so on. You'll learn more about this option in a moment.

• With the Edit , Delete command, you can remove cells and then shift surrounding cells over to take their place (this option is described in more detail in Lesson 12, "Inserting and Removing Cells, Rows, and Columns").

To use the Clear command to remove the formatting of a cell or a note, follow these steps:

1. Select the cells you want to clear.

2. Open the Edit menu and point at Clear . The Clear submenu appears.

3. Select the desired Clear option: All (which clears the cells of all contents, formatting, and notes), Formats, Contents , or Comments.