How do I delete rows based on a cell value in Excel?

Filter the column to the unwanted values, select the visible rows, and Delete Row — then clear the filter. Or use Find & Select for an exact match. Tellsheet's Delete Rows by Condition does it in one step: choose the column, a test (contains, equals, greater/less than, empty), and whether to delete the matches or keep only them.

How do I delete rows that contain specific text?

Use the AutoFilter's text filter or Find & Select to isolate them, then delete the rows. Tellsheet's Delete Rows by Condition with the 'contains' test removes every row whose column contains that text in one click.

How do I keep only rows that match a condition?

That's the inverse of deleting. In Tellsheet's Delete Rows by Condition, set the action to 'Keep only those rows' — everything that doesn't match is removed, which is far quicker than inverting a filter by hand.

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How to Delete Rows Based on Cell Value in Excel

"Delete every row where Status is Cancelled." Simple to say, annoying to do — the native way is filter → select the visible rows → delete → clear the filter, and one wrong click deletes the wrong rows. Here's the safe way, and a one-click one.

Last updated: August 2026

Status		After delete = Cancelled
Active	→	kept
Cancelled	→	removed
Active	→	kept

Method 1 — filter, then delete visible rows

Data > Filter. Filter the column down to the values you want gone.
Select the visible rows, right-click a row header > Delete Row.
Clear the filter to reveal the survivors.

Works, but it's several steps, and forgetting to select only visible rows (or deleting before filtering) wrecks the data.

Method 2 — Find & Select

Home > Find & Select > Find, Find All, select the results, then delete entire rows. Good for an exact text match, but it can't do "greater than" or "is empty," and matching across many columns gets messy.

The 1-click way — Tellsheet

Delete Rows by Condition asks three things: which column, the test (contains, equals, greater than, less than, or is empty), and whether to delete matching rows or keep only them. It previews exactly which rows go before anything is removed, and it's revertable from the change history. No filter dance, no helper column. Pairs with Delete Blanks and Flag Duplicates.

Frequently asked questions

How do I delete rows by cell value?

Filter to the unwanted values and delete visible rows, or use Delete Rows by Condition (column + test + delete/keep) in one step with a preview.

How do I delete rows containing specific text?

Use the 'contains' test in Delete Rows by Condition, or an AutoFilter text filter then delete visible rows.

How do I keep only rows that match?

Set the action to "Keep only those rows" — everything not matching is removed, no filter-inverting needed.

Can I delete rows where a number is over a threshold?

Yes — use the "greater than" (or "less than") test with your number.

Related Excel guides

Delete rows by condition in one click

Delete Rows by Condition drops (or keeps) rows by a column test — with a preview first, right inside Excel.

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