Deleting a Column in an Excel Spreadsheet

[Lou_Reed]

I want to delete a column in an MS Excel spreadsheet. How do I do that?

Whenever I select the leftmost column, at least some of the cells to the right of it are selected.

When I then select delete selected cells then all the contents of the selected cells - not just those in the leftmost column are deleted.

I only want to delete the leftmost column.

How is this done?



Any help appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Respectfully,

Lou Reed

[June7]

What you describe does not make sense. Selecting a column does not select adjacent cells. However, if any cell in the column has been merged with adjacent cell, delete will trigger error message.

[MtDew4243]

Lou,

As stated above, this doesn't make sense. Two checks to make the data being deleted isn't part of a cell in that column are either double click on the right side of the column header to maximize its width (or go to Format on the Home tab and select auto column width) or click on the actual cells and see if the data appears in the data / formula bar at the top of the screen. If, the data is associated, as either in the cell or as stated above, as part of a merged cell, it will be deleted.

Data may appear to not be part of a specific column but, it still could be because there isn't any data in the adjacent cell and it is overflowing into the neighboring cell.

[MtDew4243]

Lou,

Another thought... Are you just selecting some cells in a column and pressing delete or are you clicking on the Column letter at the top of the spreadsheet and select delete? The proper way to delete an entire column is to select the column letter. The entire column should become highlighted before you press the delete key. This still wouldn't answer why some cell to the right of the column disappear but hey more information may be better than less.

[Micron]

Hello??
1) this is an Access forum. Maybe you should post your Excel questions at Mr. Excel or somewhere similar (oh wait, you were told that recently but it doesn't seem to stick).
2) the adjacent selected cells are probably merged with the ones from the column being selected. That would certainly do it.
3) I won't be subscribing to this thread. If anyone wants to chastise me, send a PM.

[Lou_Reed]

I am preparing an Excel spreadsheet to be imported into Access. This is an Access website. I thought that it was relevant. No harm was intended. I just wanted to get a spreadsheet ready
to import into Access. Sometimes in Access selecting only the cells that you want is hard. I saved a file (an Excel file) once with many cells selected. When I opened it again, I noticed the cells were still selected. So I unselected them, saved the file and opened it yet again and cells were still selected. This is really confusing.

I would like to just save a spreadsheet in it native state. No selections at all. I will do that selecting when I am ready. and when I choose.

Respectfully,

Lou Reed

I am confused as to what was going on.

That was the purpose of the post nothing more. It is just haed is Excel sometimes to select only the cells that you want.

I am confused as to how to do that sometimes. After enough futzing around, I will get it. It just not as easy as it looks.

[June7]

If workbook saved with no cells selected then it should open with no cells selected. Again, description of behavior is not making sense. Unless there is some code triggered when workbook is opened.