How to Delete and Shift Cells Left in Excel & Google Sheets
This tutorial demonstrates how to shift cells left after deleting in Excel and Google Sheets.
Delete and Shift Remaining Cells Left
Say you have a certain data range you want to delete (here, B1:B4) and want to move adjacent cells from the right side to the left after deleting that range.
- First, select the cells you want to delete, right-click and in the drop-down menu, click Delete… (or use the CTRL + – shortcut).
- After that, the Delete dialog window appears. Choose Shift cells left and click OK.
As a result, the selected cells are deleted, and the cells from the right side are shifted to the left.
Note: When you delete an entire column, Excel automatically shifts cells to the left. For an entire row, it shifts cells up.
Delete and Shift Cells Left in Google Sheets
- If you want to delete a certain data range (in this example B1:B4) and to shift adjacent cells from the right side of the deleted cells to the left, select the cells you want to delete and right-click.
- In the drop-down menu, click Delete cells.
- Then choose Shift left.
As a result, the selected cells are deleted, and the adjacent cells are shifted to the left.