How to Remove a Table (Table Formatting) in Excel

This tutorial will demonstrate how to remove a table or table formatting in Excel.

table formatting cleared

Clear Formatting From an Excel Table

The table feature is an excellent way to work with data in Excel and has some incredibly powerful features that enable you to easily manipulate your data, such as pivot tables and filtering. When your data is put into a table, it is usually formatted with one of the built in table styles that Excel contains.

If we import our data into Excel, or link to a database, the data will come into Excel automatically formatted as a table. Alternatively, if you create a table from a range of data, the data will also automatically be formatted by Excel.

table formatted

TIP: To create a table from a range of data, highlight the range and press CTRL + T.

1. To clear the format from the table, highlight or click in the table you wish to remove the formatting from.

2. In the Ribbon, select Table Design > Table Styles and then click on the little down arrow at the bottom right hand corner of the group.

table table styles

Note that the Table Design tab of the ribbon is a contextual tab and will only be visible when you are clicked in an Excel data table.

3. Click on Clear at the bottom of the list shown.

table table styles clear style

The formatting will be removed, but the data is still retained as a table. The Table Design tab of the ribbon will still be visible.

table design ribbon

Removing an Excel Table

To convert the Excel table to an ordinary range of cells, we need to convert the table to a range.

1. In the Ribbon, select Table Design > Tools > Convert to Range.

table design convert to range

Alternatively, right-click somewhere in your table, and then select Table > Convert to Range.

table design right click

2. Click Yes to convert to a range.

table design convert to range yes no

The Table Design tab in the Ribbon will no longer be visible when clicked in the set of data.

Removing Formatting From a Range

If we convert a formatted table to a range, the formatting will remain.

1. To remove the formatting from the range, select the entire range of data.

table format select all

2. In the Ribbon, select Home > Editing > Clear > Clear Formats.

table format clear format

All the formatting will then be removed from the range of data.