How To Remove Formula In Excel?

MS Excel formulas are essential for executing various calculations on our data. However, after achieving the required results, replacing a formula with the actual value it calculates is often helpful. This is why you must know how to remove formula in Excel. Doing this can enhance the performance of a workbook, especially when it contains many intricate formulas.

To learn more about MS Excel, read our blog, What is MS Excel?

Additionally, there are situations when we need to eliminate Excel formulas while retaining their output, mainly when it’s crucial to eliminate cell references and formulas. For example, You have a formula applied in one entire column, and it adds data from other columns. If you delete one reference column, the data vanishes and throws the following error –

So, it is important that you use the formula in your columns and remove it later so you don’t suffer from data loss. In this blog, you will learn how to remove formula in Excel.

There are two primary and simplest methods to remove a formula in Excel –

Copy and Paste Values

1. Click on the cell with the formula you want to remove. Drag to select the range to remove formulas from a range of cells.

2. Right-click and select the specific range.
3. Select “Copy,” or press Ctrl+C on your keyboard.

3. Right-click on the selected cell(s) again.
4. Hover over the “Paste Special” option.
5. Click on “Values” from the list. This action pastes the calculated result back into the same cell(s) without the formula.

You can now see that the formula has been removed while keeping the values intact.

Using Drag and Drop with the Right Mouse Button

1. Select the cell(s) containing the formulas. 

2. Place your cursor at the edge of the selection. Drag the selection to an empty spot, preferably the next cell or column, while holding the right mouse button.
3. While you release the mouse button, a context menu will appear. Choose “Copy Here as Values Only.” 

The values will appear in the selected column without any formula or formatting.

4. Drag the values back to the original location using the same method if needed.

Since we were working on financial data, we will add the missing currency value.

Now that you have eliminated the formulas and you have the values, you can safely delete all the data to which they refer. 

Conclusion

Removing formulas in Excel is simple and can be done in several ways. The best method for you will depend on your specific needs. If you want to remove the formula and keep the value, replacing it with a value is the quickest and easiest way. However, if you need to move the cell’s contents to another location, moving the content and pasting again as a value is the better option.