Delete blanks
Location on ribbon: Tab DVD Addin → Group Cells and Rows
Command ID: btnDeleteBlankRows
What it does
Removes every completely empty row inside a range you point at, compacting the table into one continuous block. It earns its keep on data exported from estimating or planning software, or converted from PDF to Excel, where scattered blank rows break AutoFilter, PivotTables and formula-based numbering.
How to use
- Click Delete blanks in tab DVD Addin → group Cells and Rows.
- A range prompt appears: "Select data range to delete blank rows". Drag-select the range on the sheet (Ctrl-click works for several areas) and click OK. Cancel exits without changes.
- The add-in scans each row in the range, collects the ones where no cell holds any data, then deletes them bottom-up so positions stay valid.
- Press ESC while it runs to stop early — the rows already deleted stay deleted.
- When it finishes, the status bar reports the count, for example
Deleted 37 blank row(s).— plus how many hidden rows were kept, if any.
Example
A bill of quantities exported from estimating software separates each section with two blank rows, so 320 real rows spread over 480 and the formula-driven numbering keeps breaking.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| 1 – Blinding concrete | 1 – Blinding concrete |
| (blank) | 2 – Foundation concrete M250 |
| (blank) | 3 – Foundation reinforcement |
| 2 – Foundation concrete M250 | |
| (blank) | |
| 3 – Foundation reinforcement |
Select A5:H484, run the command, and 320 continuous rows remain, ready to filter and renumber.
Notes
- By default the add-in skips rows that are currently hidden (by AutoFilter or grouping), on the "what you see is what stays" principle; change this in Preferences ▸ Cells and Rows ▸ "Skip hidden rows".
- Only fully empty rows go. A row holding a space, an empty string
""returned by a formula, or anything Excel counts as content is left alone. - Bulk deletion is not cleanly undone with Ctrl+Z — save the file first.
- The command deletes entire sheet rows, not just the part inside your selection; another table sitting to the right on the same rows will lose data too.
- Very large ranges take time because each row is a separate delete call — use ESC if you need to stop.
Related
- Delete hidden rows — remove hidden rows instead of preserving them.
- Hide empty rows — hide blank rows without deleting, when you only need a clean printout.
- Insert and Copy — the opposite operation, adding template rows.
- Delete unused formats — clear leftover formatting once the table is compacted.