How to Remove a Checkbox in Excel (Easy Method)

The checkbox functionality of Excel is a wow feature. You can insert checkboxes into your Excel sheet from the developer tab and link it to specific cells allowing conditional results and real-time data updates.

With checkboxes, you can create interactive worksheets, survey forms, and more intuitive worksheets. Given how important checkboxes are, it is important to understand how to manage checkboxes effectively including how to remove a checkbox when it’s no longer needed ✂

To learn with me, grab your free sample workbook for this guide here and join me in exploring different methods to remove single and multiple checkboxes in MS Excel.

Table of Contents

Remove a Checkbox in Excel

Removing checkboxes in Excel should be the least of your worries.

Here is an Excel sheet with multiple checkboxes added to it ✅

Let me walk you through different ways step-by-step how you can remove these.

Using the Cut button / Delete key:

Step 1) Right-click on the checkbox that you want to delete.

This will launch the context menu for it 🧾

Step 2) From the context menu, select Cut.

This will cut out the selected checkbox from the worksheet.

That’s how simple it is.

Alternatively, you can use the delete key to remove a checkbox through the following steps:

Step 1) Right-click on the checkbox. The check box will be selected, and the context menu will launch.

Step 2) Click anywhere within the checkbox or press the Esc key to exit the context menu.

Alternatively, hold down the Control key and then click on the checkbox to select it.

Step 3) Once selected, it will be covered with small selection handles around it.

Step 4) Press the Delete key.

The checkbox goes away from the worksheet.

Removing the checkbox from the Home Tab

Don’t do a lot, go to the home tab and clear away the checkboxes following these steps.

Step 1) Hold down the Control key and click on the checkbox to select it 🖱

Step 2) Go to the Home tab > Editing group > Clear drop-down menu > Click the Clear All button.

The clear all command clears all the contents, formatting, and objects from the selection. Hence, the checkbox will be deleted.

Remove multiple Checkboxes from Excel

If you have multiple checkboxes added to your Excel sheet and you want to remove them at once, try out these methods:

Selecting and deleting multiple checkboxes

To remove multiple checkboxes, select them following these steps:

Step 1) Press down the Control key and hold it ⌨

Step 2) Select the checkboxes that you want removed by clicking on them.

This way you will end up selecting multiple checkboxes.

Step 3) Once selected, press the Delete key.

All the selected checkboxes will be deleted in a jiffy.

Deleting multiple checkboxes from the Selection Pane

You can also select multiple checkboxes from the Selection Pane of Excel by following these steps:

Step 1) Go to the Home tab > Editing group > Find & Select > Selection Pane.

This will launch the Selection pane on the right side of the sheet. The Selection pane shows all of the sheet’s objects including checkboxes, shapes, etc. 📦

Step 2) From the selection pane, select the checkboxes that you want removed.

To select multiple checkboxes from the Selection pane, hold down the Control key before clicking on each successive checkbox.

Step 3) Press the Delete key.

The checkboxes will be removed from the sheet and also from the Selection pane.

This makes checkbox deletion so much easier.

Deleting multiple checkboxes from Select Objects

If you have too many checkboxes on your sheet that are cumbersome to be selected individually and you want to delete them all at once, here’s what to do ✌

Step 1) Go to the Home tab > Editing group > Find & Select > Select Objects.

This will turn your cursor into a selection arrow.

Step 2) Click and drag a box around all the checkboxes that are to be removed.

All the objects (checkboxes in our case) within the drawn box will be selected.

Step 3) Press the delete key to delete all the selected checkboxes.

All the checkboxes will go away!

Remove all Checkboxes from Excel

To delete all the checkboxes from a sheet at once, try these methods 💡

Go to Special Tool

Step 1) Go to the Home tab > Editing group > Find & Select > Go to Special.

Step 2) Check the objects button.

Step 3) Click Okay.

This will select all the objects/checkboxes on the active sheet.

Step 4) Press the delete key to delete all the objects.

Run a VBA Code

Lastly, you can also write a VBA code to delete all the checkboxes from your Excel sheet at once. Check this out 🤏

Step 1) Press the Alt key + F11 to open the VBA Editor.

Step 2) Insert a new module by going to the Insert tab > Module.

Step 3) Copy and paste the following VBA code into the module.

Step 4) Close the VBA Editor and return to Excel.

Step 5) Press the Alt key + F8 to open the Macro dialog box.

Step 6) Select the macro we just wrote, namely, “DeleteAllCheckboxes”.

Step 7) Click Run.

This will delete all checkboxes from the active worksheet 🚀

Pro Tip!

If you are unable to remove a checkbox from your Excel sheet despite trying the above methods, you are probably facing the following issues:

• Your worksheet is protected, and the checkbox is locked. Go to the Review tab > Click on the Unprotect Sheet button.
• The check box is grouped with other objects so you cannot delete it individually. Right-click the grouped object, and select Ungroup.
• Check if the Design Mode under the Developer tab is turned on.

Now try deleting the checkbox using either of the above methods.

Conclusion

Clean and efficient worksheets need management. If you have checkboxes in your Excel spreadsheet, managing it effectively requires you to know how to remove them when needed.

This guide explains multiple methods to remove checkboxes. Starting through manual deletion or employing advanced techniques like the “Find & Select” feature to select and delete multiple checkboxes and VBA scripts.

Apart from removing checkboxes, learn more about them by checking out the following Microsoft Excel tutorials by Spreadsheeto.

• How to Insert a Checkbox in Excel (4 Uncomplicated Steps)
• How to Create Multiple Selections Drop-Down List in Excel
• How to Add Yes or No Options in Excel (Drop-down & Box)