Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Finding and Deleting Rows.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 16, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Sam has a document that contains some tables in which he wants to delete some rows. The rows contain specific text, which he can certainly delete by using Find and Replace, but he wants to delete the entire rows that contain that text.
There is no way to do this (delete rows) using the normal Find and Replace features of Word. Instead, you need to use a macro that will find the text and then delete the entire row. Here is a relatively simple macro that will do the job:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here:
Sub DeleteRowWithSpecifiedText()
Dim sText As String
sText = InputBox("Enter text for row to be deleted")
Selection.Find.ClearFormatting
With Selection.Find
.Text = sText
.Wrap = wdFindContinue
End With
Do While Selection.Find.Execute
If Selection.Information(wdWithInTable) Then
Selection.Rows.Delete
End If
Loop
End Sub
This macro first displays an input box that asks the user to specify the text to be searched for. It then starts searching for all instances of that text. If an instance is found, then the selection is checked to make sure it is within a table. If it is, then the entire row is deleted, and the macro moves on to the next occurrence.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13148) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Finding and Deleting Rows.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!
The Find and Replace capabilities of Word are very powerful, but they still come up a bit short when searching for some ...
Discover MoreThe Find and Replace capabilities of Word are quite powerful. One type of replacing may not seem possible at ...
Discover MoreIn order to provide a finishing touch to your document, you may want to replace mundane X marks with fancier check marks. ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2022-10-20 09:12:08
Arya
Thank you. The macro saved my day
2022-04-01 10:31:59
Ariel <3
this is a KING post
thanks to you i learned what macros are, and how to achieve my desired outcome. thank you very much :)
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments