how to delete every other row in google sheets

Deleting every other row in Google Sheets can be quite a useful way to manage and clean up your data. Let’s break down the process step by step to accomplish this task.

Manual Deletion of Every Other Row

If you have a small dataset or need precision in row deletion, doing this task manually may be best. Here’s how:

1. Open your Google Sheets file.
2. Click on the row number on the left to highlight the entire first row you wish to delete.
3. Hold down the “Ctrl” key (Command on Mac) on your keyboard.
4. While holding down the key, click on the row numbers of every other row that you want to delete. This action will highlight multiple rows.
5. Right-click on one of the highlighted rows, and choose “Delete rows” from the dropdown menu.

Using a Helper Column

If your dataset is large, a more efficient method involves using a helper column to identify the rows to delete:

1. Open your Google Sheets file.
2. Add a new column to your spreadsheet if you don’t already have an empty one. This will be your helper column.
3. In the first cell of your helper column (let’s say it’s column A), type the following formula:

“`plaintext
=MOD(ROW(), 2)
“`

4. Press “Enter” to apply the formula. This formula will output a 0 (zero) for even-numbered rows and a 1 for odd-numbered rows starting from the row in which you enter the formula.
5. Click on the square at the bottom right corner of the cell where you entered the formula, and drag it down through the rows to apply the formula to all rows that you’re working with.
6. The rows with the same number (either 0 or 1, depending on whether you want to delete even or odd rows) are the ones you want to delete.
7. Sort your data temporarily by your helper column. Click on your helper column to select it and go to “Data” > “Sort range”. Make sure to either select or deselect “Data has header row,” depending on your data setup.
8. Once sorted, the rows you wish to delete will now be grouped together. You can now highlight them more easily: click on the first row number, then drag to select all the contiguous rows with the same number in the helper column.
9. Right-click on one of the highlighted rows and choose “Delete rows”.
10. (Optional) You can now remove the helper column by right-clicking the column header and selecting “Delete column” if you don’t need it anymore.

Using Google Sheets Script for Automatic Deletion

If you’re comfortable with Google Sheets scripts, you can write a custom function to delete every other row:

1. Open your Google Sheets file.
2. Go to “Extensions” > “Apps Script”.
3. Name your project, if desired.
4. In the script editor, erase any code that is there and copy-paste the following script:

“`javascript
function deleteEveryOtherRow() {
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
var rows = sheet.getDataRange().getNumRows();

for (var i = rows; i >= 1; i–) {
if (i % 2 == 0) {
sheet.deleteRow(i);
}
}
}
“`

5. Click the floppy disk icon or go to “File” > “Save” to save the script.
6. Click the play button to run the script. (You may need to give permissions to the script to run on your Google Sheets data).

The script will start at the bottom of your dataset and delete every other row, avoiding the issue that occurs if you start from the top where deleting a row shifts all other rows up and disrupts the “every other row” pattern.

Important Considerations

Always make sure you have a copy of your data before performing any batch operations like this, to prevent any accidental data loss. You can make a copy by going to “File” > “Make a copy” in Google Sheets.

These instructions will help you to delete every other row in Google Sheets efficiently and accurately, whether you have a large or small dataset.