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Remove infinite empty columns in Excel

Io44 -  
Raymond PENTIER Posted messages 58546 Registration date   Status Contributeur Last intervention   -

Hello,

I am a complete beginner in using Excel; however, I am working on a file (loaded with formulas and links between sheets and other files), and this file is extremely slow.

In one of the tabs, it seems that the empty columns are being counted because when we add a filter, it applies to all the columns infinitely.

Do you know of a way to remove them, please?

Thank you

Clarisse


5 réponses

Réponse 1 / 5
Le Pingou Posted messages 12375 Registration date   Status Contributeur Last intervention   1 476
 

Hello,

Before adding the Filter, you select the row of the relevant titles (e.g.: from A1 to G1)

and then click on Filter and it will apply to your selection.

In fact, what is the procedure that takes so long?

Regards.
The Penguin
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Réponse 2 / 5
Io44
 

I cannot, for example, convert my file to PDF, a simple copy-paste takes several minutes because there are infinite columns in this tab!

I was advised to do ctrl + shift + right arrow, and delete. This seems to be a good solution, unfortunately Excel gives me an error message.
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Réponse 3 / 5
Raymond PENTIER Posted messages 58546 Registration date   Status Contributeur Last intervention   17 474
 

Hello Clarisse.

Yes, you are a complete beginner:

  1. A filter, just like a sorting, is a feature that applies to the entire column.
  2. The filter only applies to the column in which it has been inserted; for the cells not affected by the filter, the entire row is hidden.
  3. The columns do not have infinite length; there are 65,536 rows in Excel 2003, and 1,048,576 since Excel 2007.

Your file is slow for other reasons:

  • you open several software applications at the same time,
  • you forget to clean up by regularly deleting temporary files, cookies, duplicate files, old software that you no longer use, which clutters your memory...

Retirement is nice! Especially in the Caribbean...
Raymond (INSA, AFPA)
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Réponse 4 / 5
Io44
 

Hello Raymond,

Thank you for this exact number of columns, I will then delete these few hundred thousand extra columns.

I would like to believe that all these other reasons you mentioned are correct, unfortunately I have this issue with a file, and a very specific tab at work.

Have a nice day
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Réponse 5 / 5
Raymond PENTIER Posted messages 58546 Registration date   Status Contributeur Last intervention   17 474
 

NO! You cannot delete the columns to the right of your table, nor the rows below; these are default sizes. If it were possible, I would have mentioned it in my previous response...

However, did you "clean up," as I strongly recommended?

And if you had the (healthy) curiosity to browse some discussions on this Excel forum, you would have noticed that we systematically invite requesters to join their file! So do the same...

1) Go to https://www.cjoint.com/
2) Click on [Browse] to select the file (15 MB max)
3) Scroll down and click the blue button [Create Cjoint link]
4) After a few seconds, the second page appears, with the link in bold; right-click on it and choose "Copy link"
5) Return to the discussion on CCM, and in your message, click "Paste".
=>See the file https://www.commentcamarche.net/faq/29493-utiliser-cjoint-pour-heberger-des-fichiers
There is also https://www.transfernow.net/

Retirement is great! Especially in the Antilles...
Raymond (INSA, AFPA)
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