Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 16, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
After you apply an AutoFormat effect, you may decide you don't like it. To make a change, all you need to do is choose AutoFormat again and pick a different format. You can also choose Undo from the Edit menu or click your mouse on the Undo tool on the toolbar.
If you decide you want to remove the formatting completely, choose AutoFormat from the Format menu and select the very last format sample in the dialog box. This option, None, results in Excel removing all the formatting for the table.
You should note that choosing the None formatting option will not restore the formatting that existed before you used AutoFormat. Instead, it removes all formatting, setting all attributes back to their default state.
You can also remove formatting by selecting the entire table and choosing Clear from the Edit menu. From the resulting submenu, choose the Formats option. Excel then removes all formatting from the cells.
No matter which method you use (AutoFormat or Clear), remember that only cell-related formatting is removed. Excel will not restore or change the column width or row height--even though they might have been changed by the AutoFormat command in the first place.
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