Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Picking a Group of Cells.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 26, 2018)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Excel allows you to define a group of cells in preparation for doing an action, such as formatting the cells. This is different than picking a range of cells, however. A range of cells is contiguous in nature—every cell between a starting and ending point is selected. A group of cells does not need to be contiguous. Instead, they can be anywhere on the worksheet.
In some Microsoft documentation, a group of cells is called a selection set. To put together your own group of cells, you need to use the mouse. Click on the first cell in the group. As you click on each subsequent cell in the group, simply hold down the Ctrl key. Each cell you click on is added to the group. If you click on a cell a second time (with the Ctrl key pressed), the cell is removed from the group. If you click on any cell without holding down the Ctrl key, that cell is selected and the selection set is gone.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (1967) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Picking a Group of Cells.
Program Successfully in Excel! John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in deciphering complex technical topics. With this comprehensive guide, "Mr. Spreadsheet" shows how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Check out Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA today!
Got some numbers and letters mixed up in the same cell? You may need to get rid of those letters so you are left with ...
Discover MoreGrading in schools is often done using numeric values. However, you may want to change those numeric values into letter ...
Discover MoreIf you hide the first rows of a worksheet, you may have a hard time getting those rows visible again. Here's a simple way ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2018-11-14 11:15:21
Willy Vanhaelen
" If you click on a cell a second time (with the Ctrl key pressed), the cell is removed from the group." doesn't work in Excel.
If you want to do this you can use a macro as in:
https://excelribbon.tips.net/T012457_Removing_Cells_from_a_Selected_Range.html
or
https://excel.tips.net/T003102_Removing_Cells_from_a_Selected_Range
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Comments