How to Delete a Column in Google Docs (An Easy 4 Step Guide)

Last updated on May 2nd, 2023 at 08:53 am

Whether you are working with a newsletter that has two or three columns and you want to have one fewer, or you have a table that has more columns than you need, it may become necessary to learn how to delete a column in Google Docs.

How to Delete a Column from a Google Docs Document

1. Open the document.
2. Click Format.
3. Choose Columns.
4. Select the desired number of columns.

Our tutorial continues below with additional information on how to delete a column in Google Docs if a table in your current document already has more columns than you need.

Note that Google Docs will automatically rearrange the content in your columns, so you might need to go back and readjust any column breaks that you added manually, or reposition images or document objects that aren’t in the right place after the removal of the column.

When you create a new table in Google Docs you select the number of rows and columns that you want the table to have. But you might need to know how to delete a column from a Google Docs table if your initial selection was wrong.

Like other word processing applications such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs provides you with some tools that let you modify the appearance of your table.

Among these tools is an option for you to add or delete columns or rows that were added to your table.

Our guide below will show you how to remove an existing column from a table in Google Docs.

Do you have images that you would like to edit in specific ways? Our flip image in Google Docs guide can show you how to use the Drawing tool to accomplish this.

How to Delete a Column from a Table in Google Docs

1. Open your document.
2. Click in a cell in the column to delete.
3. Right-click on that cell, then choose Delete column.

Our article continues below with more information on deleting columns from Google Docs tables, including pictures of these steps.

How to Remove a Column from a Google Docs Table (guide with Pictures)

The steps in this article were performed in the desktop version of the Google Chrome Web browser, but will also work in other desktop browsers.

Step 1: Sign into Google Drive and open the document containing the table you wish to edit.

Step 2: Click inside one of the cells in the column you wish to delete.

Step 3: Right-click on that cell, then choose the Delete column option.

Any data contained in the cells in that column will be deleted.

You can also delete a column from a table in Google Docs by going to Format > Table > Delete column. The image below shows where this option can be found.

Similar methods can be used to add new columns in Google Docs, or to modify rows in your table.