How to Delete a Button in Excel (Form, ActiveX or Shape)

To delete a button in Excel, you first need to select it without clicking it, because a normal click runs its macro. For a Form Control button or a shape with a macro, hold Ctrl and click the button (or right-click it and press Esc to close the menu), then press Delete. For an ActiveX button, go to the Developer tab, turn on Design Mode, click the button, and press Delete. To remove many buttons at once, use Find & Select > Selection Pane or Go To Special > Objects.

Below are the steps for each type of button, how to find hidden ones, and how to delete the macro behind a button too.

Table of Contents hide

1 Which kind of button do you have?

2 Delete a Form Control button or macro shape

3 Delete an ActiveX button

4 Delete several buttons at once

5 Find buttons you can’t see

6 Delete the macro too

7 If you can’t delete the button

8 Frequently asked questions

Which kind of button do you have?

Type	How to tell	How to select it
Form Control button	Plain gray button; right-click shows Assign Macro	Ctrl + click, or right-click then Esc
Shape or picture with a macro	Looks like a shape or image; pointer becomes a hand	Ctrl + click, or right-click then Esc
ActiveX button	Right-click does nothing until Design Mode is on	Turn on Design Mode, then click

Delete a Form Control button or macro shape

Hold Ctrl (Command on a Mac) and click the button. Selection handles appear around it.
If Ctrl-click doesn’t work, right-click the button and press Esc to close the menu. The button stays selected.
Press Delete.

Delete an ActiveX button

Show the Developer tab if it’s hidden: go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon, check Developer, and click OK.
On the Developer tab, click Design Mode.
Click the button to select it.
Press Delete.
Click Design Mode again to turn it off.

ActiveX controls aren’t available in Excel for Mac or Excel for the web.

Delete several buttons at once

With the Selection Pane

Click Home > Find & Select > Selection Pane.
The pane lists every shape, button and chart on the sheet. Click a name to select it, and hold Ctrl to select more.
Press Delete.

With Go To Special

Press F5 (or Ctrl + G) and click Special.
Choose Objects and click OK. Every object on the sheet is selected, including charts and images.
Hold Ctrl and click any objects you want to keep to deselect them.
Press Delete.

Find buttons you can’t see

Buttons can be hidden or tiny. The Selection Pane lists them anyway. Click the eye icon next to a name to show it, or select it in the pane and press Delete.

Delete the macro too

Deleting a button doesn’t delete its macro. To remove the code:

Press Alt + F8 to open the Macro list.
Select the macro and click Delete.

For ActiveX buttons, the code is in the sheet’s module. Press Alt + F11, double-click the sheet in the Project pane, and delete the button’s procedure, such as CommandButton1_Click.

If you can’t delete the button

Sheet is protected: Go to Review > Unprotect Sheet first.
Workbook is shared or read-only: Save a copy and edit that.
Clicking runs the macro: Use Ctrl-click or the Selection Pane instead of a normal click.

Frequently asked questions

Will deleting a button delete my data?

No. Buttons are objects that sit on top of cells. Deleting one doesn’t affect cell contents.

How do I move a button instead of deleting it?

Select it with Ctrl-click and drag it, or use the arrow keys.

Can I delete buttons in Excel for the web?

Excel for the web can select and delete some shapes, but buttons with macros and ActiveX controls need the desktop app.

Kermit Matthews

Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.