Google Sheets™ 20 million cell limit: find and delete empty rows safely

By Paul Kemp · Published 5 October 2026

A Google Sheets™ workbook can hold 20 million cells. Long before the limit, though, bloat slows a file down: thousands of empty rows and columns that once held formatting, validation or stray spaces still count toward it.

Find the real used range

1. Go to each tab and press Ctrl+End. It jumps to the corner of the used range: the furthest cell Google Sheets™ considers in use.
2. If it lands thousands of rows below your data, the tab is carrying dead weight.
3. Check hidden tabs too. They count just the same.

Trim it safely

1. Select the first fully empty row below your data.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+Down to extend the selection to the bottom.
3. Right-click and choose Delete rows, not Clear. Clearing empties the cells but leaves them in the used range; deleting removes them.
4. Do the same for empty columns to the right (Ctrl+Shift+Right, Delete columns).
5. Save, reload, and press Ctrl+End again to confirm the range shrank.

Work on a copy first if the sheet matters. Deleting rows is undoable, but a copy costs nothing.

Check the whole workbook

Sheet Speed Checker™ grades a Google Sheets™ file and shows where the time goes, including bloat on tabs you forgot existed. Checking the active sheet, the grade, every finding and Undo are free.

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Google, Google Sheets™ and Google Workspace™ are trademarks of Google LLC. App Garden™ is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.

Google, Google Sheets™ and Google Workspace™ are trademarks of Google LLC. Sheet Speed Checker is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.