How do I delete a tab in an Excel spreadsheet if "Delete" is grayed out?

Question

I accidentally added 2 tabs to a spreadsheet.  I want to delete them, but  when I right click on the mouse, "Delete" is grayed out.  On the "Delete" tab on the toolbar at the top of the screen, "Delete sheet" is grayed out, although "Delete Cells", "Delete Sheet Rows", and "Delete Sheet Columns" are not grayed out.

Answer 1

Hi Judith,

Thank you for posting your question in this community. It sounds like your Excel workbook is enabled “Protect workbook”. If the workbook is protected, “Delete Sheet” will be grayed out, but the reset will not be grayed out.

 

In this scenario, you need to go to Review tab > Protect group to unprotect the workbook.

For your information:

Protect a worksheet

If the problem still exists, may I know the following information at your convenience?

1: Does the problem happen in all your Excel workbooks or this particular workbook?

2: You can try to create a new blank workbook and see whether the same scenario occurred.

3: Does this workbook contain any VBA code since we can also use VBA to protect workbook from certain actions?

Best regards,

Dihao

Answer 2

Hi Judith, 

Have you checked my reply above? If there are any updates, please post back here and share the above information at your convenience.

Best regards,

Dihao