Guidelines:
- The workbook has no empty worksheets or ChartSheets
- Before removing, ensure that a sheet is unused as deletion cannot be undone
Empty worksheets and ChartSheets are unnecessary, and may be a distraction to the user, so they should be removed. Be sure that the sheet is empty and not used by, for example, VBA or Power Query.
Example of empty worksheets
The image shows a common workbook structure, where default worksheets Sheet2 and Sheet3 are part of the workbook, even though they are unused. They should be removed.
Caution when deleting sheets
It is not possible to undo the deletion of a sheet. Therefore, before deleting a sheet, ensure that it is truly empty and not used by any other part of the workbook. A linked workbook, or some other software application, may also require the sheet to exist – so be certain before deleting the sheet.
For example, a VBA procedure may use a worksheet as a temporary space for working with data, leaving it empty when finished. If the worksheet is deleted, then the VBA procedure may not work correctly.
Also beware that, after deleting a worksheet, if you press F4 (repeat last action) then Excel will delete the active worksheet. This action cannot be undone.
