Go To Special

The Special button inside Go To selects cells by what they are: blanks, formulas, errors, visible cells only.

Module 1 · Getting Started · Easy · 5 Minutes read

Select by Type, Not by Place

Normally you select cells by where they are. Go To Special selects them by what they contain, which makes big cleanup jobs instant.

Press F5 — Then click Special
Pick a type — Blanks, formulas, errors
All are selected — Ready to act on

How to do it

F5 ▸ Special ▸ choose a type ▸ OK or Ctrl + G ▸ Special

Alt + ; is the shortcut for Visible cells only, the one you will use most after filtering.

Item	What it does
Blanks	Every empty cell in the range
Formulas	Every calculated cell
Constants	Every typed value
Visible cells only	Skips hidden and filtered rows

The Options Worth Knowing

F5 ▸ Special ▸ Blanks ▸ OK ▸ Ctrl + Minus ▸ Entire row

Option	What it selects	Common use
Blanks	Empty cells	Delete blank rows
Formulas	Calculated cells	Protect or audit them
Constants	Typed values	Clear inputs, keep formulas
Visible cells only	Unhidden cells	Copy filtered data
Errors	Cells showing errors	Fix them together

Result: Alt + ;

Go To Special turns hours of manual cleanup into a few keystrokes.

Do this

Use Blanks to delete empty rows fast
Use Visible cells only after filtering
Use Constants to clear inputs but keep formulas

Avoid

Deleting blank rows one by one
Copying filtered data without Alt + ;
Not knowing Go To Special exists at all

📌 Select Blanks then press Ctrl + Minus to delete all empty rows in one action.

Practice

Use Go To Special to select all blanks.
Delete those blank rows in one action.
Filter a list and copy with Alt + ;.

Quick quiz: You filtered a list and want to copy only the visible rows. What do you use?

Just copy normally
Go To Special ▸ Visible cells only, or Alt + ;
Delete the hidden rows first

Show answer

Select the range ▸ Alt + ; ▸ Ctrl + C — Without Alt + ; a normal copy quietly includes every hidden row.

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