Use Office Script to Remove Carriage Returns in Excel Online
Question details
The user needs to remove carriage-return characters from a range in Excel Online because the Replace dialog does not support Ctrl+J.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- A user is editing an Excel Online workbook and needs to clean line breaks from a selected data range.
- Observed behavior
- Excel Online does not support Ctrl+J in the Replace dialog, so carriage returns cannot be replaced directly; an Office Script can perform the replacement.
Make sure the workbook is saved in OneDrive or SharePoint and opened in Excel Online. Confirm that the Automate tab is available and that the script range matches the cells you want to clean.
Remove carriage returns with an Office Script in Excel Online
Use this method when the Excel Online Replace dialog cannot find or replace carriage returns with Ctrl+J.
The script uses Range.replaceAll with "\r" to match carriage-return characters and replace them with an empty string. Adjust A1:A10 to the range that contains your data before running.
Sign in to Microsoft 365 and open the target workbook in Excel Online from OneDrive, SharePoint, or the Office app.
On the ribbon, select Automate > New Script. In the Code Editor, delete any existing placeholder code.
Paste the following code and change A1:A10 to the range you want to clean: function main(workbook: ExcelScript.Workbook) { const sheet = workbook.getActiveWorksheet(); const range = sheet.getRange("A1:A10"); range.replaceAll("\\r", "", { completeMatch: false, matchCase: false }); }
Click Run in the Code Editor, then check the selected cells to confirm that carriage returns have been removed.
Use WPS Office to Clean Carriage Returns Without Office Scripts
If you need a simpler desktop workflow or do not have access to Office Scripts in Excel Online, WPS Office is a free, lightweight alternative. It opens .xlsx files with a familiar ribbon interface and lets you remove line breaks with standard find-and-replace controls, making it easy to switch from Microsoft Excel.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Download the free WPS Office installer from the official WPS website and complete the installation.
- 2. Open your Excel workbook: Launch WPS Spreadsheets, click Open, and select the .xlsx file that contains carriage returns.
- 3. Replace carriage returns: Press Ctrl+H to open Find and Replace, enter Ctrl+J in the Find what field, leave Replace with empty, and click Replace All.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Ctrl+J not work in the Excel Online Replace dialog?
Excel Online does not support the Ctrl+J control-character shortcut in the Replace dialog. Use an Office Script that calls Range.replaceAll for "\r", or open the workbook in desktop Excel or WPS Office to use Find & Replace.
Can I apply this Office Script to a different sheet?
Yes. The script uses getActiveWorksheet(), so select the target sheet before running it. To target a specific sheet, use workbook.getWorksheet("SheetName") instead.
Does this script remove all line breaks in the selected range?
The provided script replaces carriage returns (\r) only. If your cells contain line feed characters or CRLF pairs, change the search term to "\n" or "\r\n" in the code.
Do I need a Microsoft 365 license to use Office Scripts?
Office Scripts are available with supported Microsoft 365 work or school plans. If the Automate tab is unavailable, you can use WPS Office as a free alternative to clean the workbook.
Can WPS Office open and edit the same Excel Online file?
Yes. Download the workbook from OneDrive or SharePoint, open it in WPS Spreadsheets, and use Find & Replace to remove carriage returns. You can then save it back as a .xlsx file.
