# Microsoft Office Application Help - Excel Help forum > Excel General >  >  Excel won't filter whole column.

## Sprucemoose

Hi!

I have a question regarding filtering of columns, hopefully someone is able to put me on the right track. I have set up Excel 2007 so that I can click on the drop-down menu in each column to filter them. 

However, in my data set there is one blank row separating two set of rows. Now, when I apply the filter on a column, all the rows above the blank row filter correctly, but all the rows below stay un-filtered.

I guess Excel only looks at the consequtive rows, then stops when it hits a blank row. Is there any way of applying the filter beyond a blank row (i.e. the whole column)?

Any advice is higly appreciated.

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## Domski

Best advice is don't have blank rows in your data but if you select the whole data range including the data below the blank row before you activate auto filter it should work.

Dom

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## Sprucemoose

Thanks for the reply. However, manually marking the cells in that row does not make a difference. I can even select the whole column by clicking on the column letter, but it doesn't change. What I've done now is just put an "x" in the first column in the blank row. This way the filter works for the whole data set.

but as you said, I'm probably better off without blank rows in my spreadsheet.

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## Domski

Seems to work okay for me unless something's changed in 2007.

Dom

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## cathydunham

Excel has always recognized a table as a set of data in rows and columns that are completely surrounded by blank cells.
If you have a blank row of data, at least add a heading in the first column (or add a column to do so). THEN your filter or sorting tools will work.

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## malena2022

I had the same issue where Excel would apply a filter to either columns A:E or F:G, but not A:G. Turns out columns F:G were set up as a table ("Design" menu appears at the top when you select any cell within those columns). There is an option within the Design menu that says "Convert to Range". After selecting that option the filter worked on all of the columns.

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