Papiral
PixelForge
Tabular
TabularFill Empty Cells in CSV — Static Value or Forward Fill
Replace blank cells with a static value, or fill them from the cell above (forward fill) or below (backward fill).
Pro feature
Upgrade to Pro to use the Fill Empty Cells tool and process files up to 50 MB.
See Pro plansWhat this tool does
Empty cells break calculations, distort aggregations, and cause import errors. Tabular's fill operation gives you three strategies: replace every blank with a fixed value like 'N/A' or 0, forward-fill by inheriting the last non-empty value from above (ideal for merged cells in exports), or backward-fill from the next non-empty value below. Target all columns or just the ones you need.
Problems it solves
- Replacing blank cells with 'N/A' before database import
- Forward-filling merged cells from exported reports
- Filling missing numeric values with 0 for calculations
- Propagating a category value down a grouped export
- Cleaning sparse datasets before analysis
Example
Empty Region cells filled using forward fill from the cell above.
Before
| Region | Sales |
| North | 100 |
| 200 | |
| 150 | |
| South | 300 |
After
| Region | Sales |
| North | 100 |
| North | 200 |
| North | 150 |
| South | 300 |
Frequently asked questions
What is forward fill?
Forward fill carries the last non-empty value downward. If row 1 has 'North' and rows 2-3 are blank, forward fill sets rows 2-3 to 'North'.
Can I fill only specific columns?
Yes. Leave the column selector empty to fill all columns, or select specific columns to target.
Is this a Pro feature?
Yes. Fill Empty Cells is available on Pro and Business plans.
What is backward fill?
Backward fill looks forward — if a cell is empty, it takes the value from the next non-empty cell below it.
Related tools
Remove Empty Rows
Clean up blank rows from CSV and Excel files automatically. Get a compact, analysis-ready dataset.
Trim Whitespace
Strip leading and trailing spaces from every cell in your CSV or spreadsheet with one click.
Filter Rows
ProKeep only the rows that match your criteria — filter by column value, text match, or emptiness. No formulas needed.