Column hiding in excel

Hide or show rows or columns

Hide or unhide columns in your spreadsheet to show just the data that you need to see or print.

Hide columns

1. Select one or more columns, and then press Ctrl to select additional columns that aren’t adjacent.

2. Right-click the selected columns, and then select Hide.

Note: The double line between two columns is an indicator that you’ve hidden a column.

Unhide columns

1. Select the adjacent columns for the hidden columns.

2. Right-click the selected columns, and then select Unhide.

    Or double-click the double line between the two columns where hidden columns exist.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

See Also

Unhide the first column or row in a worksheet

Learn several ways to do this

Updated on September 19, 2022

What to Know

• Hide a column: Select a cell in the column to hide, then press Ctrl+0. To unhide, select an adjacent column and press Ctrl+Shift+0.
• Hide a row: Select a cell in the row you want to hide, then press Ctrl+9. To unhide, select an adjacent column and press Ctrl+Shift+9.
• You can also use the right-click context menu and the format options on the Home tab to hide or unhide individual rows and columns.

You can hide columns and rows in Excel to make a cleaner worksheet without deleting data you might need later, although there is no way to hide individual cells. In this guide, we provide instructions for three ways to hide and unhide columns in Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and Excel for Microsoft 365.

Hide Columns in Excel Using a Keyboard Shortcut

The keyboard key combination for hiding columns is Ctrl+0.

1. Click on a cell in the column you want to hide to make it the active cell.

2. Press and hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard.

3. Press and release the 0 key without releasing the Ctrl key. The column containing the active cell should be hidden from view.

   To hide multiple columns using the keyboard shortcut, highlight at least one cell in each column to be hidden, and then repeat steps two and three above.

   Hide Columns Using the Context Menu

   The options available in the context — or right-click menu — change depending upon the object selected when you open the menu. If the Hide option, as shown in the image below, is not available in the context menu it is likely that you didn’t select the entire column before right-clicking.

   Hide a Single Column

4. Click the column header of the column you want to hide to select the entire column.

5. Right-click on the selected column to open the context menu.

6. Choose Hide. The selected column, the column letter, and any data in the column will be hidden from view.

   Hide Adjacent Columns

7. In the column header, click and drag with the mouse pointer to highlight all three columns.

8. Right-click on the selected columns.

9. Choose Hide. The selected columns and column letters will be hidden from view.

When you hide columns and rows containing data, it does not delete the data, and you can still reference it in formulas and charts. Hidden formulas containing cell references will update if the data in the referenced cells changes.

Hide Separated Columns

1. In the column header click on the first column to be hidden.

2. Press and hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard.

3. Continue to hold down the Ctrl key and click once on each additional column to be hidden to select them.

4. Release the Ctrl key.

5. In the column header, right-click on one of the selected columns and choose Hide. The selected columns and column letters will be hidden from view.

When hiding separate columns, if the mouse pointer is not over the column header when you click the right mouse button, the hide option will not be available.

Hide and Unhide Columns in Excel Using the Name Box

This method can be used to unhide any single column. In our example, we will be using column A.

1. Type the cell reference A1 into the Name Box.

2. Press the Enter key on the keyboard to select the hidden column.

3. Click on the Home tab of the ribbon.

4. Click on the Format icon on the ribbon to open the drop-down.

5. In the Visibility section of the menu, choose Hide & Unhide > Hide Columns or Unhide Column.

Unhide Columns Using a Keyboard Shortcut

The key combination for unhiding columns is Ctrl+Shift+0.

1. Type the cell reference A1 into the Name Box.

2. Press the Enter key on the keyboard to select the hidden column.

3. Press and hold down the Ctrl and the Shift keys on the keyboard.

4. Press and release the 0 key without releasing the Ctrl and Shift keys.

To unhide one or more columns, highlight at least one cell in the columns on either side of the hidden column(s) with the mouse pointer.

1. Click and drag with the mouse to highlight columns A to G.

2. Press and hold down the Ctrl and the Shift keys on the keyboard.

3. Press and release the 0 key without releasing the Ctrl and Shift keys. The hidden column(s) will become visible.

   The Ctrl+Shift+0 keyboard shortcut might not work depending on the version of Windows you’re running, for reasons not explained by Microsoft. If this shortcut doesn’t work, use another method from the article.

   Unhide Columns Using the Context Menu

   As with the shortcut key method above, you must select at least one column on either side of a hidden column or columns to unhide them. For example, to unhide columns D, E, and G:

4. Hover the mouse pointer over column C in the column header. Click and drag with the mouse to highlight columns C to H to unhide all columns at one time.

5. Right-click on the selected columns and choose Unhide. The hidden column(s) will become visible.

Hide Rows Using Shortcut Keys

The keyboard key combination for hiding rows is Ctrl+9:

1. Click on a cell in the row you want to hide to make it the active cell.

2. Press and hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard.

3. Press and release the 9 key without releasing the Ctrl key. The row containing the active cell should be hidden from view.

To hide multiple rows using the keyboard shortcut, highlight at least one cell in each row you want to hide, and then repeat steps two and three above.

Hide Rows Using the Context Menu

The options available in the context menu — or right-click — change depending upon the object selected when you open it. If the Hide option, as shown in the image above, is not available in the context menu it is because you probably didn’t select the entire row.

Hide a Single Row

1. Click on the row header for the row to be hidden to select the entire row.

2. Right-click on the selected row to open the context menu.

3. Choose Hide. The selected row, the row letter, and any data in the row will be hidden from view.

Hide Adjacent Rows

1. In the row header, click and drag with the mouse pointer to highlight all three rows.

2. Right-click on the selected rows and choose Hide. The selected rows will be hidden from view.

Hide Separated Rows

1. In the row header, click on the first row to be hidden.

2. Press and hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard.

3. Continue to hold down the Ctrl key and click once on each additional row to be hidden to select them.

4. Right-click on one of the selected rows and choose Hide. The selected rows will be hidden from view.

Hide and Unhide Rows Using the Name Box

This method can be used to unhide any single row. In our example, we will be using row 1.

1. Type the cell reference A1 into the Name Box.

2. Press the Enter key on the keyboard to select the hidden row.

3. Click on the Home tab of the ribbon.

4. Click on the Format icon on the ribbon to open the drop-down menu.

5. In the Visibility section of the menu, choose Hide & Unhide > Hide Rows or Unhide Row.

Unhide Rows Using a Keyboard Shortcut

The key combination for unhiding rows is Ctrl+Shift+9.

Unhide Rows using Shortcut Keys and Name Box

1. Type the cell reference A1 into the Name Box.

2. Press the Enter key on the keyboard to select the hidden row.

3. Press and hold down the Ctrl and the Shift keys on the keyboard.

4. Press and hold down the Ctrl and the Shift keys on the keyboard. Row 1 will become visible.

Unhide Rows Using a Keyboard Shortcut

To unhide one or more rows, highlight at least one cell in the rows on either side of the hidden row(s) with the mouse pointer. For example, you want to unhide rows 2, 4, and 6.

1. To unhide all rows, click and drag with the mouse to highlight rows 1 to 7.

2. Press and hold down the Ctrl and the Shift keys on the keyboard.

3. Press and release the number 9 key without releasing the Ctrl and Shift keys. The hidden row(s) will become visible.

Unhide Rows Using the Context Menu

As with the shortcut key method above, you must select at least one row on either side of a hidden row or rows to unhide them. For example, to unhide rows 3, 4, and 6:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over row 2 in the row header.

2. Click and drag with the mouse to highlight rows 2 to 7 to unhide all rows at one time.

3. Right-click on the selected rows and choose Unhide. The hidden row(s) will become visible.

How to Move Columns in Excel

FAQ

• How do I hide cells in Excel?

  Select the cell or cells you want to hide, then select the Home tab > Cells > Format > Format Cells. In the Format Cells menu, select the Number tab > Custom (under Category) and type ;;; (three semicolons), then select OK.

• How do I hide gridlines in Excel?

  Select the Page Layout tab, then turn off the View checkbox under Gridlines.

• How do I hide formulas in Excel?

  Select the cells with formulas you want to hide > select the Hidden checkbox on the Protection tab > OK > Review > Protect Sheet. Next, verify that Protect worksheet and contents of locked cells is turned on, then select OK.

Thanks for letting us know!

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Home > Microsoft Excel > How to Hide and Unhide Columns in Excel? (3 Easy Steps)

(Note: This guide on how to hide and unhide columns in Excel is suitable for all Excel versions including Office 365)

Excel comes with a whole package of features that helps us maintain and keep track of large sets of data. We have been covering these in our blogs. 

In this guide, let us see one such important feature: How to hide and unhide columns in Excel? 

But before we begin, let us understand why there is a need to hide or unhide columns in the first place. Hiding columns in Excel helps you organize your data better and makes it easier to understand for everyone. It does this by temporarily allowing you to hide certain columns, which you may consider irrelevant at present. 

Now you may ask: Isn’t it better to delete them once and for all? 

Yes, but in certain cases, you may need them later. Hence, it is advisable to hide them temporarily rather than delete them altogether. Let us quickly jump into the guide and learn how to do this the easy way. 

You’ll learn:

• How to Hide Columns in Excel?
• How to Unhide Columns in Excel?
• How to Unhide All Hidden Columns in Excel?

Related:

How to Custom Sort Excel Data? 2 Easy Steps

How to Sort a Pivot Table in Excel? 6 Best Methods

How to Filter in Excel? A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Hide Columns in Excel?

Hiding columns in Excel is pretty straightforward. Just follow these steps:

• Open the Excel spreadsheet.
• Click on the Column name you want to hide. This will select the entire column.

• Let us say, you want to hide column ‘D’. Then, click on the letter ‘D’ in the columns section.

  Pro Tip: If you want to select two or more columns at the same time, just keep clicking on the columns you want to hide while pressing the Ctrl key.

• Now that you have the relevant columns selected, all you have to do is just hide them. To do this, right-click inside any one of the selected columns and choose the ‘Hide’ option from the context menu.

  That’s all. You have successfully hidden the selected columns. These hidden columns will be marked by a thicker green line in the spreadsheet. 

Also Read:

How to Add Error Bars in Excel? 7 Best Methods

How to Enable Excel Dark Mode? 3 Simple Steps

How to Group Worksheets in Excel? (In 3 Simple Steps)

How to Unhide Columns in Excel?

Unhiding specific columns is also simple, provided you already know where these hidden columns lie. 

First, let us see how to unhide a hidden column whose location we already know. 

• Select the columns which engulf the hidden column by holding down the Shift key. 

Let us say you want to unhide column ‘D’. Then you need to select both the columns ‘C’ and ‘A’ on both sides. 

• Right-click on either selected column and choose ‘Unhide’ from the context menu.

• Alternatively, you can double click on or drag the hidden column marker to unhide it quickly. 

How to Unhide All Hidden Columns in Excel?

Practically, it is impossible to keep track of all the hidden columns’ locations and unhide them one by one. 

That’s why we need a one-stop solution to unhide all the hidden columns at the press of a button. Thankfully, Excel already has this feature labeled as the ‘Unhide Columns’ feature. 

Follow these steps to use it:

• In the Home tab of the Excel ribbon menu, locate and click on the Format drop-down menu.
• In the drop-down list, click on the Hide & Unhide option in the Visibility section.
• This will once again open another list. Here, click on the Unhide Columns option.

This will unhide all the hidden columns in one go. This is a really helpful feature, especially if you have multiple hidden columns dispersed over a large spreadsheet. Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl+Shift+) shortcut.

Suggested Reads:

The Excel CHOOSE Function – 4 Best Uses

The FORMULATEXT Excel Function – 2 Best Examples

How to Make a Line Graph in Excel? 4 Best Line Graph Examples

FAQs 

Let’s Wrap Up

In this short guide, we saw how to hide and unhide columns in Excel using traditional methods and shortcuts. The hide feature in Excel is one of the most rarely known but useful features out there. Using it wisely can save you and your teammates from a lot of confusion surrounding your worksheets. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments. 

If you need more high-quality Excel guides, please check out our free Excel resources center.

Simon Sez IT has been teaching Excel for over ten years. For a low, monthly fee you can get access to 130+ IT training courses. Click here for advanced Excel courses with in-depth training modules.

Hide | Unhide | Multiple Columns or Rows | Hidden Tricks

Sometimes it can be useful to hide columns or rows in Excel.

Hide

To hide a column, execute the following steps.

1. Select a column.

2. Right click, and then click Hide.

Result:

Note: to hide a row, select a row, right click, and then click Hide.

Unhide

To unhide a column, execute the following steps.

1. Select the columns on either side of the hidden column.

2. Right click, and then click Unhide.

Result:

Note: to unhide a row, select the rows on either side of the hidden row, right click, and then click Unhide.

Multiple Columns or Rows

To hide multiple columns, execute the following steps.

1. Select multiple columns by clicking and dragging over the column headers.

2. To select non-adjacent columns, hold CTRL while clicking the column headers.

3. Right click, and then click Hide.

Result:

To unhide all columns, execute the following steps.

4. Select all columns by clicking the Select All button.

5. Right click a column header, and then click Unhide.

Result:

Note: in a similar way, you can hide and unhide multiple rows.

Hidden Tricks

Impress your boss with the following hidden tricks. To hide and show columns with the click of a button, execute the following steps.

1. Select one or more columns.

2. On the Data tab, in the Outline group, click Group.

3. To hide the columns, click the minus sign.

4. To show the columns again, click the plus sign.

Note: to ungroup the columns, first, select the columns. Next, on the Data tab, in the Outline group, click Ungroup.

Finally, to hide cells in Excel, execute the following steps.

1. Select a range of cells.

2. Right click, and then click Format Cells.

The ‘Format Cells’ dialog box appears.

3. Select Custom.

4. Type the following number format code: ;;;

5. Click OK.

Result:

Note: the data is still there. Try it yourself. Download the Excel file, hide cells, select one of the hidden cells and look at the formula bar.

Hide and Unhide Rows and Columns in Microsoft Excel (with Shortcuts)

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated January 29, 2022

Applies to: Microsoft^® Excel^® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can hide or unhide columns or rows in Excel using the context menu, using a keyboard shortcut or by using the Format command on the Home tab in the Ribbon. You can quickly unhide all columns or rows as well.

Some users may want to hide all of the unused columns to the right and unused rows below the data to clean up the workspace and display only relevant information to team members or clients.

You will not be able to hide or unhide rows or columns if the worksheet has been protected with a password (and you don’t have the password to unprotect it), if content has been disabled or if the file is read only.

Recommended article: How to Lock and Protect Excel Worksheets and Workbooks

Selecting columns or rows in Excel

It’s important to be able to quickly select columns or rows in Excel if you want to hide them.

To select one or more columns in Excel:

• To select one column, click its heading or select a cell in the column and press Ctrl + spacebar.
• To select multiple contiguous columns, drag across the column headings using a mouse or select the first column and then Shift-click the last column.
• To select non-contiguous columns, click the heading of the first column and then Ctrl-click the headings or the other columns you want to select.

To select one or more rows in Excel:

• To select one row, click its heading or select a cell in the row and press Shift + Spacebar.
• To select multiple contiguous rows, drag across the row headings using a mouse or select the first row and then Shift-click the last row.
• To select non-contiguous rows, click the heading of the first row and then Ctrl-click the headings of the other rows you want to select.

To select all rows and columns in Excel:

• Press Ctrl + A (press A twice if necessary).
• Click in the intersection box to the left of the A and above the 1 on the worksheet.

Hiding columns

To hide a column or columns by right-clicking:

1. Select the column or columns you want to hide.
2. Right-click and select Hide from the drop-down menu.

To hide a column or columns using a keyboard shortcut:

1. Select the column or columns you want to hide.
2. Press Ctrl + 0 (zero).

To hide a column or columns using the Ribbon:

1. Select the column or columns you want to hide.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Cells group, click Format. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click Visibility, select Hide & Unhide and then Hide Columns.

To hide all columns to the right of the last line of data:

1. Select the column to the right of the last column of data.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + right arrow.
3. Press Ctrl + 0 (zero). You can also use the Ribbon method or the right-click method to hide columns.

Unhiding columns

To unhide a column or columns by right-clicking:

1. Select the column headings to the left and right of the hidden column(s). To unhide all columns, click the box to the left of the A and above the 1 on the worksheet or press Ctrl + A (twice if necessary).
2. Right-click and select Unhide from the drop-down menu.

To unhide a column or columns using a keyboard shortcut:

1. Select the column headings to the left and right of the hidden column(s) by dragging. To unhide all columns, click the box to the left of the A and above the 1 on the worksheet or press Ctrl + A (twice if necessary).
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + 0 (zero). If this doesn’t work, use one of the other methods.

To unhide a column or columns using the Ribbon:

1. Select the column headings to the left and right of the hidden column(s). To select all columns, click the box to the left of the A and above the 1 on the worksheet or press Ctrl + A (twice if necessary).
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Cells group, click Format. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click Visibility, select Hide & Unhide and then Unhide Columns.

To unhide a column or columns by double-clicking:

1. Select the column headings to the left and right of the hidden columns(s).
2. Hover the mouse over the hidden column headings.
3. When the mouse pointer turns into a split two-headed arrow, double-click.

Hiding rows

To hide a row or rows by right-clicking:

1. Select the row or rows you want to hide.
2. Right-click and select Hide from the drop-down menu.

To hide a row or rows using a keyboard shortcut:

1. Select the row or rows you want to hide.
2. Press Ctrl + 9.

To hide a row or rows using the Ribbon:

1. Select the row or rows you want to hide.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Cells group, click Format. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click Visibility, select Hide & Unhide and then Hide Rows.

To hide all rows below the last line of data:

1. Select the row below the last line of data.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + down arrow.
3. Press Ctrl + 9. You can also use the Ribbon method or the right-click method to hide the rows.

Unhiding rows

To unhide a row or rows by right-clicking:

1. Select the row headings above and below the hidden row(s). To unhide all rows, click the box to the left of the A and above the 1 on the worksheet.
2. Right-click and select Unhide from the drop-down menu.

To unhide rows using a keyboard shortcut:

1. Select the row headings above and below the hidden row(s). To unhide all rows, click the box to the left of the A and above the 1 on the worksheet or press Ctrl + A (twice if necessary).
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + 9.

To unhide a row or rows using the Ribbon:

1. Select the row headings above and below the hidden row(s). To select all rows, click the box to the left of the A and above the 1 on the worksheet.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon or press Ctrl + A (twice if necessary).
3. In the Cells group, click Format. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click Visibility, select Hide & Unhide and then Unhide Rows.

To unhide a row or rows by double-clicking:

1. Select the row headings above and below the hidden row(s). To unhide all rows, click the box to the left of the A and above the 1 on the worksheet.
2. Hover the mouse over the hidden row headings.
3. When the mouse pointer turns into a split two-headed arrow, double-click.

The method you use to hide or unhide columns or rows is based on personal preference.

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Microsoft Excel provides two useful features that are hide and unhide columns. Hiding a column will make that column disappear, it is still present in the sheet but will not appear on the screen. You can unhide the hidden column anytime whenever you want. Hiding a column is useful if there is private data in that column that you don’t want anyone to have a look at. Using the hod and unhide option we can also hide and unhide rows, columns, and sheets. You can unhide that data when you want your private data visible. To discuss this concept let us take demo data to demonstrate the hiding and unhiding columns.

 In this data, we will hide Clounm A and then will Unhide it.

Hide

To hide the column follow the steps mentioned below:

Step 1: Select the first cell of the column, here we are selecting A1. Then, in the home got to format in the cells. In format choose Hide & Unhide in Visibility.

Step 2: In Hide & Unhide select Hide Columns.

Now Column A will not appear on the screen.

Unhide

Unhiding a column is a bit different from hiding. As the column is hidden no we will not be able to select the first cell of the column by click. So to unhide the column follow the steps mentioned below:

Step 1: In Home select Find & Select in the Editing section. Now in Find & Select select Go To…

Step 2: Now in Go To.. enter the First Cell address of the column in Reference which you want to unhide, then click on OK. Here we will enter A1.

Step 3: In the Home, go to format in the cells. In format choose Hide & Unhide in Visibility. Then, click on Unhide columns.

Now Column A1 will again appear on the screen.

So, we have learned how to hide and unhide columns in Excel.

Watch Video – How to Unhide Columns in Excel

If you prefer written instruction instead, below is the tutorial.

Hidden rows and columns can be quite irritating at times.

Especially if someone else has hidden these and you forget to unhide it (or even worse, you don’t know how to unhide these).

While I can’t do anything about the first issue, I can show you how to unhide columns in Excel (the same techniques can also be used to unhide rows).

It may happen that one of the methods of unhiding columns/rows may not work for you. In that case, it is good to know the alternatives that can work.

There are many different situations where you may need to unhide the columns:

1. Multiple columns are hidden and you want to unhide all columns at once
2. You want to unhide a specific column (in between two columns)
3. You want to unhide the first column

Let’s go through each for these scenarios and see how to unhide the columns.

Unhide All Columns At One Go

If you have a worksheet that has multiple hidden columns, you don’t need to go hunt each one and bring it to light.

You can do that all in one go.

And there are multiple ways to do this.

Using the Format Option

Here are the steps to unhide all columns at one go:

1. Click on the small triangle at the top left of the worksheet area. This will select all the cells in the worksheet.
2. Right-click anywhere in the worksheet area.
3. Click on Unhide.

No matter where that pesky column is hidden, this will unhide it.

Note: You can also use the keyboard shortcut Control A A (hold the control key and hit the A key twice) to select all the cells in the worksheet.

Using VBA

If you need to do this often, you can also use VBA to get this done.

The below code will unhide column in the worksheet.

Sub UnhideColumns ()
Cells.EntireColumn.Hidden = False
EndSub

You need to place this code in the VB Editor (in a module).

If you want to learn how to do this with VBA, read a detailed guide on how to run a macro in Excel.

Note: To save time, you can save this macro in the Personal Macro Workbook and add it to the quick access toolbar. This will allow you to unhide all columns with a single click.

Using a Keyboard Shortcut

If you’re more comfortable using keyboard shortcuts, there is a way to unhide all columns with a few keystrokes.

Here are the steps:

1. Select any cell in the worksheet.
2. Press Control-A-A (hold the control key and press A twice). This will select all the cells in the worksheet
3. Use the following shortcut – ALT H O U L (one key at a time)

If you can get hang of this keyboard shortcut, it could be a lot faster to unhide columns.

Note: The reason you need to press A twice when holding the control key is that sometimes when you press Control A, it only selects the used range in Excel (or the area that has the data) and you need to press the A again to select the entire worksheet.

Another keyword shortcut that works for some and not for others is Control 0 (from a numeric keypad) or Control Shift 0 from a non-numeric keypad. It used to work for me earlier but doesn’t work anymore. Here is some discussion on why it may happen. I suggest you use the longer (ALT HOUL) shortcut that works every time.

Unhide Columns in Between Selected Columns

There are multiple ways you can quickly unhide columns in between selected columns. The methods shown here are useful when you want to unhide a specific column(s).

Let’s go through these one-by-one (and you can choose to use that you find the best).

Using a Keyboard Shortcut

Below are the steps:

1. Select the columns that contain the hidden columns in between. For example, if you are trying to unhide column C, then select column B and D.
2. Use the following shortcut – ALT H O U L (one key at a time)

This will instantly unhide the columns.

Using the Mouse

One quick and easy way to unhide a column is to use the mouse.

Below are the steps:

Using the Format Option in the Ribbon

Under the home tab in the ribbon, there are options to hide and unhide columns in Excel.

Here is how to use it:

Another way of accessing this option is by selecting the columns and right clicking using the mouse. In the menu that appears, select the unhide option.

Using VBA

Below is the code that you can use to unhide columns in between the selected columns.

Sub UnhideAllColumns()
Selection.EntireColumn.Hidden = False
End Sub

You need to place this code in the VB Editor (in a module).

If you want to learn how to do this with VBA, read a detailed guide on how to run a macro in Excel.

Note: To save time, you can save this macro in the Personal Macro Workbook and add it to the quick access toolbar. This will allow you to unhide all columns with a single click.

By Changing the Column Width

There is a possibility that none of these methods work when you try to unhide column in Excel. It happens when you change the Column Width to 0. In that case, even if you unhide the column, it’s width still remains 0, and hence you can’t see it or select it.

Below are the steps to change the column width:

This is by far the most reliable way to unhide columns in Excel. If everything fails, just change the column width.

Unhide the First Column

Unhiding the first column can be a little bit tricky.

You can use many of the methods covered above, with a little bit of extra work.

Let me show you a few ways.

Use the Mouse to Drag the First Column

Even when the first column is hidden, Excel allows you to select it and drag it to make it visible.

To do this, hover the cursor on the left edge of column B (or whatever is the leftmost visible column).

The cursor would change into a double arrow pointer as shown below.

Hold the left mouse button and drag the cursor to the right. You will see that it unhides the hidden column.

Go to a Cell in the First Column and Unhide it

But how do you go to any cell in the column that’s hidden?

Good question!

You use the Name Box (it’s left to the formula bar).

Enter A1 in the Name Box. It will instantly take you to the A1 cell. Since the first column is hidden, you won’t be able to see it, but be assured that it’s selected (you’ll still see a thin line just left of B1).

Once the hidden column cell is selected, follow the below steps:

• Click the Home tab.
• In the Cells group, click on Format.
• Hover the cursor on the ‘Hide & Unhide’ option.
• Click on ‘Unhide Columns’

Select the First Column and Unhide it

Again! How do you select it when it’s hidden?

Well, there are many different ways to skin the cat.

And this is just another method in my kitty (this is the last cat sounding reference I promise).

When you select the leftmost visible cell and drag the cursor to the left (where there are row numbers), you end up selecting all the hidden columns (even when you don’t see it).

Once you have select all the hidden columns, follow the below steps:

• Click the Home tab.
• In the Cells group, click on Format.
• Hover the cursor on the ‘Hide & Unhide’ option.
• Click on ‘Unhide Columns’

Check The Number of Hidden Columns

Excel has an ‘Inspect Document’ feature that is meant to quickly scan the workbook and give you some details about it.

And one of the things that you can do that ‘Inspect Document’ is to quickly check how many hidden columns or hidden rows are there in the workbook.

This might be useful when you get the workbook from someone and want to quickly inspect it.

Below are the steps on how to check the total number of hidden columns or hidden rows:

1. Open the workbook
2. Click on the File tab
3. In the Info options, click on the ‘Check for Issues’ button (it’s next to the Inspect Workbook text).
4. Click on Inspect Document.
5. In the Document Inspector, make sure Hidden Rows and Columns option is checked.
6. Click the Inspect button.

This will show you the total number of hidden rows and columns.

It also gives you the option to delete all these hidden rows/columns. This can be the case if there is extra data that has been hidden and is not needed. Instead of finding hidden rows and columns, you can quickly delete these from this option.

You May Also Like the following Excel Tips/Tutorials:

• How to Insert Multiple Rows in Excel – 4 Methods.
• How to Quickly Insert New Cells in Excel.
• Keyboard & Mouse Tricks that will Reinvent the Way You Excel.
• How to Hide a Worksheet in Excel.
• How to Unhide Sheets in Excel (All In One Go)
• Excel Text to Columns (7 Amazing things you can do with it)
• How to Lock Cells in Excel
• How to Lock Formulas in Excel