How to unhide cells in excel

Answer

To unhide cells in Excel, select the range surrounding the hidden cells, right-click, and choose "Unhide" from the context menu. Excel hides rows or columns rather than individual cells, so unhiding requires selecting the adjacent visible rows or columns that border the hidden section.

Understanding Hidden Cells in Excel

Excel doesn't hide individual cells—it hides entire rows or columns. Hidden rows display a gap in row numbers (like jumping from row 5 to row 8), while hidden columns show missing letters in the column headers (like going from column B to column D). The gridlines between visible rows or columns appear thicker when content is hidden between them.

Methods to Unhide Rows

Method 1: Using Right-Click Menu

1. Select the row above and below the hidden rows by clicking and dragging across the row numbers
2. Right-click on the selected rows
3. Choose "Unhide" from the context menu

Method 2: Using the Ribbon

1. Select rows surrounding the hidden rows
2. Navigate to the Home tab
3. Click "Format" in the Cells group
4. Select "Hide & Unhide"
5. Choose "Unhide Rows"

Method 3: Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows: Select surrounding rows and press Ctrl + Shift + 9 Mac: Select surrounding rows and press Command + Shift + 9

Methods to Unhide Columns

Method 1: Using Right-Click Menu

1. Select the columns on both sides of the hidden columns by clicking the column letters
2. Right-click the selection
3. Click "Unhide"

Method 2: Using the Ribbon

1. Select columns adjacent to the hidden columns
2. Go to the Home tab
3. Click "Format" in the Cells group
4. Select "Hide & Unhide"
5. Click "Unhide Columns"

Method 3: Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows: Select surrounding columns and press Ctrl + Shift + 0 Mac: Select surrounding columns and press Command + Shift + 0

How to Unhide All Rows and Columns Simultaneously

Select All and Unhide

1. Click the Select All button (triangle at the intersection of row numbers and column letters)
2. Right-click any row number
3. Select "Unhide"
4. Right-click any column letter
5. Select "Unhide"

Using Go To Special

1. Press Ctrl + G (Windows) or Command + G (Mac)
2. Click "Special"
3. Select "Visible cells only"
4. Click OK
5. Use the Format menu to unhide all hidden elements

Unhiding the First Row or Column

Unhiding Row 1

1. Click in the Name Box (left of the formula bar)
2. Type "A1" and press Enter
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + 9 (Windows) or Command + Shift + 9 (Mac)

Unhiding Column A

1. Type "A1" in the Name Box
2. Press Enter
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + 0 (Windows) or Command + Shift + 0 (Mac)

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Keyboard Shortcuts Not Working

Windows users may find Ctrl + Shift + 0 disabled due to regional keyboard settings. Use the ribbon method or right-click menu instead. Some laptop keyboards require pressing the Fn key along with the number keys.

Cannot Unhide Despite Following Steps

The worksheet might be protected. Go to the Review tab and click "Unprotect Sheet." You may need a password to unprotect the sheet. Row height or column width might be set to zero instead of being hidden—manually adjust the height or width by dragging the border.

Hidden Rows or Columns Reappear After Saving

Check for active filters by going to the Data tab and clicking "Clear" in the Sort & Filter group. Grouped rows or columns may be collapsed—look for small boxes with minus or plus signs in the margin and click them to expand.

Preventing Accidental Hiding

Protect your worksheet structure by going to Review > Protect Sheet and unchecking the "Format rows" and "Format columns" options. This prevents users from hiding or unhiding rows and columns while still allowing data entry in unlocked cells.

Using VBA to Unhide All Cells

Power users can create a macro to unhide all rows and columns instantly:

1. Press Alt + F11 to open VBA editor
2. Insert a new module
3. Enter code to set all rows and columns to visible
4. Run the macro with F5

Best Practices for Managing Hidden Cells

Document which rows or columns you hide by maintaining a log in a separate worksheet. Use grouping instead of hiding for data that needs frequent toggling between visible and hidden states. Apply consistent formatting to make hidden sections more obvious. Excel 2019 and later versions display a double line between visible cells when content is hidden.

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