Hide Columns or Rows in Excel

Sometimes, to display and manage data properly, you may need to hide columns or rows in Excel. This tutorial will show you how to hide or unhide a column or multiple columns, along with some other hidden tricks in Excel.

Hide a Column

Follow the steps below to hide a column.

1. Select a column.

Hide Columns or Rows in Excel

2. Right click, and then click Hide.


Result:


Note: Similarly, you can hide a row by selecting the row, then right-clicking the row and selecting the option to hide.

Unhide a Column

Follow the steps below to unhide a column.

1. Select the columns located just before and after the hidden column.

2. Right click, and then click Unhide.


Result:


Note: To view the hidden rows, select the rows on both sides of the hidden row. After that right click on the selection and click Unhide.

Hide and Unhide Multiple Columns or Rows

Follow the steps below to hide multiple columns.

1. Press and hold the mouse on a column name. Then drag across the other columns to select them.

2. Keep the CTRL key pressed and click each column you want to select.


3. Right click, and then click Hide.


Result:


To unhide all columns, execute the following steps.

4. Click the small box in the upper-left corner. It will highlight all the cells of the sheet.


5. To unhide a column, right-click its header and select “Unhide”.


Result:

Note: Similarly, you can hide and unhide several rows at once.

Hidden Tricks

Stand out at work by applying these hidden features. Follow these steps to hide or show columns with a button.

1. Select one or more columns.

2. Click the Data tab. In the Outline section, choose Group.


3. Use the minus sign to hide the columns.


4. To see the hidden columns, click the plus sign.


Note: First, choose the columns you wish to ungroup. Go to the Data tab, find the Outline section, and choose Ungroup.

Finally, follow these instructions to hide cells in Excel.

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 some cells. Click on a hidden cell and see what shows in the formula bar.

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