Google Sheets is the top user-friendly spreadsheet program of 2024. It comes with many tools and functions to organize and analyze datasets. You can easily hide and unhide rows and columns with simple clicks.
It is pretty straightforward to analyze the data when you have a limited number of rows and columns.
But what if you have hundreds and thousands of rows or columns?
It may take hours to compare and organize such data.
So, it is where hiding rows and columns comes into play. It is one of the easiest and quickest ways to make such massive data more manageable.
In this quick guide, let us learn how to hide and unhide rows in Google Sheets. We will discuss the steps for desktop and mobile, so make sure to read the article until the end.
Here is the list of things discussed in this article.
Desktop (Hiding Rows & Columns)
- A single column
- Multiple sequential columns
- Multiple non-sequential columns
- A single row
- Multiple sequential rows
- Multiple non-sequential rows
Desktop (Unhiding Columns and Rows)
- Method #1 – Using a Button
- Method #2 – Using the Right-click
Mobile (Hiding Columns and Rows)
Mobile (Unhiding Columns or Rows)
- Method #1 – Using the Two Arrows
- Method #2 – Using the Double-tap
If you wish to hide a column or row on desktop or mobile, click the above links to jump to that particular article section.
Now, without any further ado, let’s begin.
How to Hide Columns in Google Sheets (Desktop View)
It is pretty straightforward to hide or unhide both columns of rows in Google Sheets. You don’t need any expert knowledge.
Let us discuss various scenarios or examples in the following section.
We will start with hiding columns or rows on the desktop and then move to the steps for the mobile.
Example #1 – How to Hide a Single Column (Desktop)
In this example, we will consider a simple scenario to hide a single column.
- Open the Google Sheet
- Select the column you wish to hide by clicking on the respective letter from the header. Refer to the following image
- Right-click to see more options
- Click on the “Hide column” option from the popup
Your selected column will instantly disappear. To verify if the column is hidden, hover to the header and check for the two arrows in the opposite direction, as shown in the following image.
The above symbol or pair of arrows indicates that a single or multiple columns are hidden.
Example #2 – How to Hide Multiple Sequential Columns (Desktop)
Here, we will learn to hide multiple columns in sequence. The steps are pretty simple.
Consider the following table.
Our task is to hide the columns E, F, and G. Let’s begin,
- Open the Google Sheet
- Click on the first column, then drag the cursor to the next one to select the columns in sequential order
(Alternatively, you can press and hold the “CTRL” button, then choose all the desired columns that you wish to hide) - Right-click to view more options
- Select the “Hide column E – G” option from the popup
The selected columns will instantly disappear, and you will see two arrows in the place of hidden columns, as shown below.
Example #3 – How to Hide Multiple Non-sequential Columns (Desktop)
This example is similar to the above, except you need to select the non-sequential columns.
Consider the following table.
Let us hide the columns C, F, and G. Here are the steps,
- Select the column C
- Press and hold the “CTRL” button on your keyboard
- Click on the columns F and G
- Right-click to see more options
- Choose the “Hide column” option from the popup
All the selected columns will disappear, and you will notice the double arrows, as shown in the following image.
How to Hide Rows in Google Sheets (Desktop View)
In the previous examples, we learned to hide single and multiple columns.
Let us use the same steps to hide single and multiple rows. Note that the process remains the same for hiding both rows and columns on the desktop.
Let’s start with the simple scenario to hide a single row.
Example #4 – How to Hide a Single Row (Desktop)
Here are the steps to hide a single row in Google Sheets
- Open the Google Sheet
- Select the desired row by clicking on the respective number as shown below
(Note that the numbers on the left-hand side are also called the row headers. You can click on them to select the entire row of the Google Sheets) - Right-click to view more options
- Now, click on the “Hide row” option from the popup
It will instantly hide your selected row. As shown in the following image, you can verify if the row is hidden by looking at the two arrows in opposite directions.
Example #5 – How to Hide Multiple Sequential Rows (Desktop)
Now, instead of a single row, let us hide multiple rows that are adjacent to each other. Here is the table from which we need to hide the second, third, and fourth rows.
The rows which need to be hidden are highlighted with the light green cell background color.
So, let’s begin.
- Open the Google Sheet
- Click on the first row, then drag the cursor to the next one to select all the columns in the sequential order
(Note that you can also press and hold the “CTRL” button on your keyboard, then select all the rows which you wish to hide) - Next, right-click to see more options
- Select the “Hide rows” option from the popup
(The numbers above may change depending upon the row numbers selected by you)
The selected rows are hidden instantly, as shown in the above GIF.
A symbol or two arrows in the opposite direction appears, as shown in the following image after you hide rows in Google Sheets.
Example #6 – How to Hide Multiple Non-sequential Rows (Desktop)
This example to hide the multiple rows is similar to the previous one.
Here, we need to hide the rows that are not adjacent. Consider the following table.
Let us hide the highlighted rows (2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 8th) using the following steps,
- Open the Google Sheet
- Press and hold the “CTRL” button on your keyboard
- Select all the rows by clicking on them one by one
- Now, right-click to view more options
- Choose the “Hide rows” option from the popup
(Note that the numbers may change depending upon the row numbers selected by you)
All the selected rows will disappear instantly, as shown in the above GIF.
You will notice two arrows in the opposite direction appear in the place of the hidden rows. Refer to the following image.
How to Unhide Columns or Rows in Google Sheets (Desktop View)
There are two ways to unhide rows or columns in Google Sheets. Both are quick and easy!
Example #7 – Using the Unhide Button to Unhide Rows (Desktop)
This is the quickest method to unhide the rows or columns in Google Sheets. The Unhide button looks as follows,
Let’s learn to use the above button to unhide rows,
- Open the Google Sheet
- Hover over the hidden rows
(You need to hover over the two arrows that represent the hidden rows) - You will see a button as shown in the following image
- Click on it to unhide the rows
As seen in the above GIF, unhiding the rows in Google Sheets is pretty straightforward.
The same steps can be used to unhide the columns in Google Sheets.
Example #8 – Using the Right-click Method to Unhide Rows (Desktop)
This is the most known way of unhiding the rows or columns in Google Sheets.
Consider the following example where we have hidden the 3rd and 4th rows. You will notice two arrows, as shown below.
It is pretty straightforward. Here are the steps,
- Open the Google Sheet
- Select the two rows adjacent to the hidden rows. Refer to the following image
(You can press and hold the “CTRL” button, then click on the two rows to select them) - Now, right-click to view more options
- Choose the “Unhide rows” option from the popup
Google Sheets will instantly make your hidden rows visible. Note that the same steps are used to unhide columns.
Both ways discussed in the previous two examples are helpful to unhide the rows. They are quick and easy to use.
But we suggest going with the Unhide button because it quickly completes the job.
How to Hide Rows and Columns in Google Sheets Mobile App
Google Sheets is accessible through both mobile and desktop devices. If you are always on the go and use the Google Sheets mobile app, here are the steps to hide the columns.
Example #9 – How to Hide a Single Column (Mobile)
The simple steps to hide a spreadsheet column in the Google Sheets mobile app are simple.
Let’s begin,
- Open the Google Sheet through the mobile app
- Double-tap on the column C
(Note that you need to tap on the corresponding letter from the column header) - A popup will appear as shown below
- Use the arrow to see more options on the above popup
- Choose the “Hide column“
Boom! Your selected column will disappear instantly. You will see two arrows in the adjacent columns, as shown in the following image.
Once done, click on the Right icon in the upper-leftmost corner of the screen to save the changes.
Example #10 – How to Hide a Single Row (Mobile)
In this example, let us use the same table and hide the 3rd row.
Here are the steps,
- Open the Google Sheet through the mobile app
- Double-tap on the third row
(Note that the serial numbers on the left side of the screen represent the row number. The third row is displayed with the 3 number) - A popup will appear as shown below
- Use the arrow to explore more options within this popup
- Choose the “Hide row” option
Two arrows will appear once the row is hidden, as shown in the following image.
How to Unhide Rows and Columns in Google Sheets Mobile App
If a row or column is hidden in Google Sheets, you will see the two arrows in the adjacent column, as shown in the following image.
It indicates a single or multiple hidden rows.
Example #11 – Using the Two Arrows to Unhide Rows or Columns (Mobile)
Compared to the Desktop view of Google Sheets, where users are provided with a dedicated Unhide button, the Mobile view uses the same arrows that indicate the hidden rows or columns.
You can simply tap on those arrows to unhide the rows or columns.
Example #12 – Using the Double-tap to Unhide Rows or Columns (Mobile)
Let us discuss the second method to unhide the rows or columns in Google Sheets.
Here are the steps,
- Open the Google Sheet through the mobile app
- Double-tap on any of the rows adjacent to the hidden row
(The adjacent rows are marked with the arrows as shown in the above image) - You will see a popup as shown below
- Use the arrow to see more options of the above popup
- Choose “Unhide rows“
Similar steps are used to unhide columns in Google Sheets.
To Summarize: How to Hide and Unhide Rows and Columns in Google Sheets
Google Sheets is the best tool for individuals and SMBs.
By hiding unnecessary rows or columns, you ensure the spreadsheet is more readable and manageable.
You may wish to hide rows containing formulas and columns used as helpers.
I hope this article taught you all the bells and whistles of hiding and unhiding rows or columns in Google Sheets. Feel free to comment below if you are stuck somewhere or having any particular issue.
Also, remember to check our blog, which contains tips and tricks to use Google Sheets like a pro.