Excel offers an intuitive user interface for beginners to easily organize, analyze, and visualize data. It also includes a variety of functions and tools to help you prepare comprehensive and attractive reports.
Sometimes, you may hide specific rows or columns to avoid unnecessary confusion while sharing Excel files with friends and colleagues.
We all are well aware of the fact that it becomes easier for others to view data and gain insights when there are a limited (or essential) number of rows and columns in the target table.
This is a step-by-step guide to how to hide rows in Excel. We will discuss hiding and unhiding rows and columns in Excel.
We will consider hiding rows and columns on both desktop and mobile devices, so please make sure to read the article until the end.
Download the Example Excel Sheet
Before we jump into the actual steps, make sure to download the following Excel file, which contains the dataset used to demonstrate the Hide/Unhide features of Excel.
Follow me along as we will move through this article because practice is the key to success.
If you have your own Excel spreadsheet ready with the required dataset, skip downloading the above file.
How to Hide Columns in Excel (Desktop View)
Anyone can easily hide or unhide rows or columns in Excel without any expert knowledge.
Here is an example table including employee details.
We have employee ID in the first column, followed by full name, city, department, annual salary, and bonus obtained in the given period.
Example #1 – How to Hide a Single Column (Desktop)
In this example, let us consider a simple scenario where we need to hide a single column.
- Open the desired Excel Sheet
- Select the entire column you wish to hide by clicking on the respective column letter as shown in the following image
- Right-click to see more options
- Click on the “Hide column” option from the popup
Your selected column will instantly disappear after following the above steps.
Example #2 – How to Hide Multiple Sequential Columns (Desktop)
Here, we will learn to hide multiple columns in sequence. The steps are pretty simple.
Let us consider the same table used in the previous example.
Here we will hide the columns C (City), D (Department), and E (Annual Salary).
Let’s begin,
- Open the desired Excel Sheet
- Click on the first column, then drag the cursor to the next one to select the columns in sequential order
(You can also press and hold the “SHIFT” button, then choose all the desired columns that you wish to hide with the help of arrow keys on your keyboard) - Right-click on the selected column headers to view more options
- Select the “Hide” option from the popup
By following the above steps, you can hide consequent columns within a few seconds.
To unhide the columns, select the adjacent column headers on both sides of the hidden columns and right-click to see more options. Then, select the “Unhide” option, as shown in the GIF below.
This option in Excel will allow you to make the hidden columns visible again, letting you access or edit their contents.
But what if we have non-consequent columns to hide? Worry-not! We will discuss that in the next section.
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 where we have highlighted the 3rd, 5th, and 6th columns.
Our task is to hide the columns C (City), E (Annual Salary), and F (Bonus %).
Here are the steps,
- Select the column C
- Press and hold the “CTRL” button on your keyboard
- Click on the columns E and F
- Right-click to see more options
- Choose the “Hide” option from the popup
You will observe that the selected columns have disappeared, as shown in the GIF above. You will find the selected column letters missing, indicating the columns have been hidden.
How to Hide Rows in Excel (Desktop View)
In the above section, we learned the steps to hide single and multiple columns. Now, 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.
Example #4 – How to Hide a Single Row (Desktop)
Here are the steps to hide a single row in Excel,
- Open your desired Excel sheet
- Select the desired row by clicking on the respective row 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 Excel) - Right-click to view more options
- Now, click on the “Hide” option from the menu
This will instantly hide your selected row. You can find the selected row number missing, indicating the row has been successfully hidden.
Example #5 – How to Hide Multiple Sequential Rows (Desktop)
Now that you are familiar with hiding a single row, we will see how to hide multiple sequential rows.
Here is the table from which we need to hide the third, fourth, and fifth rows.
The rows which need to be hidden are highlighted with the light gray cell background color.
Here are the steps,
- Open your Excel worksheet
- Click on the row 3, 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 “SHIFT” button on your keyboard, then select all the rows which you wish to hide with the help of arrow keys) - Next, right-click to see more options
- Select the “Hide” option from the popup
The selected rows will be hidden instantly. To revert the changes and get back your hidden rows, you can double-click on the boundary between the row numbers of the hidden rows. Refer to the following GIF.
You can also right-click on the adjacent rows and select the “Unhide” option to make the hidden rows visible again.
Example #6 – How to Hide Multiple Non-sequential Rows (Desktop)
This example to hide the multiple rows is similar to the previous one, but here we need to hide the rows that are not adjacent.
Consider the following table.
Let us hide the highlighted rows (3rd, 4th, and 6th) using the following steps,
- Open the Excel 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” option from the popup
All the selected rows will disappear instantly, as shown in the above GIF.
How to Unhide Columns or Rows in Excel (Desktop View)
There are two ways to unhide rows or columns in Excel. Both are quick and easy!
Note that as the steps to unhide both rows and columns remain the same, let us discuss unhiding rows only for quick understanding.
Example #7 – Using the Button to Unhide Rows (Desktop)
This is the quickest method to unhide the rows or columns in Excel.
You will observe two lines between the row numbers where the hidden rows are located. We can call it a button to unhide rows. Refer to the following image.
Let’s learn to use the above button to unhide rows,
- Open the desired Excel sheet
- Hover over the hidden rows
(You need to hover over the two lines that represent the hidden rows) - Place your cursor on the double line between the row numbers
- Next, double-click using your mouse to unhide rows
This will instantly unhide the rows, as shown in the above GIF.
It is the quickest and most efficient method, saving you time when working with large datasets. You can use this method when you have a small number of hidden rows and want to unhide them quickly.
The same steps can be used to unhide the columns in Excel.
Example #8 – Using the Right-click Method to Unhide Rows (Desktop)
This is the most known way of unhiding the rows or columns in Excel.
Consider the following example where we have hidden the 3rd and 4th rows. You will notice two lines, as shown below.
Our task is to unhide the 3rd and 4th rows.
- Open the Excel worksheet
- 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” option from the popup
The same steps are used to unhide columns.
Both ways discussed in the previous two examples are helpful in quickly unhiding the rows.
How to Hide Rows and Columns in Excel (Mobile View)
Excel is accessible through both mobile and desktop devices.
If you are always on the go and using Excel on your smartphone, then here are the steps to hide the columns.
Example #9 – How to Hide a Single Column (Mobile)
The steps to hide columns on a smartphone vary drastically compared to the desktop.
Consider the following example table.
Our task is to hide column C, including employee city names.
- Open the Excel mobile application
- 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
- Click the small arrow button to see the option to hide column
- Choose the “Hide” option
That’s it! Your selected column will disappear instantly. You will see a solid line between the adjacent columns, as shown in the following image.
Once done, click on the three-dot menu and click the “Save” button to save the changes.
Example #10 – How to Hide a Single Row (Mobile)
Let us consider the same data table. Here, our task is to hide the 3rd row of the table.
Let’s begin,
- Open the Microsoft Excel mobile application
- 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 on the screen with various options
- Click the small arrow to see more options
- Click on the “Hide” option
A thick line will appear between the adjacent hidden rows, as shown in the following image. It indicates a hidden row in the Excel mobile application.
How to Unhide Rows and Columns in Excel Mobile App
If a row or column is hidden in Excel, you will see a thick line between the adjacent columns or rows, which indicates a single or multiple hidden rows.
Example #11 – Using the Two Arrows to Unhide Rows or Columns (Mobile)
The steps to unhide rows or columns on mobile apps are completely different compared to desktop applications.
We will use the same data table from the previous sections.
Let’s begin,
- Open the Microsoft Excel mobile application
- Double-tap on any of the rows adjacent to the hidden row
- You will see a popup as shown in the following image
- Click the small arrow button as shown below
- Select the “Unhide” option
It will instantly unhide all the rows or columns adjacent to the selected row or column.
Note that the same steps are used to unhide columns in Excel mobile applications.
To Summarize: How To Hide Rows or Columns In Excel
Without any doubt, Excel is the best spreadsheet tool for individuals and SMBs. By hiding unnecessary rows and columns, you ensure the dataset is more readable and manageable.
There may be various reasons to hide a row or column. The most common one is when you have a column including formulas.
I hope this article taught you all the bells and whistles of hiding and unhiding rows or columns in Excel. 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 Excel like a pro.