Tricks for Hiding and Unhiding Excel Rows and Columns

By David H. Ringstrom, CPA

Hiding and unhiding rows and columns are mundane tasks that many users take for granted. However, sometimes simple tasks can trip up Excel users, like unhiding just one row or column within a hidden set. Other users don't know simple keystroke commands that can streamline hiding and unhiding columns or rows. In this article, I'll explore these techniques as well as discuss two powerful alternatives to manually hide and unhide rows and columns. I'll also discuss how to re-enable an Excel keyboard shortcut that's disabled in any operating system subsequent to Windows XP.

 
Hiding Rows and Columns
 
Let's first explore the traditional approaches to hiding rows and columns. Going forward, I'll only explain rows – simply replace the word Row with Column in any menu commands that I describe if you want to hide or unhide columns. First, select the row or rows that you wish to hide or unhide, and then carry out these steps:

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