How to Hide and Unhide Columns in Excel (7 Methods)

To demonstrate these methods, we’ve prepared a dataset showing information about targets, sales, and profits for a set of products during the first half of the year in a company.

Method 1 – Use Context Menu to Hide and Unhide Columns:

First, select the column you want to hide (e.g., Column D).

Right-click on the selected column and choose Hidefrom theContext Menu.

Column D will no longer be visible in the worksheet.
You’ll notice a double line on the headings bar, indicating a hidden column.

To unhide column D, select adjacent columns C and E.

Right-click andchoose Unhide from the Context Menu.

Alternatively, drag the cursor icon to the right to reveal the hidden column.

Read More: How to Hide Columns with Button in Excel

Method 2 – Hide and Unhide Columns with Format Tool:

Select the column you want to hide (e.g., Column E).
If hiding multiple columns, press Ctrl and select the desired columns.

Go to the Home tab and click Formatunder the Cells group.

Choose Hide & Unhidefrom the Visibility section of the Format drop-down.
Select Hide Columns.

Column E will be hidden, indicated by double lines in the headings bar.

To unhide, select adjacent columns C and E.

Go to the Format drop-down andchoose Unhide Columns.

Read More: Hide Columns with No Data in Excel

Method 3 – Apply Group Feature to Hide and Unhide Columns:

Select columns C and D.

Go to the Data tab and choose Groupunder the Outline section.

The Group feature activates, grouping columns C and D.

Method 4 – Insert Keyboard Shortcuts:

Select any cell or adjacent cells (e.g., cell E7).

Press Ctrl + 0 to hide Column E.

To unhide, press Alt and then type H + O + U + L sequentially on your keyboard.
It will unhide column E like the image below:

Read More: How to Hide Columns Without Right Click in Excel

Method 5 – Change Column Width to Hide and Unhide Columns:

Select column C or more than two columns if desired.

Right-click and choose Column Width.

In the new window, type 0 as the column width and press OK.

The column is now hidden.

To unhide it, select any cell and type the cell reference of the hidden column in the Name box (e.g., C1).
You’ll see a cursor icon over the hidden column.

Method 6 – Hide and Unhide Columns with Excel VBA:

Go to the Developer tab and select Visual Basicunder the Codes group.

In the Visual Basic window, choose Modulefrom the Insert section.

Insert the following code on the blank page:

Sub HideColumns()Columns("D").EntireColumn.Hidden = TrueEnd Sub

Click the Run Subbutton or press F5 on your keyboard.

Column D will be hidden.

To unhide it, create a new Visual Basic page and insert this code:

Sub UnhideColumns()Cells.EntireColumn.Hidden = FalseEnd Sub

Run this code with a similar procedure to unhide column D.

Note: To hide more than one column, use this code. Here the column range is variable according to the dataset. For example, we have taken column range A:C.

Sub HideMultipleColumns()Columns("A:C").EntireColumn.Hidden = TrueEnd Sub

Method 7 – Use Go To Feature to Hide and Unhide Columns:

First, select column B and right-click on it.
Click Hideto hide column B.

You can see that column B is hidden.

To unhide it, go to the Home tab and click Find & Select.

Choose Go To from the drop-down.

Insert the reference as B1 in the Go To window (since our hidden column is B) and press OK.

Note: In the case of more than one column, type Reference as a range of columns. For example, type B:C as the reference.

If the hidden column is still not visible:
- Go to the Home tab, select Formatunder the Cells group, and click Unhide Columns.

You will be able to see the hidden column B.

Read More: How to Hide Extra Columns in Excel

How to Check the Number of Hidden Columns in Excel?

Go to the File tab on the Excel ribbon.

Navigate to Info and click Check for Issues.
Select Inspect Documentfrom the drop-down.

Choose your preferred option regarding saving the file.

In the Document Inspector window, ensure that Hidden Rows and Columnsare marked.
Click Inspectto find the result of hidden columns in the worksheet.

You will find the result of hidden columns in this worksheet.

Download Workbook

You can download the practice workbook from here:

Hide and Unhide Columns.xlsm

How to Unhide Columns in Excel All at Once
Unhide Columns Is Not Working in Excel
Unhide Columns in Excel Shortcut Not Working

<< Go Back to Hide Columns | Columns in Excel | Learn Excel

Get FREE Advanced Excel Exercises with Solutions!

How to Hide and Unhide Columns in Excel (7 Methods) - ExcelDemy (2024)