How to Unhide Rows and Columns in Excel
Unhiding rows and columns is quick once you know where they are. The tricky part is unhiding row 1 or column A (nothing before them to select) and knowing why unhide sometimes doesn't work.
⚡ Quick Answer
Select the rows or columns on either side of the hidden ones, right-click, choose Unhide. To unhide row 1: click Name Box, type A1, press Enter, then Home → Format → Hide & Unhide → Unhide Rows.
Method 1: Unhide specific rows/columns
Select rows on both sides of the hidden ones
For example, if rows 5-7 are hidden, click row 4 header and drag to row 8 header. Both visible rows on either side must be selected.
Right-click and choose Unhide
Right-click any of the selected row numbers, click Unhide. Hidden rows reappear.
Method 2: Unhide all hidden rows or columns
Select the entire sheet
Press Ctrl + A (twice if needed to expand). Or click the triangle in the top-left corner of the grid.
Right-click a row/column header
Right-click any row number to unhide all hidden rows. Right-click any column letter to unhide all hidden columns.
Click Unhide
Excel unhides everything.
Method 3: Unhide row 1 or column A
Row 1 has nothing above it, and column A has nothing to its left — so the "select both sides" trick doesn't work. Use the Name Box instead.
Click the Name Box
The Name Box is the small text field on the far left of the formula bar, showing the current cell reference (e.g., "A1").
Type A1 (or the hidden reference) and press Enter
To unhide row 1, type
A1. To unhide column A, typeA1. This selects the cell even though it's hidden.Use ribbon Unhide
Go to Home → Format → Hide & Unhide → Unhide Rows (or Unhide Columns).
Anytime the "select adjacent cells" method doesn't work, use the Name Box to teleport to a specific cell inside the hidden area. Then use the ribbon unhide commands instead of right-click.
Method 4: Unhide a sheet
Right-click any sheet tab
At the bottom of the workbook, right-click on any visible sheet tab.
Select Unhide
A dialog appears listing all hidden sheets.
Choose the sheet and click OK
Select the sheet you want visible. Click OK. Repeat for multiple hidden sheets (or use Ctrl-click to select multiple at once in recent Excel versions).
Why won't unhide work?
- Sheet is protected. Go to Review → Unprotect Sheet.
- Rows aren't hidden — they're very small. Sometimes rows have height 0.01 (almost invisible) rather than truly hidden. Try Home → Format → Row Height → 15.
- Filter is active. Rows might be filtered out, not hidden. Go to Data → Clear to remove filters.
- Freeze Panes confusion. If frozen rows are hidden, they may appear stuck. Toggle View → Freeze Panes → Unfreeze Panes first.
- Very hidden sheets. Sheets can be set to "xlSheetVeryHidden" via VBA — they don't appear in the right-click Unhide dialog. Requires VBA to unhide.
Keyboard shortcuts
Hide & Unhide Shortcuts
Windows uses Ctrl + Shift + 0 for changing keyboard languages, which conflicts with Excel's unhide-columns shortcut. If it doesn't work, use the ribbon method or disable the Windows shortcut in Language settings.
Excel Wizard — clean sheets without hiding
People hide rows and columns as a workaround for "I don't want to see these right now." Excel Wizard's AI can restructure your data so the important content is always visible and details are progressively disclosed. Ask "hide the intermediate columns and show me just the summary" and Wizard builds a proper summary view instead of hiding rows you'll forget about.
Install Excel Wizard →Frequently asked questions
How do I unhide all rows in Excel?
Select all cells with Ctrl+A (press twice if needed to select the whole sheet). Right-click any row number and choose Unhide. Or use Home → Format → Hide & Unhide → Unhide Rows. All hidden rows are revealed at once.
How do I unhide row 1 in Excel?
Row 1 is tricky because there's no row above it to select. Method: Click in the Name Box (top-left, above column A), type A1, press Enter. This selects cell A1 even though it's hidden. Then go to Home → Format → Hide & Unhide → Unhide Rows. Row 1 reappears.
Why won't Excel let me unhide rows?
Common reasons: (1) The sheet is protected — go to Review → Unprotect Sheet. (2) The rows aren't hidden but have very small height (0.01) — try Home → Format → Row Height and set a value. (3) A filter is applied showing only some rows — go to Data → Clear to remove the filter. (4) Freeze Panes is confusing you — check View → Freeze Panes.
How do I unhide a sheet in Excel?
Right-click any sheet tab at the bottom and choose Unhide. A dialog lists all hidden sheets. Select one and click OK. Excel only lets you unhide one sheet at a time via this method. For bulk unhiding, use VBA or select multiple sheets in the Unhide dialog if using recent Excel versions.