How to Unhide All Rows and Columns in Microsoft Excel

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Find missing Excel rows and resize them easily

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: November 22, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Unhiding a Single Row or Column
|
• Unhiding All Rows or Columns
|
• Resizing a Row in Excel
|
• Video
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• Q&A
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• Tips

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Are there hidden rows or columns in your Excel worksheet that you want to bring back into view? Unhiding them is easy, and you can even unhide all at once. This wikiHow article will show you how to unhide rows and columns in Microsoft Excel using your Windows or Mac computer.

Unhiding All Rows and Columns in Excel

To unhide all columns or rows in Microsoft Excel, click the triangle button to Select All. Click Home > Format > Hide & Unhide > Unhide Rows and/or Unhide Columns.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Unhiding a Specific Row or Column

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1. 
   1
   Find the hidden row or column. Look at the row numbers on the left side of the document (or columns at the top). If you see a skip in numbers (e.g., row 4 is directly above row 6), the row in between the numbers is hidden.

   • You should also see a double line between the two row or column numbers.
   • Keep in mind this will only work on unlocked cells. If the cells are locked, select all the locked cells and right-click them. Click Format Cells > Protection tab > uncheck Locked > OK.
2. 
   2
   Right-click the space between the two numbers. Doing so prompts a drop-down menu to appear.

   • For example, if row 5 is hidden, you would right-click the space between 4 and 6.
   • On a Mac, you can hold down Control while clicking this space to open the drop-down menu.
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3. 
   3
   Click Unhide. It's in the drop-down menu. The hidden row or column will appear again.

   • You can save your changes by pressing Ctrl + S (Windows) or Command + S (Mac).
4. 
   4
   Unhide a range of rows or columns. If you notice that several rows or columns are missing, you can unhide all of them by doing the following:

   • Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) while clicking the row number above the hidden rows and the row number below the hidden rows. For columns, select the column on the left and on the right of the hidden column.
   • Right-click one of the selected numbers.
   • Click Unhide in the drop-down menu.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Unhiding All Hidden Rows or Columns

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1. 
   1
   Click the "Select All" button. This triangular button is in the upper-left corner of the spreadsheet, just above the 1 row and just left of the A column heading. Doing so selects your entire Excel document.

   • You can also click any cell in the document and then press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Command + A (Mac) to select the whole document.
   • Keep in mind this will only work on unlocked cells. If the cells are locked, select all the locked cells and right-click them. Click Format Cells > Protection tab > uncheck Locked > OK.
2. 2
   Click the Home tab. This tab is just below the green ribbon at the top of the Excel window.

   • If you're already on the Home tab, skip this step.
3. 3
   Click Format. This option is in the "Cells" section of the toolbar near the top-right of the Excel window. A drop-down menu will appear.
4. 
   4
   Select Hide & Unhide. You'll find this option in the Format drop-down menu. Selecting it prompts a pop-out menu to appear.</ref>
5. 
   5
   Click Unhide Rows or Unhide Columns. It's in the pop-out menu. Doing so immediately causes any hidden rows or columns to appear in the spreadsheet.

   • You can save your changes by pressing Ctrl + S (Windows) or Command + S (Mac).
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Adjusting Row Height

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1. 
   1
   Click the "Select All" button. This triangular button is in the upper-left corner of the spreadsheet, just above the 1 row and just left of the A column heading. Doing so selects your entire Excel document.

   • One form of hiding rows involves the height of the row(s) in question to be so short that the row effectively disappears. Use this method to reset the height of all spreadsheet rows to "14.4" (the default height) to address this.
2. 
   2
   Click the Home tab. This tab is just below the green ribbon at the top of the Excel window.

   • If you're already on the Home tab, skip this step.
3. 3
   Click Format. This option is in the "Cells" section of the toolbar near the top-right of the Excel window. A drop-down menu will appear.
4. 4
   Click Row Height…. It's in the drop-down menu. This will open a pop-up window with a blank text field in it.
5. 5
   Enter the default row height. Type 14.4 into the pop-up window's text field.
6. 6
   Click OK. Doing so will apply your changes to all rows in the spreadsheet, thus unhiding any rows which were "hidden" via their height properties.

   • You can save your changes by pressing Ctrl + S (Windows) or Command + S (Mac).
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  The top 7 rows of my Excel worksheet have disappeared. I've tried to "unhide" from the Format menu, but nothing happens. What do I do?

  

  Community Answer

  You'll have to unlock the cells (via the format pop-up), then hide them all before unhiding them.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 18 Helpful 53
• Question

  I have the same problem - top 7 rows aren't displaying. I tried to unlock but they weren't locked and the spreadsheet isn't protected. I can see the top 7 rows only in print preview.

  

  Anuj_Kumar1

  Community Answer

  There is a possibility you did not hide the rows but reduced your rows' height to minimum. Select all rows above and below of your 7 rows and increase rows height from format menu. It will re-adjust the height of rows and your rows will be visible.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

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Tips

• If you don't see Unhide Columns or Unhide Rows pop up, make sure you're right-clicking inside the column or row label.
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• If a column is filtered to hide rows, you have to remove that filter first. Otherwise you won't be able to unhide the rows in that column.

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