Excel doesn’t give you the option to hide individual cells, but you can hide unused rows and columns in order to display only the working area. To hide unused columns using the Ribbon, follow these steps:
- First, select the column header in the first empty column and press CTRL + SHIFT + → to select all the columns between the selected one and the last one.
- Then, in the Ribbon, go to Home > Format > Hide & Unhide > Hide Columns.
As a result, all selected columns are hidden.
Hide Unused Rows
To hide all unused rows using the Ribbon, follow these steps:
- Select the row header for the first empty row and then press CTRL + SHIFT + ↓ to select all the rows between the selected one and the last one.
- In the Ribbon go to Home > Format > Hide & Unhide > Hide Rows.
Now, all unused rows are hidden, and only populated cells are shown.
Hide Unused Cells – Context Menu
Hide Unused Columns
Another way to hide unused columns in Excel is by using the context menu.
- Select the column header in the first empty column and press CTRL + SHIFT + → to select all columns between the selected one and the last one.
- Right-click anywhere in the sheet and from the context menu, choose Hide.
All selected columns are hidden after this step.
Hide Unused Rows
To hide all unused rows using the context menu in Excel:
- Select the row header in the first empty row and then press CTRL + SHIFT + ↓ to select all the rows between the selected one and the last one.
- After that step, right-click anywhere in the sheet and from the context menu, choose Hide.
As a result, all unused rows are hidden, and only populated cells are displayed.
Hide Unused Cells in Google Sheets
To hide unused cells in Google Sheets and display only the working area, you also need to hide rows and columns.
Hiding rows and columns in Google Sheets is a straightforward process, and there are a couple of easy ways to do it. We’ll show you how to hide columns in Google Sheets in the browser and on phone apps. We’ll also touch on how to use IMPORTRANGE to hide cell data from certain users. Read on to learn more.
This Article Covers:
How to Hide Columns and Rows in Google Sheets
You can hide a row in Sheets in multiple ways. First, let’s take a look at the methods for hiding columns in sheets, and then we can look at how you can unhide hidden rows and columns. You’ll notice that each example might show how to hide rows in Google Sheets or columns. Just keep in mind that each method works for both columns and rows.
How to Hide a Column in Sheets with the Right Click Menu
This is the quickest and easiest way to hide columns and rows in Sheets. Here are the steps you need to follow to hide a row or column in your spreadsheet:
- Click to select the entire row you wish to hide. You can do this by clicking on the headers used to indicate columns. If you wish to select more than one column, press the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click on the columns.
- Right-click on any of the highlighted columns. This will open a drop-down menu.
- Click on the Hide columns option there.
If you’re looking to hide rows in sheets, you can use the same steps we discussed above as a Google Sheet hide row guide. Click to select the entire row you wish to hide and right-click on any of the highlighted columns. Then, click on the Hide rows button instead of Hide columns.
How to Hide Columns in Google Sheets with Keyboard Shortcuts
Using keyboard shortcuts can be an effective way for power users to be highly productive. It saves you from having to switch between your mouse and keyboard. To use the keyboard shortcut, select the row or column you wish to hide similarly to the first method. Once it is selected, use the shortcut keys.
- For Windows, use the CTRL+ ALT+ 0 shortcut.
- For macOS, use the COMMAND+ OPTION+ 0 shortcut.
The good thing about using this method is that you don’t have to select the entire row or column for this to work. Just select the cell and use the shortcut to hide the respective column or row.
How to Hide Rows or Columns Using the Help Menu
There’s another helpful way to hide the columns or rows in your spreadsheets. You can do this by using the help menu feature in Sheets. Here’s how Google Sheets hides a column using the help menu:
- Click and highlight the rows and columns you wish to hide in your spreadsheet. Do this by clicking and dragging across the headers. If you wish to highlight specific rows or columns, click the Ctrl button on your keyboard and select the cells. Make sure you select either columns or rows. You can’t do both at once.
- With your desired rows or columns selected, click on Help in the main toolbar at the top of the screen. This will open a drop-down menu.
- There, click on the Search the menus text box. Alternatively, you can use the Alt+ / shortcut to do this.
- There, type the “hide” keyword. This will show you a few options depending on your selection of the rows and columns.
- Select your desired option, and Sheets should hide the rows or columns.
Related Reading: How to Freeze Rows and Columns in Google Sheets
Hide Unused Columns and Rows
Often, we don’t want extra cells to take up space in your spreadsheet. Thankfully Google Sheets allows you to hide these easily. Here are the steps you need to follow for Google Sheets to hide rows that are unused:
- Select the column or row that comes after the last used column
- If you chose a column, we will use the right and left arrow keys. We will use the up and down arrow keys if it’s a row. Press and hold the Ctrl and the Shift keys and use the arrow keys to select the columns or rows. In this example, we selected a column and wanted to hide the unused columns to the right. To do so, we used the Ctrl+ Shift+ Right-arrow.
- Now, right-click on any of the selected columns or rows and then click on the Hide column or Hide row option. These options can look a bit different depending on the option you choose. You can also use the Google spreadsheet hide columns shortcut of Ctrl+ Alt+ 0 to hide the desired rows and columns, instead of right-clicking.
How to Unhide a Hidden Row or Column in Sheets
Now that we know how to hide the columns and rows in our spreadsheets, let’s look at how you can unhide a Google Sheets hidden column or row. This is relatively easy to do and only requires you to follow some simple steps.
Click on the double-pointed arrow buttons between the columns or rows you have hidden. These arrows indicate the hidden columns that exist between the two visible ones. After clicking on either arrow, the hidden rows or columns will be made visible to you.
You can also use the same keyboard shortcuts for hiding columns in Google Sheets to unhide the rows and columns.
- For Windows, use the CTRL+ ALT+ 0 shortcut.
- For macOS, use the COMMAND+ OPTION+ 0 shortcut.
After the shortcut is used, the selected columns and rows will be visible.
How to Hide and Unhide Columns in Google Sheets Mobile
Hiding columns in Sheets for mobile is as simple as doing it on the desktop version. These steps will work for iOS and Android as both applications are pretty much the same, with only a few visual differences.
Here’s how to hide columns in Google Sheets mobile:
- Open your spreadsheet where you wish to hide columns.
- There, click and hold the header for the column you want to hide. This will show a submenu.
- Click on the three vertical dots icon. This will open a drop-down menu there.
- Here, click on the Resize column option.
You can follow the same steps to hide rows in your spreadsheet.
When the column or row is hidden, small arrows will appear between the visible rows and columns to indicate hidden rows. Simply click on the arrows to unhide the hidden columns.
Related Reading: Hide Gridlines in Google Sheets
Using IMPORTRANGE to Hide Cells in Google Sheets
When working with a lot of people, often, there can be certain information you wish to hide from some users. Unfortunately, there isn’t a built-in feature that allows you to do this in Google Sheets. However, this can be made possible with clever use of some of the functions.
The method uses the IMPORTRANGE function and imports the columns from another private file. The columns are private in the other file, meaning only some users can access them.
Before we look at the steps, let’s look at the formula itself. Here is the syntax for the IMPORTRANGE formula in Sheets:
=IMPORTRANGE(link, range)
The link parameter is the file’s url, whereas the range defines the spreadsheet’s name and the cells you wish to import from there. Create a private spreadsheet and grant access to the users you wish to be able to see the data. Then you can link the range into a shared spreadsheet.
You may also want to consider password-protecting your sensitive spreadsheet data.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Hide Columns in the Google Sheets App?
Here’s how to hide a column in Google Sheets. Open the spreadsheet where you wish to hide the column and click and hold the header of that column. A submenu will appear. Here, tap the three vertical dots, opening another drop-down menu. Simply click the Hide column option.
Can You Hide a Column From View in Google Sheets?
Select the row that you wish to hide. You can do this by tapping on the numbers used to indicate the rows. Hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click on more rows if you wish to hide more than one row. Right-click on any of the now-selected rows, and a drop-down menu will appear. You can choose the Hide rows or Hide columns options there.
How Can I Hide a Column in Sheets for Mobile?
Open the spreadsheet where you wish to hide the column. Click and hold the header for the column you wish to hide. This will show a submenu. Click on the three vertical dots icon. Here, click on the Hide column option.
What Is the Keyboard Shortcut to Hide Columns?
Select the row or column you wish to hide to use the keyboard shortcut. Once it is selected, use the shortcut keys. For Windows, use the CTRL+ ALT+ 0 shortcut. For macOS, use the COMMAND+ OPTION+ 0 shortcut. If you’re also wondering how to hide a row in Google Sheets with keyboard shortcuts, it is the same buttons.
How Can I Unhide Hidden Row?
Click on the double-pointed arrow buttons between the columns or rows you have hidden. These arrows are used to indicate the hidden columns that exist between the two visible ones. After clicking on either arrow, the hidden rows or columns will be made visible to you.
Wrapping up the Google Sheets Hide Columns and Rows Guide
Hopefully, this guide taught you how to hide columns in Google Sheets, and how you can also use the skills you learned to hide rows in Google Sheets. Please feel free to reach out in the comments if you’re having trouble.
Nahid Akhter
+ posts
Nahid Akhter is a writer, programmer, and online course content creator. She has an MS in Computer Science and has been in the education line for more than 14 years. Her specialization is in programming and Tech-writing, and her areas of interest include Office productivity, Artificial Intelligence, and Web design and development.