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How to hide cells in Excel – our guide to hiding rows and columns

Here's how to hide individual cells, rows, or columns.
Kevin Pocock
Last Updated on

Reviewed By: Kevin Pocock

How to hide cells in Excel – our guide to hiding rows and columns
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Table of Contents

If you want to know how to hide cells in Excel, we’ve got you covered right here.

Microsoft Excel is the go-to software for any companies or small businesses that need to keep track of their information. But information can change and you may have a whole row of information on your Excel spreadsheet that is no longer reliable. In this article, we'll be showing you how you can hide specific cells in Excel, or how you can quickly hide entire rows or columns.

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So, without any further ado, let’s dive into how you can hide a cell in Excel.

1

How to hide cells in Excel

If you want to hide individual cells, follow these simple steps:

Step

1

Select the cells and go to Home

Select which cells you want to be hidden and then go to the Home tab.

Learn how to create a spreadsheet in Excel and efficiently hide cells.

Step

2

Go to Format

Next, click on Format and then select Format Cells.

How to hide cells in Excel when creating a spreadsheet.

Step

3

Go to Custom

Next, click on the Number tab and go to Custom.

 

Step

4

Enter three semicolons to hide the cells

In the Type: box, type in three semicolons (;;;) and click on OK. Once done, the cells will be hidden.

How to change the name of a file in Windows 10 and hide cells in Excel.

2

How to hide rows in Excel

If you want to hide a whole row, follow these steps.

Step

1

Select a cell within a row

Choose a cell within a row and select it.

Learn how to create a spreadsheet in Excel and efficiently hide cells.

Step

2

Go to Format

Go to the Home tab and in the Cells group, click Format.

Step

3

Hide the rows

In the Format drop-down menu, go to the Visibility section, click on Hide & Unhide, and then select Hide Rows. This will hide the row.

Learn how to create a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel and effectively hide cells.

3

How to hide columns in Excel

You can also hide columns in an Excel spreadsheet. To do this, follow these steps.

Step

1

Select a cell within a column

Choose a cell within a column and select it.

Step

2

Go to Format

Go to the Home Command tab, go to the Cells group and click Format.

Step

3

Hide the column

Within the Format menu, go to the Visibility section and choose Hide & Unhide, followed by Hide Columns.

Learn how to hide cells in Excel as you create a spreadsheet.

Conclusion

Being able to hide certain cells, columns, and rows can really help save you time and hassle when you need to update information on your spreadsheet. The beauty of being able to hide the information is that you can unhide it just as easily, so you don't have to worry about it being gone forever if you ever need it again!

Learn more about Excel and its features through these in-depth helpful guides:

About the Author

Kevin Pocock

Kevin has a broad interest and enthusiasm for consumer electronics, PCs, and all things consumer tech. And more than 17 years experience in tech journalism.