Unhide Columns in Excel

Unhide Columns in Excel (Table of Contents)

• Unhide Columns Using a Mouse
• Unhide Columns Using a keyboard shortcut
• Unhide Columns Using the Format option
• Unhide Columns by Adjusting Column Width
• Unhide Columns Using VBA Code

How to Unhide Columns in Excel?

When we do reports on excel we do a lot of calculations, backend work, and many other things. Once those backend works are done we hide those columns and rows to not to show our calculations to the end users.

Sharing everything to the end user does not make sense as a report generator. Moreover, they do not require all those things. They need just the story of the report nothing else. If you share every calculation, backend work they do not even understand all those things it just adds to their confusion list.

Therefore, we chose to hide all the unwanted columns in the end report.

However, we can un-hide those hidden columns in excel using multiple ways. In this article, I will discuss each one of them in detail.

How to find the hidden columns?

Before I explain how to Unhide Columns in Excel, let me tell you how you can find the hidden columns.

Look at the below image.

How to Unhide Columns?

Now we know how to find the hidden columns. We can unhide columns in Excel by using multiple ways. I will use the above image for all the examples.

• Unhide using a mouse.
• Unhide using the keyboard shortcut
• Unhide using the Format option
• Unhide by double click to adjust the column width
• Unhide by VBA Code

Unhide Columns in Excel Using a Mouse

This is the easiest way to unhide the columns in excel. Follow below steps to learn this method.

Step 1: Select the entire range you want to unhide. In my case, I have selected the columns from A to F.

Note: You can just select either side columns of the hidden columns.

Step 2: Right click on the column headers.

Step 3: Click on the Unhide option.

Step 4: This will instantly unhide all the hidden columns in the range A to G.

Note: All another hidden column other than in the range of A to G remains hidden only.

Now we can see the entire column in the worksheet. Right from the column A to G.

Unhide Columns in Excel Using Key Board Shortcut

There was a golden word from one of my senior at the start of my career. They told me if you want to learn or masters excel you need to forget that you have a mouse, you should everything on the keyboard itself. That word still playing in my mind all the time when I open excel sheet.

The reason why I told this because we can unhide all the columns using a keyboard shortcut.

Step 1: Select the entire range you want to unhide. I have selected the columns from A to F because totally there are 3 columns hidden in this range.

Step 2: Press the key board shortcut ALT + H + O + U + L. 

Step 3: This will unhide the hidden columns instantly.

Note: You can use Ctrl + 0 to unhide the columns but this may not work in many operating systems. Instead of unhiding columns, it will hide columns. It is safe to use the above shortcut.

Unhide Columns in Excel Using Format Option

This method requires a lot of your time than the previous two methods.

Step 1: Select the entire range you want to unhide.

Step 2: Go to Home tab > Format > Hide & Unhide > Unhide Columns

Step 3: Once you click on this, it will unhide all the hidden columns. This looks like the first method, but it is good to know all the methods to become a master.

Unhide Columns in Excel by Adjusting Column Width

I learned this method on myself. I learned this by accident. One day I was working on excel suddenly I adjusted the column width by selecting the hidden columns ranges. This suddenly unhidden my hidden columns.

Step 1: Select the range from B to F.

Step 2: Place cursor in between the column B and column F. You will see a Plus symbol.

Double click on there and your hidden columns will be unhiding.

Step 3: once you double-clicked, it will unhide all the hidden columns in the range.

Unhide Columns in Excel Using VBA Code

Finally, automate the unhiding columns task by using VBA code. This is just a click of the button once the code has written.

Copy and paste the below code to your module in Visual Basic Editor Window.

Sub Unhide_Columns()
Worksheets("Main Data").Range("B:F").EntireColumn.Hidden = False
Range("A:F").ColumnWidth = "10"
End Sub

Worksheets (“Main Data”): This is the sheet name we are looking for.

Range (“B: F”): This is the range we are looking find the hidden columns.

EntireColumn.Hidden = False: Entire column hidden is false means unhide the entire column.

Range (“A: F”).ColumnWidth = “10”: This is adjusting the column width once the columns are unhidden.

Things to Remember

• Select only the range you want to unhide because if you select the entire worksheet it will unhide all the hidden columns.
• Shortcut Ctrl + 0 may not work in many operating systems. Always use the shortcut ALT + H + O + U. This is the most reliable shortcut to unhide columns in Excel.
• If you use shortcut it will be just a matter of seconds to unhide columns in excel
• If you want the Ctrl + 0 to work properly, you need to change the setting in the control panel.
• Always hide unwanted data.

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to Unhide Columns in Excel. Here we have discussed different methods of unhiding columns in Excel like Using a Mouse, using VBA code, Using Key Board Shortcut etc.. You can also go through our other suggested articles –

1. Use of Excel COLUMN Function
2. Use of WORKDAY Function in Excel
3. Guide to Excel WEEKDAY Function
4. Examples of EOMONTH Function