[Fixed!] Excel Rows Not Showing but Not Hidden (3 Reasons & Solutions)

Sometimes, while working in Microsoft Excel, we see some rows not showing although they are not hidden. In such cases, the usual Hide & Unhide commands of Excel do not work as rows are not hidden. So, we have to find out why we cannot see those rows. There might be several reasons for this invisibility of rows. For example, insufficient row size or application of Filter. In this article, I will discuss the probable reasons behind these invisible rows and how you can solve those reasons.


How to Fix When Excel Rows Not Showing but Not Hidden: 3 Reasons & Solutions

Reason 1: Unhidden Rows Are Not Visible Due to Insufficient Row Height in Excel

Let’s assume we have a dataset containing several fruits and their order quantities. In this dataset, we cannot see rows 7 and 8. If you look carefully, you will notice a thick line is present between rows 6 and 9. This thick line means rows between rows 6 to 9 have insufficient height. So if you try to display rows 7 and 8 using the traditional Unhide option, it won’t work.

Unhidden Rows Are Not Visible Due to Insufficient Row Height in Excel

Solution:

Let’s solve the problem and display rows 7 and 8 following the below steps.

Steps:

  • First, put the cursor between rows 6 and 9 and right-click on it.
  • Then click on the Row Height option.

Unhidden Rows Are Not Visible Due to Insufficient Row Height in Excel

  • As a result, the row height dialog appears where you can see that row height is zero (0).

Unhidden Rows Are Not Visible Due to Insufficient Row Height in Excel

  • Now, to make the rows visible, enter the desired height (say 20) in the Row Height field and press OK.

Unhidden Rows Are Not Visible Due to Insufficient Row Height in Excel

  • Upon clicking OK, you will see that row 8 is visible now. Follow the same procedure to display row 7.

Unhidden Rows Are Not Visible Due to Insufficient Row Height in Excel

Note:

  • You can show the shrunk row by double-clicking on the row header of the regarding row.

Unhidden Rows Are Not Visible Due to Insufficient Row Height in Excel

  • You will always not see the thicker line where rows have zero height. In that case, it is better to select corresponding rows and check their height.

  • If you want to display rows 7 and 8 at once, select rows 6 to 9 at first. Then change their height accordingly.

Read More: VBA to Hide Rows Based on Cell Value in Excel


Reason 2: Rows Are Not Hidden but Not Displaying When Excel Filter Is Applied

Sometimes when we Filter data in Excel, some rows become invisible. In such a situation, one might think corresponding rows got hidden. Actually, rows that contain unfiltered data got invisible. You can show invisible rows by withdrawing the applied Filter. For instance, in the below dataset rows 5,6,8, and 10 are not showing as we filtered the dataset for Apple.

Rows Are Not Hidden but Not Displaying When Excel Filter Is Applied

Solution:

Follow the below steps to make the above-mentioned rows visible again.

Steps:

  • First, go to the corresponding worksheet that contains the data and click any of the cells.

Rows Are Not Hidden but Not Displaying When Excel Filter Is Applied

  • Next, from Excel Ribbon, go to Data > Filter. Then click on the Filter option to disable the filtering.

Rows Are Not Hidden but Not Displaying When Excel Filter Is Applied

  • Consequently, you will get the below result. All the rows in the dataset become visible again.

Note:

You can use Ctrl + Shift + L to withdraw and apply the Filter option.

Read More: Excel VBA: Unhide All Rows in Excel


Reason 3: Excel Rows Are Not Visible Because of Freeze Panes

When we apply the Freeze Panes in Excel and scroll the data, it seems some rows have become hidden. However, these rows are not showing because we scrolled the dataset down after applying Freeze Panes. For example, in the below dataset, I have locked the first four rows by applying Freeze Panes. Then I scrolled the dataset down. As a result, rows 5 to 7 have become invisible.

Excel Rows Are Not Visible because of Freeze Panes

Solution:

Now, I will show the unseen rows by following the below steps.

Steps:

  • First, go to the active worksheet and select any cell.
  • Then go to View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes.

Excel Rows Are Not Visible because of Freeze Panes

  • Selecting Unfreeze Panes will withdraw the panes from the worksheet and we will get the below output. We can see that all the rows are showing now.

Read More: How to Unhide Top Rows in Excel


Download Practice Workbook

You can download the practice workbook that we have used to prepare this article.


Conclusion

In the above article, I have tried to discuss several reasons and probable solutions for Excel rows not showing but not hidden. Hopefully, these solutions and explanations will be enough to solve your problems. Please let me know if you have any queries.


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Hosne Ara
Hosne Ara

Hosne Ara is a materials and metallurgical engineer who loves exploring Excel and VBA programming. To her, programming is like a time-saving superhero for dealing with data, files, and the internet. She's skilled in Rhino3D, Maxsurf C++, MS Office, AutoCAD, and Excel & VBA, going beyond the basics. With a B. Sc. in Materials and Metallurgical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, she's shifted gears and now works as a content developer. In this role, she... Read Full Bio

2 Comments
  1. Thanks for the info. This missed one variation that I experienced, but it was close enough to help me figure it out. The case is with frozen panes, but has nothing to do with scrolling the data after freezing. If you freeze some initial rows/columns (the first freeze option) but you are not displaying ALL the initial rows or columns when you freeze, the ones not visible will remain frozen but not displayed, and there is no way to scroll frozen rows or columns! The solution is the same: unfreeze everything.

    • Dear Fremont,

      Thank you for sharing your experience and the variation you encountered regarding frozen panes in Excel. Your observation highlights an important aspect of freezing panes, particularly when not all initial rows or columns are visible during the freezing process. In such cases, the unfrozen rows or columns that are not displayed can become inaccessible for scrolling.

      Your solution to unfreeze everything is indeed a valid approach to overcome this limitation. By unfreezing all rows and columns, you can regain full control and visibility of the entire worksheet, allowing for seamless scrolling and navigation.

      We appreciate your input and valuable contribution to the discussion. If you have any further questions or need assistance with any other topics related to Excel, please feel free to ask.

      Best regards,

      Al Ikram Amit

      Team ExcelDemy

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