How to Hide and Unhide Columns in Excel (7 Methods)

Dataset Overview

To demonstrate these methods, we’ve prepared a dataset showing information about targets, sales, and profits for a set of products during the first half of the year in a company.

How to Hide and Unhide Columns in Excel

Method 1 – Use Context Menu to Hide and Unhide Columns

First, select the column you want to hide (e.g., Column D).

Right-click on the selected column and choose Hide from the Context Menu.

Column D will no longer be visible in the worksheet.
You’ll notice a double line on the headings bar, indicating a hidden column.

To unhide column D, select adjacent columns C and E.

Right-click and choose Unhide from the Context Menu.

Alternatively, drag the cursor icon to the right to reveal the hidden column.

Method 2 – Hide and Unhide Columns with Format Tool

Select the column you want to hide (e.g., Column E).
If hiding multiple columns, press Ctrl and select the desired columns.

Go to the Home tab and click Format under the Cells group.

Choose Hide & Unhide from the Visibility section of the Format drop-down.
Select Hide Columns.

Column E will be hidden, indicated by double lines in the headings bar.

To unhide, select adjacent columns C and E.

Go to the Format drop-down and choose Unhide Columns.

Read More: Hide Columns with No Data in Excel

Method 3 – Apply Group Feature to Hide and Unhide Columns

Select columns C and D.

Go to the Data tab and choose Group under the Outline section.

The Group feature activates, grouping columns C and D.

Click the Minus (–) icon to hide the columns.

To unhide, click the Plus (+) icon.

You can also use the toggle view (click 1 to hide and 2 to unhide).

To disable this feature, go to the Home tab and select Ungroup under the Outline section.

Note: You can also use the Auto Outline tool in the Group feature if your dataset has the SUM function or the SUBTOTAL function.

Method 4 – Insert Keyboard Shortcuts

Select any cell or adjacent cells (e.g., cell E7).

Press Ctrl + 0 to hide Column E.

To unhide, press Alt and then type H + O + U + L sequentially on your keyboard.
It will unhide column E like the image below:

Method 5 – Change Column Width to Hide and Unhide Columns

Select column C or more than two columns if desired.

Right-click and choose Column Width.

In the new window, type 0 as the column width and press OK.

The column is now hidden.

To unhide it, select any cell and type the cell reference of the hidden column in the Name box (e.g., C1).
You’ll see a cursor icon over the hidden column.

Go to the Home tab, click Format under the Cells group, and select Column Width from the drop-down.

Type a numeric value to determine the hidden column width and press OK.

Column C will be unhidden.

Method 6 – Hide and Unhide Columns with Excel VBA

Go to the Developer tab and select Visual Basic under the Codes group.

In the Visual Basic window, choose Module from the Insert section.

Insert the following code on the blank page:

Sub HideColumns()

    Columns("D").EntireColumn.Hidden = True

End Sub

Click the Run Sub button or press F5 on your keyboard.

Column D will be hidden.

To unhide it, create a new Visual Basic page and insert this code:

Sub UnhideColumns()

    Cells.EntireColumn.Hidden = False

End Sub

Run this code with a similar procedure to unhide column D.

Note: To hide more than one column, use this code. Here the column range is variable according to the dataset. For example, we have taken column range A:C.

Sub HideMultipleColumns()

    Columns("A:C").EntireColumn.Hidden = True

End Sub

Method 7 – Use Go To Feature to Hide and Unhide Columns

First, select column B and right-click on it.
Click Hide to hide column B.

You can see that column B is hidden.

To unhide it, go to the Home tab and click Find & Select.

Choose Go To from the drop-down.

Insert the reference as B1 in the Go To window (since our hidden column is B) and press OK.

Note: In the case of more than one column, type Reference as a range of columns. For example, type B:C as the reference.

If the hidden column is still not visible:
- Go to the Home tab, select Format under the Cells group, and click Unhide Columns.

You will be able to see the hidden column B.

Read More: How to Hide Extra Columns in Excel

How to Check the Number of Hidden Columns in Excel?

Go to the File tab on the Excel ribbon.

Navigate to Info and click Check for Issues.
Select Inspect Document from the drop-down.

Choose your preferred option regarding saving the file.

In the Document Inspector window, ensure that Hidden Rows and Columns are marked.
Click Inspect to find the result of hidden columns in the worksheet.