Unhide Columns Is Not Working in Excel (4 Issues & Solutions)

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In many cases, you might find that the unhide columns option is not working in Excel. Sometimes, the solutions to this problem are very easy but hard to find. This article discusses the four issues regarding unhide columns in Excel not working along with their solutions.

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4 Issues Regarding Unhide Columns Is Not Working in Excel and Their Solutions

1. Column Width Is Very Small or Zero in Excel

2. Protected Worksheet Preventing to Unhide Columns in Excel

3. Enabled Freeze Panes Option Causing Problem to Unhide Columns in Excel

4. Can’t Unhide First Few Columns

Conclusion

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4 Issues Regarding Unhide Columns Is Not Working in Excel and Their Solutions

There may be some instances where the unhide column options in your Excel don’t work. Sometimes, it consumes a lot of our time and becomes annoying. But, actually, there are some straightforward solutions for all the issues.
For example, let’s consider a dataset of Weekly Sales as shown in the screenshot below. Now, you will hide Column C. Then we will see 4 issues regarding unhide columns not working in Excel along with their solutions.

Here, we have used Microsoft Excel 365 version for this article. So, the issues we solve will be for this version.

1. Column Width Is Very Small or Zero in Excel

Sometimes, you may see a column hidden as shown in the below screenshot. But in reality, the column width is set to zero or very small.

Now, when you use the unhide column option, it doesn’t work in Excel. This is because you have never hidden the column before. Instead, you set the column width to a very small number or zero. In this case, the width of Column C is set to zero.

At this point, follow the below steps to solve the issue.

First, go to the line between columns B and D.
Then, a marker as shown in the below screenshot will appear.
Now, drag the marker to the right to increase the column width.

Finally, you will have your output as shown in the below screenshot.

2. Protected Worksheet Preventing to Unhide Columns in Excel

Another reason for which you can’t unhide columns in excel may be that the worksheet you are working on is protected. This may happen if someone protects the worksheet before sharing it with you.

Now, you can see the unhide column option is not even appearing let alone working in the below screenshot.

At this point, to solve this issue follow the below steps.

At the very beginning, go to the Review tab.
Next, click on the Unprotect Sheet.

Finally, try unhiding the column now and you will have an output as shown in the below screenshot.

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3. Enabled Freeze Panes Option Causing Problem to Unhide Columns in Excel

In the previous versions of Microsoft Excel, sometimes when you have your Freeze Panes enabled, it may prevent you from unhiding the columns in Excel. This problem does not appear in the Microsoft 365 version.

Now, to solve this issue, follow the below steps.

First, go to the View tab.
Then, click on Freeze Panes from the Window options.
After that, select Unfreeze Panes.

Eventually, this will fix your issue.

4. Can’t Unhide First Few Columns

Also, in the older versions of Microsoft Excel, you may face problems while trying to unhide the first few columns. These problems do not appear in the Microsoft 365 version. In those older versions, you need to select the column before unhiding the column you want.
Now, to solve this issue, follow the below steps.

First, go to the Home tab.
Then, select Find & Select.
After that, click Go to.

Then, insert A:A as a reference.
Consequently, click on OK.

Finally, right-click on the line that appears on your sheet and unhide your column.

Conclusion

In this article, we discuss 4 possible reasons for the issue of unhiding columns not working in Excel along with their solutions. Last but not the least, I hope you found what you were looking for from this article. If you have any queries, please drop a comment below. Also, if you want to read more articles like this, you can visit our website ExcelDemy.