Need to tidy up an Excel document? Here's how to hide one or more sheets.
Excel is a very powerful piece of software, and it can produce spreadsheets that are packed with functionality. However, sometimes these documents can get rather unwieldy.
One way to make them a little more user-friendly is to hide Sheets that aren't used on a regular basis. This might be a result of certain Sheets being archived, or using a Sheet as a means of setting up functions or formulas behind the scenes.
You don't have to delete content from an Excel file in order to render it inaccessible. Here's our guide on how to hide Sheets from view.
How to Hide a Sheet in Excel
Hiding a sheet in Excel is a snap. You can do it in just a few simple steps:
- Click the sheet you want to hide.
- Navigate to Home > Cells > Format.
- Under Visibility, click Hide Sheet.
- To unhide the sheet, repeat steps 1 through 3, but now click Unhide.
Hey presto, your sheet will be hidden from view until you change these settings. Need to hide multiple sheets at once or hide sheets extra well? We have a few more methods in store for you.
Hiding Multiple Excel Sheets
Excel allows users to hide one or more worksheets at once, it's all a matter of how you make your selection. If you only need to hide a single sheet, you can click it as normal. Otherwise, hold down Shift to select adjacent sheets, and Control if they're non-adjacent.
As you can see above, I've chosen to select Sheet2 and Sheet3. Once your selection is made, head to the Cells section of the Home tab and looks for Format.
Use the Format dropdown menu to access Hide & Unhide and then select Hide Sheet.
Now, look to the Sheet tabs and your selection should be hidden.
Here's a handy shortcut for when you're comfortable with hiding Sheets: use Alt + O, then press H twice in a row.
Unhiding a Sheet in Excel
You can unhide a Sheet the same way that you hid it, but there's a quicker alternative. Right-click a Sheet's tab and select Unhide.
This will open up the dialog below:
Just click the Sheet you want to reveal, then click OK.
Of course, the above method demonstrates just how easy it is for someone else to unhide a sheet that you've hidden. If you're really looking to keep something concealed, then you'll have to resort to using Visual Basic.
Hiding an Excel Sheet With Visual Basic
Visual Basic can be an intimidating prospect if you're just getting started, but this task is actually very straightforward. There's a property built into Excel that renders a Sheet "very hidden" -- it's just a matter of tweaking a certain value in the Visual Basic Editor.
Open your spreadsheet and open the Visual Basic Editor from the Developer tab. You might need to add the tab to the Ribbon from the Options menu.
Once you're in the Editor, select the Sheet you want to hide from the Project window.
Then, switch to the Properties window and find the Visible attribute.
Using the dropdown, we can switch to Hidden, which is the same as the normal controls we just went through. We can also select Very Hidden, which means that anyone using the spreadsheet has to dip into Visual Basic in order to reveal the sheet.
This is useful if you want to ensure that no one will accidentally make changes, or if there's something that you want to keep out of sight for other reasons. The Unhide option won't appear as it would normally, so it will be impossible to detect the extra sheet without accessing the Visual Basic Editor.
Select Very Hidden, then head back to Excel. Your Sheet will be obscured, and the Unhide option should be grayed out.
In order to reverse the process, just open up the Editor and change the parameter back.
Be Careful What You Hide
Being able to hide a particular Excel worksheet can come in very handy, but it can also cause some major headaches.
If you pass on ownership of the document to another person, make sure they're aware of any Sheets that you may have hidden. Otherwise, they may be left scratching their head trying to figure out where certain values are being sourced from, or how a particular function is set up.
Do you have any tips on how to hide and unhide Sheets effectively in Excel? Are you looking for assistance with a technique from this guide? Why not join the conversation in the comments section below?