How to Unhide Columns in Excel, Including Column A (2026)

A column vanishes, the letters jump from B to D, and the formula you were relying on suddenly looks suspicious. Hidden columns are usually deliberate, someone tucking away working numbers before sending a sheet to a client, but they're easy to forget about or inherit. Bringing them back takes seconds once you know the move.

Everything here follows Microsoft's pages on hiding and showing rows and columns, plus its separate article on the first column and first row.

Spotting a hidden column in the Excel header

Look along the column letters. If you see A, B, D, E, then C is hidden. Microsoft also points to a visual clue: a double line between two column headings marks where a column is hiding. Row numbers work the same way, with a double line where a row is tucked away.

Showing hidden columns with a right-click in Excel

1. Click the letter of the column just before the hidden one, hold, and drag across to the letter just after it. For example, to bring back C, select B and D together.
2. Right-click, or press and hold on a touchscreen, anywhere on the selected column headings.
3. Choose Unhide.

The hidden column reappears between the two you selected. Microsoft's page applies to recent Microsoft 365 and stand-alone versions on Windows and Mac, so the steps are the same on both.

The double-click shortcut for a hidden Excel column

Microsoft gives a quicker alternative. Move your pointer to the double line between the two column letters and double-click it. The column opens straight back up. It can take a couple of tries to land on the exact line, so zoom in if your sheet is small on screen.

Unhiding several hidden columns in Excel together

If columns C and F are both hidden, selecting from B to G in one drag and choosing Unhide shows both at once, because you've selected the columns on either side of each hidden one. Microsoft also says you can hold Ctrl to add nonadjacent selections, which is useful if you want to unhide two separate gaps and leave a third hidden.

Bringing back column A or row one in Excel

This is the case that stumps people. If column A is hidden there's no column to its left to select, so the right-click method has nothing to grab. Microsoft's article on the first column or row gives this routine instead:

1. Click the Name Box, the small box to the left of the formula bar, type A1 and press Enter. Alternatively use Find and Select on the Home tab, then Go To, and enter A1.
2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format.
3. Under Visibility, point to Hide and Unhide.
4. Choose Unhide Columns to bring back column A, or Unhide Rows to bring back row one.

Microsoft mentions another method, selecting the whole sheet and unhiding. It works, but it reveals every hidden row and column in the workbook, and the article steers you away from it unless that's what you want.

Unhiding rows in Excel works the same way

Everything above applies to rows too, just with row numbers down the left edge instead of letters along the top. Select the rows above and below the gap, right-click and choose Unhide, or double-click the double line between the two row numbers. For row one, use the same Name Box trick as column A, then choose Unhide Rows.

A tidy habit for shared files: before you send a workbook to anyone, scan both the letters and the numbers for gaps. It takes a few seconds and stops a client asking why your formulas seem to reference a column they can't see.

When an unhidden Excel column won't appear

• Check whether the column is narrow rather than hidden. A column squeezed almost to nothing looks like a hidden one, and the double line is the giveaway.
• If you can't select columns on both sides, the hidden one may be the first column, so use the Name Box method above.
• If the sheet is protected, you may be blocked from changing the layout until protection is turned off by whoever set it.

Menus vary by version, so if a name differs from the one I've given, look in the same group for the nearest wording.

A quick Excel hidden-column checklist

1. Scan the column letters for a gap.
2. Select the columns on either side and right-click.
3. Choose Unhide, or double-click the double line.
4. If column A is missing, use the Name Box, then Home, Format, Hide and Unhide.
5. Re-check your formulas still point where you expect.

Hiding columns in Excel on purpose, and doing it kindly

The reverse is equally simple. Microsoft says to select one or more columns, hold Ctrl for nonadjacent ones, right-click and choose Hide. I'd only hide columns for tidiness, never to bury something a colleague or client would expect to see. If a sheet goes to someone else, a short note saying which columns are hidden saves them the detective work.

Working in Google Sheets instead? Here's how to hide and show columns in Google Sheets. And if you'd like an assistant to explain a messy inherited workbook, my guide to Claude for Excel shows how to set it up.

Frequently asked questions

How do I unhide columns in Excel?

Select the columns either side of the hidden one, right-click and choose Unhide. You can also double-click the double line between the two column letters.

How do I know if a column is hidden in Excel?

Look for a gap in the column letters and a double line between two headings.

How do I unhide column A in Excel?

Select cell A1 using the Name Box, then go to Home, Format, Hide and Unhide, and choose Unhide Columns.

Can I unhide all columns at once?

Selecting the whole sheet and choosing Unhide reveals every hidden row and column. Microsoft's article advises against it unless you want that.

Why can't I unhide a column in Excel?

Check whether the first column is the hidden one, whether the column is just very narrow, and whether the sheet is protected.