Excel > Excel 2003 Foundation > Printing a worksheet

Hiding columns and rows

It is possible to hide columns and rows on a spreadsheet to protect confidential information. This feature can also be helpful when printing, to fit large worksheets on fewer pages or hide unnecessary information.

In the example below the companies contact details are to be hidden, so we will hide columns C to E.

1. Select columns C to E. Ensure you have the column select mouse cursor while selecting
2. Click Format > Column > Hide

The columns are hidden. This can be recognized by the missing column headers for columns C to E.

Although they do not appear when users open the workbook, they can be unhidden. If you want to ensure that columns and rows cannot be unhidden, you will need to protect the worksheet.

Unhiding columns and rows

To unhide the columns:

1. Select the columns either side of the hidden columns. In this example that is columns B and F



2. Click Format > Column > Unhide

The columns are visible again.

To unhide rows, follow the steps above selecting the rows either side of the hidden row(s).

If the option to unhide columns or rows is ghosted, then the worksheet is protected.

Setting the print area Print titles

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