How to Unhide All Rows in Excel: 5 Easy Methods (2026)

To unhide all rows in Excel, press Ctrl + A to select the whole sheet. Then go to Home > Format > Hide & Unhide > Unhide Rows, or press Ctrl + Shift + 9 (Command + Shift + 9 on Mac). If rows still won't show, check for filters, zero row height, grouped rows or a protected sheet.

You open a spreadsheet and the row numbers jump from 3 to 40. Your stomach drops, and I know the feeling. Relax, because your data isn't deleted. It's just hiding. Below, I'll walk you through every reliable way to show hidden rows, step by step. Then I'll cover what to do when Excel digs in its heels.

Which Method Should You Use?

You have several options, and the best one depends on your situation. Are you in a rush, do you need to repeat this weekly, or are rows refusing to appear at all? Here's the short version. The ribbon is the most reliable choice when you want every hidden row back at once. The keyboard shortcut is the fastest if you live in Excel daily, though other apps can hijack the keys. Right click and double click work best for a few rows in one spot, but they can't reach row 1. A VBA macro suits repeated cleanup, and it needs a macro enabled file. Finally, if rows still won't appear, you need to hunt down filters, zero row height or groups. Pick your path, then jump to the matching section.

Why Do Rows Disappear in Excel?

Before you click anything, let's talk causes. Rows vanish for different reasons, and each reason needs its own fix. Some were hidden on purpose. Others were hidden by accident, and a few come from sneaky settings. Knowing the cause saves you real time. So, here are the usual suspects.

1. Someone used the hide rows command.
2. An active filter is masking hidden rows.
3. A collapsed group or outline is tucking rows away.
4. The row height is set to zero.
5. Imported or pasted data carried hidden rows in.

DataCamp's tutorial lists the same causes. Note that the data stays in your file the whole time.

Method 1: Unhide All Rows with the Ribbon

The ribbon is the most dependable route, and it works in every modern version of Excel. You select the entire worksheet, tell Excel to reveal everything, and you're done. It takes about five seconds. Follow these steps.

1. Click the triangle in the top left corner of the sheet, or press Ctrl + A.
2. Open the Home tab.
3. Click Format in the Cells group.
4. Choose Hide & Unhide, then Unhide Rows.

On a Mac, use the Format menu, then Row, then Unhide, per DataCamp. Need columns too? Repeat the steps and choose Unhide Columns.

Method 2: Use the Keyboard Shortcut

If you spend your day in spreadsheets, a keyboard shortcut pays off fast. Once your fingers learn it, you'll unhide rows without thinking. Select your rows first, then press the combo. Selection matters here, so don't skip it.

1. Windows: Ctrl + Shift + 9
2. Mac: Command + Shift + 9

To unhide everything, press Ctrl + A first. Does nothing happen? Another app may be grabbing those keys. DataCamp recommends using the menu instead, or closing the conflicting tool.

Method 3: Right Click or Double Click the Row Headers

Sometimes you only need a few rows back. The context menu is perfect for that. Excel shows a thicker line between the row numbers where rows are hidden, so you can see exactly where to click. Here's what to do.

1. Select the row numbers above and below the gap.
2. Right click the selected row headers.
3. Click Unhide.

Prefer a shortcut? Double click the border between the two row numbers. Poof, the hidden row pops back. This only works for rows between visible ones.

How to Unhide Row 1 in Excel

Row 1 is the tricky one, because nothing sits above it to select. Fortunately, the fix is easy. Click the Name Box, type A1, and press Enter. Then go to Home > Format > Hide & Unhide > Unhide Rows. ExcelDemy describes a similar Go To approach.

Method 4: Unhide Rows with a VBA Macro

Do you open files full of hidden rows every week? Then a VBA macro is worth the two minutes of setup. It's literally one line. Save your workbook as .xlsm if you want to keep the code. Follow these steps.

1. Press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor.
2. Click Insert > Module.
3. Paste this line: Rows.Hidden = False
4. Press F5 to run it.

The same one liner appears in DataCamp's guide.

What to Do When Excel Rows Won't Unhide

Tried everything and still nothing? Don't delete the sheet. This is common, and it usually comes down to four causes. Work through them in order, and you'll almost certainly find the answer.

Clear your filters. See little dropdown arrows in the headers? Go to Data > Clear. Xelplus shows this fix.

Reset the row height. A row with zero height acts hidden, and the normal Unhide command may not bring it back. Go to Home > Format > Row Height and enter 15. Technobezz calls this the most common cause after filters.

Expand or clear groups. Click the plus sign in the margin, or go to Data > Outline > Ungroup > Clear Outline.

Unprotect the sheet. If Unhide is greyed out, a protected sheet is likely the cause. Open Review > Unprotect Sheet.

Want to spot stragglers? Press Ctrl + G, click Special, and pick Visible cells only. Ablebits explains that Excel marks rows beside hidden ones with a white border.

Go Beyond Hidden Rows: Faster Spreadsheet Workflows

Once your rows are back, the next time sink is usually formulas. If you're tired of wrestling with nested functions, browse our collection of AI tools for Excel formulas and pick one that fits your workflow. For a quick start, try Formularizer, an AI powered spreadsheet formula generator that works across Excel, Google Sheets and Notion. Together with the methods above, you'll clean up and analyze spreadsheets in a fraction of the time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Unhiding Rows in Excel

How do I unhide all rows in Excel at once?

Press Ctrl + A, then go to Home > Format > Hide & Unhide > Unhide Rows. You can also press Ctrl + Shift + 9 after selecting the whole sheet.

Why won't my rows unhide in Excel?

The usual causes are an active filter, zero row height, a collapsed group or a protected sheet. Clear filters, set the height to 15, expand groups, or unprotect the sheet from the Review tab.

What is the shortcut to unhide rows in Excel?

On Windows it's Ctrl + Shift + 9. On Mac it's Command + Shift + 9. Select the rows around the hidden ones first.

How do I unhide row 1 in Excel?

Type A1 into the Name Box and press Enter. Then use Home > Format > Hide & Unhide > Unhide Rows.

Does Excel delete hidden rows?

No. Hidden rows stay in the file, and their data is untouched. Formulas such as SUM still count them, while SUBTOTAL with function 109 skips them.

Can I unhide rows with VBA?

Yes. Run Rows.Hidden = False in a module to reveal every row on the active sheet.

Watch Out for Bad Advice Online

While researching, I found low quality sites repeating tips that don't work. Some claim Ctrl + 0 unhides rows, but that shortcut hides columns. Others invent an "Unhide All Rows and Columns" menu item that doesn't exist. Stick with the methods above, and verify anything odd against Microsoft's official guide.

Final Thoughts: Stop Losing Time to Hidden Rows

You now have five ways to reveal rows, plus fixes for the four stubborn cases. That covers nearly every scenario you'll meet. Want the smoothest experience? Use the latest Excel through Microsoft 365, and you'll get current features and updates. Don't let a missing row slow you down again. Get it today and take control of your data.