How to Hide (and Unhide) Rows in Google Sheets on PC or Mac

Hiding rows in Google Sheets tucks away helper data, old entries or details you don’t need to see, without deleting anything. Formulas that reference hidden rows keep working, and you can bring the rows back any time. This guide shows how to hide several rows at once (next to each other or not), unhide them, and use grouping or filters when you need to show and hide rows often.

Quick Answer

Click the first row number, hold Shift and click the last row number to select them, then right-click and choose Hide rows. To unhide, click the small arrows that appear on the row numbers where the rows were hidden.

Hide Adjacent Rows

1. Click the row number of the first row (for example, 3).
2. Hold Shift and click the last row number (for example, 6).
3. Right-click any selected row number and choose Hide rows 3 – 6.

Keyboard shortcut: select the rows and press Ctrl + Alt + 9 (Command + Option + 9 on Mac).

Hide Non-Adjacent Rows

1. Click the first row number.
2. Hold Ctrl (Command on Mac) and click other row numbers.
3. Right-click a selected row number and choose Hide rows.

Each group of rows is hidden separately and gets its own unhide arrows.

Keyboard Shortcuts

On a Windows PC or Chromebook, select the rows and press Ctrl + Alt + 9 to hide them, or Ctrl + Shift + 9 to unhide rows in your selection. On a Mac, use Command + Option + 9 to hide and Command + Shift + 9 to unhide. Press Ctrl + / (or Command + /) in Sheets to see the full list of shortcuts.

Hide Rows on a Mac

The steps on a Mac are the same as on Windows: click the row numbers on the left to select rows, right-click (or Control-click) the selection, and choose Hide rows. Shift-click to select a block of rows and Command-click to pick rows that aren’t next to each other.

Unhide Rows

• Click the small up and down arrows on the row numbers above and below the hidden rows.
• Or select the rows around the hidden ones (for example rows 2 and 7), right-click and choose Unhide rows.
• To unhide everything, select all (click the corner box above row 1) and use Ctrl + Shift + 9, or right-click a row number and choose Unhide rows.

Group Rows to Collapse and Expand

If you’ll toggle rows often, group them instead: select the rows and choose View > Group > Group rows (or right-click > View more row actions > Group rows). A − button appears on the left; click it to collapse the group and + to expand.

Hide Rows Automatically With a Filter

1. Click a cell in your data and choose Data > Create a filter.
2. Click the filter icon on a column header and uncheck values or set a condition.

Rows that don’t match are hidden until you clear the filter. Use Filter views so collaborators aren’t affected.

Mobile App

1. In the Google Sheets app, tap a row number, then drag the handle to select more rows.
2. Tap the selection again (or the ⋮ menu) and choose Hide row / Hide rows.
3. Tap the arrows on nearby row numbers to unhide.

Things to Know

• Hidden rows are visible to anyone with edit access, who can unhide them. Don’t use hiding to protect sensitive data.
• Functions like SUM include hidden rows; use SUBTOTAL(109, range) to sum only visible rows.
• Hidden rows don’t print.

Want a neat printout too? See printing in the middle of the page in Google Sheets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide rows based on a cell value?

Use a filter; formulas can’t hide rows by themselves. Apps Script can automate it.

Why can’t I hide rows?

You may have view-only access, or the rows may be in a protected range.

How do I hide columns?

Select column letters, right-click and choose Hide columns.

Summary

1. Select row numbers with Shift or Ctrl.
2. Right-click and choose Hide rows (or Ctrl + Alt + 9).
3. Click the arrows to unhide.
4. Use groups or filters for rows you toggle often.