How to Unhide Rows in Google Sheets (All Methods)

Unhiding rows in Google Sheets takes one right-click once you know where to look. Rows disappear for several different reasons though, and the fix depends on which one you are dealing with. This guide covers every case, including the ones where the usual right-click does nothing.

Last updated: August 24, 2026

What this guide covers

Whether you searched for Google Sheets unhide rows, how to show all rows in Google Sheets, or you just need to find hidden rows in a file someone else built, the answer is one of the sections below.

• 4 ways to unhide rows in Google Sheets
• The unhide rows keyboard shortcut
• How to unhide columns in Google Sheets
• How to unhide cells in Google Sheets
• How to unhide a sheet (tab) in Google Sheets
• Unhide rows not working? Six causes and fixes
• How to hide rows in Google Sheets
• Quick reference table
• Frequently asked questions

You can also watch the video below to see how it's done if you are more of a visual learner. Like & subscribe for more of the best spreadsheet tips!

How do you unhide rows in Google Sheets?

There are four ways rows get taken out of view in Google Sheets, and each one has its own way back. Work out which one you are looking at first, because using the wrong method is why unhide rows appears to stop working.

Google Sheets hidden rows always leave a trace. The row numbering skips, and two small facing arrows appear in the row-number gutter at the skip.

The rule: Google Sheets only ever hides whole rows, whole columns and whole sheets. It never hides a single cell.

1. Click the two arrows in the row-number gutter

The rows from 3 to 8 are hidden on this spreadsheet. You can see that they are hidden because the numbering goes from 2 to 9, and there are two arrows next to the range of numbers.

Click either of the facing arrows, or the thin bar between them, and Google Sheets will show the hidden rows again. This is the fastest way to view hidden rows in Google Sheets when you can already see where the gap is.

The rows that reappear are rows 3 to 8. A grey rectangle around a row number is another sign that the row next to it was hidden.

2. Right-click a selection to unhide rows in a range

Use this when several separate groups of rows are hidden. In the example below, rows 3, 4, 7 and 8 are all hidden, so there are two gaps rather than one.

1. Left-click the row number above the first hidden group.
2. Hold Shift and click a row number below the last hidden group, so the selection spans every gap.
3. To unhide all rows in Google Sheets in one go, press Ctrl+A to select the whole sheet instead.

Right-click anywhere inside the selected row numbers. Choose Unhide rows from the menu that appears, or press Ctrl+Shift+9.

The rule: your selection has to span the gap. If you only select the visible rows on one side of it, no Unhide rows option will appear.

3. Expand a collapsed row group

Google Sheets can also collapse rows into a group, which looks similar but behaves differently. A group puts a small plus or minus icon in the gutter beside the row range, and the icon collapses or expands the rows inside it.

Click the plus icon to show the hidden rows. On a shared spreadsheet, grouping is the friendlier option, because collaborators can collapse and expand the same range as often as they like without changing anyone else's view of the file.

4. Remove a filter to make filtered rows visible again

A filter takes rows out of view without hiding them. This is the single most common reason unhide rows appears to do nothing: Unhide rows does not bring back filtered rows. In the sheet below, rows 5, 6 and 7 are missing.

You can tell a filter is active because a filter icon sits in each header cell of the range.

To clear it, go to Data > Remove filter, or right-click any cell in the range and choose Remove filter. Google's own Sort & filter your data documentation lists both routes.

Once the filter is gone, every row in the range is back.

If the rows reappear and then vanish again next time you open the file, a saved filter view is switched on rather than a plain filter. Go to Data > Change view and close the view with the X at the top right of the sheet.

What is the unhide rows in Google Sheets shortcut?

Select rows that span the hidden range first, then use the keyboard. These four shortcuts are the ones published in Google's official Google Sheets keyboard shortcuts list.

The rule: unhide uses Shift, hide uses Alt or Option. Rows are 9, columns are 0.

How do you unhide columns in Google Sheets?

Unhiding columns works exactly like unhiding rows, with column letters in place of row numbers. Hidden columns are marked by two facing arrows where the lettering skips, for example from B straight to E.

1. Select the columns on both sides of the gap by clicking and dragging across their letters, so the selection spans the hidden columns.

   

2. Right-click any column letter in the selection and choose Unhide columns, or press Ctrl+Shift+0.

   

Read Also: The Top 5 Google Sheets Formulas You Need to Know

How do you unhide cells in Google Sheets?

This is the question that trips people up, so here is the honest answer: you cannot hide or unhide an individual cell in Google Sheets. There is no hide-cell feature. Sheets hides whole rows, whole columns and whole sheets, and nothing smaller.

So when a cell is missing, something else is going on. Work through this table to find out what.

The rule: if the row numbers run 1, 2, 3 with no skip, nothing is hidden. You are looking at a formatting or column-width problem, not a hidden cell.

How do you unhide a sheet in Google Sheets?

Hiding a whole sheet tab is different from hiding rows, and it has its own command. If an entire block of your data has vanished and there is no gap in the row numbers, the sheet is probably hidden.

1. Open the View menu.
2. Point at Show. Hidden sheets are listed there by name.
3. Click the sheet you want back. If the option is greyed out, the spreadsheet has no hidden sheets.

To hide a sheet again, click the down arrow on its tab and choose Hide sheet. That option only appears when the file contains two or more sheets. Google covers both directions in its Protect, hide & edit sheets help page.

Hiding a sheet is not a security measure. Anyone with edit access can unhide it, and anyone with view access can copy the file and unhide it there.

Doing the same thing in Excel? See How to Unhide a Worksheet in Excel. The menus are different, so do not mix the two.

Why is unhide rows not working in Google Sheets?

If you have selected rows, right-clicked, and nothing useful happened, one of these six things is true.

One more clue worth knowing: Google notes that Create a filter can be unavailable when a sheet contains merged cells or hidden rows and columns. If that option is dimmed, you almost certainly have hidden rows somewhere in the sheet.

How do you hide rows in Google Sheets?

Worth knowing in reverse, because it tells you what you are undoing. Select the row numbers you want out of the way, right-click, and choose Hide rows, or press Ctrl+Alt+9. The row numbering will then skip, and the two facing arrows appear so you or anyone else can bring the rows back.

Use a filter instead when you want a view that changes with the data, and use grouping when several people share the file and each wants to collapse the same block independently. If you hide and unhide rows in Sheets often, Ctrl+Shift+9 and Ctrl+Alt+9 are the two shortcuts worth memorising.

Quick reference: every way to show hidden rows in Google Sheets

Final thoughts on how to unhide rows in Google Sheets

Nearly every missing-rows problem in Google Sheets comes down to telling apart four states: hidden, grouped, filtered, or sitting on a hidden sheet. Read the row-number gutter first, and the right fix is obvious in a second or two.

You can visit our homepage for more easy-to-follow how-to and step-by-step guides, or browse our template catalog if you would rather start from a spreadsheet that is already built.

Frequently asked questions about unhiding rows in Google Sheets

How do I unhide rows in Google Sheets?

Select the row above and the row below the hidden range so the selection spans the gap, right-click either row number, and choose Unhide rows. The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+9 on Windows and Command+Shift+9 on Mac.

How do I view hidden rows in Google Sheets?

Look at the row numbers. Where the numbering skips, two small facing arrows appear in the gutter. Click either arrow and the rows reappear. There is no Unhide rows command in the View menu; the View menu only unhides whole sheets.

How do I unhide multiple rows in Google Sheets?

Select a range that spans every hidden group, or press Ctrl+A to select the whole sheet, then right-click any row number in the selection and choose Unhide rows. It has to be a right-click. There is no Unhide button on the toolbar.

How do I unhide all rows in Google Sheets at once?

Press Ctrl+A, right-click any row number, and choose Unhide rows. Then check Data > Remove filter as well, because Unhide rows does not bring back rows that a filter is hiding.

Why is there no Unhide rows option when I right-click?

That option only appears when the selection actually spans rows hidden with the row-hide feature. If the rows are filtered out, or collapsed into a group, or on a hidden sheet, Unhide rows will not show up. Clear the filter, expand the group, or unhide the sheet instead.

Can you hide a single cell in Google Sheets?

No. Google Sheets hides whole rows, whole columns and whole sheets, never an individual cell. A cell that looks missing is inside a hidden row or column, filtered out, or formatted so the text matches the background.

Related Articles:

How to Unhide All Rows in Excel: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Unhide a Worksheet in Excel

How to Unhide Columns in Excel: Everything You Need to Know

How to Unprotect a Protected Sheet in Excel