When you work in Excel spreadsheets, you might find yourself using an array of different views to look at your data. If you use the same settings often, it’s handy to return to them without having to apply filters or hide columns over and over. Fortunately, Excel offers an easy way to do just that. Let’s learn how to use Custom Views in Microsoft Excel.
How to Use Custom Views in Excel
Imagine that you work in a spreadsheet with four columns of data. But often, you hide two of the columns. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a separate view where you didn’t have to keep hiding and unhiding columns? Excel’s Custom Views feature can do exactly that.
Begin by hiding the selected columns, which here are B and C. Then, go to the View tab on Excel’s ribbon. You’re looking for the Custom Views button, found on the left side. Go ahead and click on it.
Excel opens the Custom Views window. To add a custom view, click on the + icon in the lower right corner. On the Add View menu that appears, you’ll have a variety of options.
First, you can give the view a name. You can also specify what to include in the view by using the two checkboxes below. In this example, Print Settings are optional, but you’ll definitely want to check Hidden Rows, Columns, and Filter Settings. This tells Excel that you want the view to include filters and hidden settings that you’ve applied.
Now, return to your spreadsheet and unhide the columns. Then, go back to the Custom Views button. Click it, and you’ll see the view you’ve just created. Click it once, then choose Show. Excel will apply it to your data, with no need to add filters or hidden settings manually.
As you can see, Custom Views in Excel are powerful time-savers when you use certain view settings often.
Protect Sheet in Excel