How to Hide Worksheets in Excel

Keeping your Excel workbook neat and tidy is a big benefit to the user. Instead of overwhelming the recipient with many tabs and sheets, it’s a great idea to hide worksheets in Excel before you press send. You won’t disrupt the data in your workbook, but hiding the extra sheets will make it much easier to navigate your file.

You might already know that an Excel file is also called a workbook. Inside a workbook, you typically have multiple worksheets that are on their own tab. Think of an individual sheet like a tab in your web browser. Each gives you a separate space to work, and they don’t disappear just because you switch tabs. Each tab at the bottom of the workbook is a separate sheet. Let’s learn how to hide worksheets in Excel.

How to Hide Worksheets in Excel

Expert Excel users are careful about how they organize their workbooks. You can write formulas that link to multiple tabs and work between worksheets seamlessly. Typically, it’s best to do your calculations on one set of sheets and your presentation (charts, tables, graphs) on a separate spreadsheet. Spreadsheet hygiene helps avoid confusion and saves the viewer time.

 

If you’re sending the workbook to someone else, it’s also a great idea to hide worksheets in Excel. Remember that each tab is located at the bottom of the workbook and you can hide each of them individually.

To hide worksheets in Excel, right-click on a tab and choose Hide. You’ll see the worksheet disappear, but don’t worry – it’s still safe and sound. It’s just out of view so that you can navigate easily.

If you need to unhide a worksheet, just right-click in the area below the worksheet and choose Unhide. You’ll see a list of hidden spreadsheets, and just select the one to bring back into view.

How to Hide Multiple Worksheets in Excel

Want to hide multiple worksheets in Excel? No problem. Just hold Control on your keyboard (or Command on macOS) and click on multiple sheets. You’ll see them highlighted. Then, right-click and choose Hide again. This will hide all selected sheets.

Remember: hiding your worksheets makes it easier to use your workbook. Spend a few minutes cleaning your sheets before pressing send so that your data is easier to view and navigate.