My Shift key doesn't appear to be broken, so this one's got me stumped: Looking online, I've been told the keyboard shortcuts for hiding and unhiding columns in Excel are Ctrl+0 and Ctrl+Shift+0, respectively.

The former of these works for me in Excel 2010, but for some reason the unhide shortcut does nothing. Has that keyboard shortcut changed, or... what am I missing?

9 Answers

Well, I'll be danged. Googling "Excel Ctrl Shift 0" brought me to this thread on the ExtremeVBTalk forum. That thread eventually comes up with this Microsoft KB article, revealing that, in Vista (and apparently Win7 as well), CTRL + SHIFT is hooked by the Regional/Language settings to change keyboard layouts. That functionality probably assigns the number keys to different layouts, so Win7 is swallowing CTRL + SHIFT + 0 and trying to change my keyboard layout (I don't have any non-default layouts set) instead of passing the shortcut to Excel.

After following the resolution in that KB article, the issue is fixed, and unhiding columns via the keyboard in Excel 2010 works as expected. To summarize, the solution is (in Windows 7):

1. Open Control Panel -> Change keyboards or other input methods (Under Clock, Language and Region)
2. Click the Change Keyboards button on the Keyboards and Languages tab
3. On the Advanced Key Settings tab, select the Between input languages action and click Change Key Sequence
4. Under Switch Keyboard Layout, set the radio button to Not Assigned (or one of the other options, if you need this feature to be available)

As for Dan's answer, no idea why the official list changed; after this fix the keyboard shortcut does seem to work, and the problem was related to an operating system setting, not Excel version...

5

The shortcut for unhiding columns is: Alt+H, O, U, L

1

In this official list of 2010 shortcuts the only row/column hide/unhide shortcuts are:

CTRL+SHIFT+( Unhides any hidden rows within the selection.
CTRL+9 Hides the selected rows.
CTRL+0 Hides the selected columns.

In this official list of 2007 the row/column hide/unhide shortcuts are:

CTRL+SHIFT+( Unhides any hidden rows within the selection.
CTRL+SHIFT+) Unhides any hidden columns within the selection.
CTRL+9 Hides the selected rows.
CTRL+0 Hides the selected columns.

It looks like they just simply took it out.

EDIT: Looks like it is still there see djacobson's answer.

I've just been playing with this under UK Vista and it seems the default shortcut without tweaking the keyboard language settings is ctrl + shift + - (effectively ctrl + _)

IF you have any content at all in the hidden columns (which, I find is almost always the case), you can use the keyboard shortcut for AutoFit Column width. By autofitting the hidden columns, they are automatically shown.

Select at least the columns to the left and right of the hidden ones, enter Alt + H, O, I.

If the hidden columns are empty, you're stuck with the longer Alt + H, O, U, L already mentioned by Cliff Beacham.

You have to select the hidden column before you can CTRL + SHIFT + 0 to unhide. Easiest way is probably to put a cell into the Name Box (box at top left that lists the cell notation), then to CTRL + SHIFT + 0.

1

Of course, Unhide is “U” on the context menu.  You should be able to invoke the context menu from the keyboard with Shift+F10 or ≣.  On my laptop, I can get ≣by pressing Fn+right Ctrl:

 

Full-sized keyboards often have ≣ as a standalone key between right Alt and right Ctrl; see this and this.

So, use Shift+F10, U or  ≣, U to unhide.

Fix Ctl-Shift-0 for Windows 10

• Settings • Time & Language • Region & Language • Advanced Keyboard Setting • Language Bar Options • Advanced Key Settings; Action = Between input languages • Change Key Sequence . . . • Switch Keyboard Layout Radio Button should = Not Assigned

In Excel 2010 there are shortcut keys for Hiding & Unhiding Rows / Column and they are working.

First check the settings:

1. Open Control Panel -> Change keyboards or other input methods (Under Clock, Region and Language)

2. Click the Change Keyboards button on the Keyboards and Languages tab

3. On the Advanced Key Settings tab, select the Between input languages action and click Change Key Sequence

4. Under Switch Keyboard Layout, set the radio button to Not Assigned (or one of the other options, if you need this feature to be available)

Now try this

• Hiding Rows CTRL+(
• Unhiding Rows CTRL+Shift+(
• Hiding Columns CTRL+)
• Unhiding Column CTRL+Shift+)

1

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