Hide Row Shortcut in Google Sheets

A spreadsheet often has rows you’d rather not see. A header you’ve already absorbed, a totals row that belongs at the bottom, or a placeholder row that exists only to feed a formula.

Hiding the row keeps the data and the references in place while clearing it off the screen. The values are still there. They just don’t show up.

There’s a keyboard shortcut that does it in one go, as long as the whole row is selected first.

Hide Row Keyboard Shortcut in Google Sheets

Hide Row Keyboard Shortcut (Windows Windows)

Ctrl + Alt + 9

Hide Row Keyboard Shortcut (Mac Mac)

⌘ + Option + 9

What this shortcut does

With the row selected, the shortcut hides that row from view. The row number disappears from the left edge and the row below it slides up.

Two small arrows show up between the row numbers above and below. Those arrows mark where the hidden row sits, and you click them later to bring it back.

The data inside the row is untouched. Formulas that point at any cell in that row keep working with the same values they always had.

How to use it (step by step)

  1. Click the row number on the left side of the sheet. The whole row highlights blue.
  2. Press the shortcut. The row tucks out of view.
  3. Look between the row numbers where it used to be. A pair of small arrows points toward each other. That’s the unhide handle.
  4. Click either arrow when you want the row back. It reappears in the same position.

A quick example. Row 5 holds a subtotal you only want visible while editing.

Click the 5 on the left, hit the shortcut, and row 5 vanishes. Rows 4 and 6 are now sitting next to each other.

If row 10 has a =SUM(B2:B9) that depends on row 5, the total is unchanged. Hiding doesn’t touch the math, only the view.

Alternative method (menu / mouse)

When the shortcut won’t fire, the right-click route works on any setup:

  • Click the row number on the left to highlight the full row.
  • Right-click the highlighted row number.
  • Pick Hide row from the menu.

Same outcome with one more click. No keyboard settings to worry about.

Things to watch for

  • The whole row must be selected. Highlighting a few cells in the row won’t trigger the shortcut. Click the row number on the left edge so the entire row lights up first.
  • Compatible spreadsheet shortcuts may need to be on. Help, then Keyboard shortcuts, then make sure “Use compatible spreadsheet shortcuts” is enabled. Some number-row combos stay dormant until that’s flipped.
  • Mac function key behaviour. The 9 is the number-row nine, not the numpad. On laptops where the Fn row is remapped, the combo can collide with a system shortcut.
  • Hidden rows are excluded from print by default. Usually a feature, occasionally a surprise. Unhide before printing if you need them in the export.
  • Filter-hidden rows are different. If a row was hidden by a filter, this unhide path doesn’t apply to it. Turn the filter off (or change its criteria) to bring those back.

Google Sheets keyboard shortcuts

Related Google Sheets shortcuts: