When a row is hidden in Google Sheets, the row numbers on the left skip over it. Look closely and you’ll see two small arrows between the surrounding row numbers, marking the spot.
Unhiding the row brings it back into view so you can read and edit it again. Handy when you’re working in someone else’s sheet, reviewing data you hid earlier, or debugging a model that looks like rows are missing.
There’s a keyboard shortcut that brings the row back, as long as you select across the gap first.
Unhide Row Keyboard Shortcut in Google Sheets
Unhide Row Keyboard Shortcut (
Windows)
Ctrl + Shift + 9
Unhide Row Keyboard Shortcut (
Mac)
⌘ + Shift + 9
What this shortcut does
Select a block of rows that spans the hidden one, press the shortcut, and every hidden row inside that selection comes back. The row numbers fill in again and the data shows.
Nothing about the values changes. The rows were only hidden from view, so formulas that point at them kept working the whole time.
How to use it (step by step)
- Click the row number just above the hidden row, then Shift-click the row number just below it. That selects across the gap.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + 9 (⌘ + Shift + 9 on Mac).
- The hidden row reappears in its original position.
A quick example. Row 4 is hidden, so the left edge jumps from 3 to 5. Click 3, Shift-click 5 to select rows 3 through 5, then press the shortcut. Row 4 is back.
To bring back every hidden row at once, select the whole sheet first (Ctrl + A, or click the box in the top-left corner) and press the shortcut.
Alternative method (arrows / right-click)
When you’d rather use the mouse:
- The arrows: where a row is hidden, two small arrows sit between the row numbers. Click either one and the row reappears. Quickest for a single hidden row you can spot.
- Right-click: select across the gap, right-click any highlighted row number, and pick Unhide rows.
Things to watch for
- Select across the gap. The shortcut acts on the rows in your selection, so it has to include the rows on both sides of the hidden one. A single cell won’t do it.
- Filter-hidden rows are different. A row tucked away by a filter (or filter view) doesn’t respond to this. Turn the filter off, or adjust its criteria, to bring those back.
- Hidden row at the very top. If row 1 is hidden, there’s no row above it to anchor on. Select rows 1 through 2 (or more) before using the shortcut or the menu.
- Use the number-row 9. Not the numpad nine. On laptops where the Fn row is remapped, the combo can collide with a system shortcut.
- Frozen rows aren’t hidden rows. A frozen row is still visible, just pinned. Use View, then Freeze, to unfreeze it.
Google Sheets keyboard shortcuts
Related Google Sheets shortcuts: