To unhide formulas in Excel, you need to address both formula hiding and sheet protection. Here's how:
1. Unhiding Formulas When Cells Are Formatted as Hidden:
If the formulas were hidden using cell formatting, follow these steps:
- Select the cells containing the hidden formulas. This could be a single cell, a range of cells, or the entire worksheet. To select the entire worksheet, click the triangle in the upper-left corner.
- Right-click on the selected cells and choose "Format Cells..." from the context menu.
- In the "Format Cells" dialog box, go to the "Protection" tab.
- Clear the check box next to "Hidden." This removes the hidden formula property from the selected cells.
- Click "OK."
2. Unhiding Formulas When the Worksheet Is Protected:
If the worksheet is protected, you may need to unprotect it first:
- Go to the "Review" tab on the Excel ribbon.
- Look for the "Unprotect Sheet" button in the "Protect" group. If the sheet isn't protected, this button will say "Protect Sheet."
- Click "Unprotect Sheet." If prompted, you'll need to enter the password.
- After unprotecting the sheet, repeat the steps in section 1 to unhide the formulas (if they were also formatted as hidden).
3. Showing Formulas Instead of Results:
Excel has a feature that lets you display all formulas in a worksheet instead of their calculated results. If you accidentally activated this feature:
- Go to the Formulas Tab
- In the Formula Auditing Group, Click Show Formulas to toggle between formulas and results
Troubleshooting Tips:
- Check for Worksheet Protection: Even if you think a sheet isn't protected, double-check the "Review" tab to be sure.
- Select the Correct Cells: Make sure you're selecting the cells that actually contain the hidden formulas.
- Ensure "Hidden" is Unchecked: After formatting, verify that the "Hidden" box is cleared in the "Format Cells" dialog box.
- Password Protected: If the spreadsheet is password protected, you might need the password to unprotect it and view the formulas.
By following these steps, you should be able to successfully unhide the formulas in your Excel spreadsheet.
