Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Controlling Display of the Formula Bar.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 16, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
The Formula Bar is the area at the top of the Excel window, just below the ribbon area or the Formatting toolbar, depending on your version of Excel. The Formula Bar has two parts: at the left is the Name Box, and to the right is the contents of the currently selected cell.
If you need more room to view a worksheet, or you don't need the information provided by the Formula Bar, you can turn it off. To control display of the Formula Bar, follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Excel Options dialog box.
You can also use the Formula Bar option from the View tab of the ribbon. This option functions like a toggle—click on it once and the Formula Bar disappears; click again and it reappears.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7558) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Controlling Display of the Formula Bar.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
Page breaks can be added to a worksheet manually or automatically. If you want to see where Excel places page breaks, ...
Discover MoreWhen you right-click a cell, does it seem that the Context menu is missing an item or two? Here's how to get those items ...
Discover MoreExcel allows you to make a wide range of customizations to both the Quick Access Toolbar and the ribbon. If you want to ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2023-09-17 10:02:14
J. Woolley
My Excel Toolbox includes the ToggleFormulaBar macro (Ctrl+T F B) to turn the formula bar off or on. The macro supports Undo (Ctrl+Z). Here is an abbreviated version:
Public Sub ToggleFormulaBar()
Const myName As String = "ToggleFormulaBar"
With Application
.DisplayFormulaBar = (Not .DisplayFormulaBar)
.OnUndo myName, (ThisWorkbook.Name + "!" + myName)
End With
End Sub
Similar macros include ToggleRibbon, ToggleStatusBar, ToggleScrollBars, and ToggleFullScreen.
The WindowDressing macro will toggle several properties for the active worksheet or all worksheets. See my comment dated 2022-02-23 here: https://excelribbon.tips.net/T009308_Controlling_Where_You_Edit_Cell_Contents.html
See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Comments