Shortcuts to Hide Columns

Tom notes that in older versions of Excel he would use Ctrl+0 to hide selected columns and Ctrl+Shift+0 to unhide those columns. When he upgraded to a much newer version of Excel, however, only the Ctrl+0 worked for him, not Ctrl+Shift+0. Tom wonders if Microsoft changed one shortcut but not the other.

There was no change in the shortcuts; they both still work just fine in later versions of Excel. If the second shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+0) doesn't work on your system, it could be because there is some add-in being loaded that stops the shortcut from working properly or, perhaps, because a custom shortcut key has been defined that uses the same keypress. Probably a more likely reason the second shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+0) doesn't work is because this keypress is being used by the Windows operating system for use in switching language keyboards. The following Microsoft Support article explains the process to go through in order to reassign this keypress back to Excel to unhide columns in earlier versions of Microsoft Windows:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/967893/input-method-editor-keyboard-shortcut-ctrl-shift-0-switches-the-input

If you are using the Windows 10 operating system, follow these steps to reassign the Ctrl+Shift+0 shortcut back to Excel:

1. Type "Advanced Keyboard Settings" (without the quotes) in the Search box at the left of the Taskbar. Windows displays the Advanced Keyboard Settings window of the Settings dialog box.
2. Click on Language Bar Options. Windows displays the Text Services and Input Languages dialog box.
3. Make sure the Advanced Key Settings tab is displayed.
4. Click the Change Key Sequence button. Windows displays the Change Key Sequence dialog box.
5. Select something other than Ctrl+Shift in the second column of the dialog box. If you don't use this option, "Not Assigned" is the best choice.

You will now be able to use Ctrl+Shift+0 to unhide the columns.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the only way that Ctrl+Shift+0 works is if you have at least one hidden column selected before you use it. For example, if you hide columns D and E, you can later unhide them by selecting columns C through F (which obviously includes the hidden columns) and then pressing the shortcut.

Finally, you should be aware that both of these shortcuts only work if you use the 0 key on the main keyboard. They won't work if you use the 0 key on the numeric keypad.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7757) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365.