Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Unhiding Multiple Worksheets.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 11, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
When you choose to hide worksheets in a workbook, Excel allows you to hide multiple sheets with one action: all you need to do is select the sheets before actually doing the hiding. Unhiding worksheets is a different story, however. Excel only allows you to unhide one at a time. If you have many worksheets you want to unhide, this can be very tedious.
The only way around this is to use a macro to unhide the worksheets. The following VBA macro will unhide all the worksheets in the current workbook:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Sub UnhideAllSheets()
Dim wsSheet As Worksheet
For Each wsSheet In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets
wsSheet.Visible = xlSheetVisible
Next wsSheet
End Sub
If you would rather not unhide all the worksheets at once, you can cause the macro to ask about each hidden worksheet and then unhide each that you agree to unhide. The following macro will handle this task:
Sub UnhideSomeSheets()
Dim sSheetName As String
Dim sMessage As String
Dim Msgres As VbMsgBoxResult
For Each wsSheet In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets
If wsSheet.Visible = xlSheetHidden Then
sSheetName = wsSheet.Name
sMessage = "Unhide the following sheet?" _
& vbNewLine & sSheetName
Msgres = MsgBox(sMessage, vbYesNo)
If Msgres = vbYes Then wsSheet.Visible = xlSheetVisible
End If
Next wsSheet
End Sub
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2603) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Unhiding Multiple Worksheets.
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!
If you've got a list of potential words, and you want to know which of those potential words are real, you'll appreciate ...
Discover MoreYou can use the Zoom feature of Excel to magnify what Excel shows of your workbook, but it affects the entire screen. ...
Discover MoreDo you need your macro to select all the visible worksheets (and just the visible ones)? It's not as easy as it sounds, ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon 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.
Comments