To unhide columns in Excel, you can use a few easy methods depending on whether you want to unhide a specific column, the first column (A), or all hidden columns at once.

Quick Scoop: Main Ways to Unhide

1. Unhide a specific hidden column

Use this when you know roughly where the hidden column is (for example, you see columns D and F, so E is hidden).

  1. Select the columns on both sides of the hidden one (e.g., click D, hold Shift, click F).
  1. Right‑click the selected column letters.
  1. Click Unhide.

Alternative via ribbon: after selecting the surrounding columns, go to **Home

Format > Hide & Unhide > Unhide Columns**.

2. Unhide all hidden columns in the sheet

Use this when you’re not sure which columns are hidden and just want everything visible again.

  1. Select the entire sheet: either click the small triangle at the top‑left corner (above row 1, left of column A) or press Ctrl + A until all cells are selected.
  1. Right‑click any column letter and choose Unhide.

Or via ribbon:

  • With the whole sheet selected, go to Home > Format > Hide & Unhide > Unhide Columns.

3. Unhide columns by dragging the boundary

Useful if only a few columns are hidden and you want a quick visual method.

  1. Look for a thicker gap in the column headers (e.g., the header jumps from C to E).
  1. Move your mouse to the line between the two visible column letters until you see a double‑headed arrow.
  1. Click and drag to widen the hidden column until it becomes visible.

4. Keyboard shortcuts (Windows)

If you like working fast from the keyboard, these help a lot.

  • After selecting the columns (or entire sheet), press:
    • Alt, H, O, U, L in sequence to run the Unhide Columns command.
  • In some setups, Ctrl + Shift + 0 also unhides columns, though it can be disabled by system settings.

5. Unhide the first column (Column A)

Column A is a bit tricky because you can’t click to its left. Here are reliable options.

Method A – Using the mouse drag from column B

  1. Click the header of column B.
  1. Move your mouse slowly to the left edge of the B header until you see a double‑headed arrow.
  1. Drag to the right to reveal column A.

Method B – Using the ribbon

  1. Click column B to select it.
  1. With B selected, go to Home > Format > Hide & Unhide > Unhide Columns.
  1. This will unhide column A while leaving other hidden columns as they are.

Method C – Using Go To / Name Box (if you can’t get the mouse trick to work)

  1. Click the Name Box (the small box left of the formula bar) and type A1, then press Enter.
  1. Excel will select cell A1 even though column A is hidden.
  1. Now go to Home > Format > Hide & Unhide > Unhide Columns.

6. If columns still won’t unhide

Sometimes it looks like columns are hidden, but something else is going on.

  • Check for Freeze Panes : Go to View > Freeze Panes and choose Unfreeze Panes if it’s enabled. Frozen panes can make it seem like columns are missing.
  • Check for grouping/outlines : You might see small + or − buttons above the columns; click them to expand grouped columns instead of unhiding.
  • Check protection: A sheet can be protected so hidden columns cannot be unhidden until protection is removed.

If the sheet is protected:

  1. Go to Review > Unprotect Sheet and enter the password if required.
  1. Then use any of the unhide methods above.

Simple HTML table version (as requested)

Here’s a compact HTML table you can use in your post:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Scenario</th>
      <th>Steps to Unhide Columns</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Unhide one hidden column</td>
      <td>
        Select the columns on both sides (e.g., D and F), right-click the selected headers, choose <b>Unhide</b> or use Home &gt; Format &gt; Hide &amp; Unhide &gt; Unhide Columns.
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Unhide all columns</td>
      <td>
        Select the whole sheet (triangle at top-left or press Ctrl + A until all cells are selected), then right-click any column header and choose <b>Unhide</b>, or use Home &gt; Format &gt; Hide &amp; Unhide &gt; Unhide Columns.
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Unhide first column (A) by dragging</td>
      <td>
        Click column B header, move the mouse to its left border until you see a double-headed arrow, then drag to the right to reveal column A.
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Unhide first column (A) via ribbon</td>
      <td>
        Click column B, then go to Home &gt; Format &gt; Hide &amp; Unhide &gt; Unhide Columns.
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Keyboard shortcut (Windows)</td>
      <td>
        After selecting the relevant columns or the whole sheet, press Alt, H, O, U, L in sequence to unhide columns.
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Still not visible?</td>
      <td>
        Check View &gt; Freeze Panes (unfreeze if needed), look for outline/group buttons (+/−) above columns, or unprotect the sheet from the Review tab before unhiding.
      </td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.