How to Limit Rows and Columns in Excel

To help control the size of an Excel worksheet, you can limit the number of columns and rows that a worksheet displays. In this guide, we show you how to hide (and unhide) rows and columns in Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, and Excel for Microsoft 365, as well as how to limit access to rows and columns using Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

Hide Rows and Columns in Excel

An alternative method for restricting the work area of a worksheet is to hide sections of unused rows and columns; they'll stay hidden even after you close the document. Follow the steps below to hide the rows and columns outside the range A1:Z30.

1. Open your workbook and select the worksheet you want to hide rows and columns in. Click the header for row 31 to select the entire row.

2. Press and hold the Shift and Ctrl keys on the keyboard. At the same time, press the down arrow key on the keyboard to select all rows from row 31 to the bottom of the worksheet. Release all the keys.

3. Right-click one of the row headings to open the contextual menu. Select Hide.

4. The worksheet now shows only the data in rows 1 through 30.

5. Click the header for column AA and repeat steps 2 and 3 (using the right arrow key instead of the down arrow key) to hide all columns after column Z.

6. Save the workbook; the columns and rows outside the range A1 to Z30 will remain hidden until you unhide them.

   You can use the same process to hide any rows or columns you want. Just select the header or headers for the row or column, right-click the header, and select Hide.

Unhide Rows and Columns in Excel

When you want to view the data you hid, you can unhide the rows and columns at any time. Follow these steps to unhide the rows and columns you hid in the previous example.

1. Open the worksheet you used to hide row 31 and higher and column AA and higher. Click the headers for row 30 (or the last visible row in the worksheet) and the row below it. Right-click the row headers and, from the menu, select Unhide.

2. The hidden rows are restored.

3. Now click the headers for column Z (or the last visible column) and the column to the right of it. Right-click the selected column headers and, from the menu, choose Unhide. The hidden columns are restored.

Limit Access to Rows and Columns With VBA

You can use Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to temporarily limit the range of usable rows and columns in a worksheet. In this example, you'll change the properties of a worksheet to limit the number of available rows to 30 and the number of columns to 26.

1. Open a blank Excel file. At the bottom of the screen, right-click the Sheet1 sheet tab. From the menu, choose View Code.

2. The Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor window opens. In the left rail, locate the Properties section.

3. Under Properties,in the right column of the ScrollArea row, click the empty box and type A1:Z30.

4. Select File > Save and save your workbook as you normally would. Select File > Close and Return to Microsoft Excel.

5. To make sure your change is applied, perform this test. In your worksheet, try to scroll past row 30 or column Z. If the change has been applied, Excel bounces you back to the selected range and you're unable to edit cells outside that range.

6. To remove the restrictions, access VBA again and delete the ScrollArea range.