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Excel Hide Formula Bar: 4 Quick Ways

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Excel Hide Formula Bar: 4 Quick Ways

You can hide the formula bar in Excel by going to the View tab and unchecking the Formula Bar checkbox in the Show group. This works for the current worksheet in Excel 2010 through 365, but it only hides the bar visually—it does not remove or protect the formulas themselves. If you want to keep formulas hidden from others, you need a separate method that uses cell formatting and sheet protection.

What the Formula Bar Does

The formula bar sits between the ribbon and the column letters in Excel. It shows the contents of the selected cell—whether that is a formula, a number, or text. When you click a cell, the formula bar displays the underlying formula, not just the calculated result. For example, if cell A1 contains =SUM(B1:B10), the formula bar shows that formula while the cell itself shows the total.

Many users hide the formula bar to:

  • Free up vertical screen space on small laptops or when working with large spreadsheets.
  • Prevent accidental edits when presenting or demonstrating a worksheet.
  • Keep the interface clean for data entry tasks where formulas are not needed.

Hiding the bar is purely cosmetic—it does not affect calculation, printing, or the actual formulas in the workbook.

How to Hide the Formula Bar (Step by Step)

The quickest method is via the ribbon, and it works in Excel 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Microsoft 365.

  1. Open your Excel workbook and select any worksheet.
  2. Click the View tab on the ribbon.
  3. In the Show group, you will see checkboxes for Ruler, Gridlines, Headings, and Formula Bar.
  4. Uncheck the Formula Bar checkbox.

The formula bar disappears immediately. To bring it back, simply re-check the box. This setting is per worksheet—if you switch to another sheet, the bar will reappear unless you also uncheck it there.

In Excel for Mac, the process is similar: go to the View menu, then select Formula Bar to toggle it off.

Keyboard Shortcuts and Alternatives

There is no built-in keyboard shortcut to toggle the formula bar in Excel for Windows. However, you can use the Alt key navigation: press Alt, then W, then V, then F. This sequence mimics clicking View → Show → Formula Bar. It is fast once you memorize it.

For Excel for Mac, you can press Control+Shift+U to expand or collapse the formula bar, but that does not hide it entirely. To hide it on Mac, you must use the View menu.

Another alternative is to use VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) to toggle the bar. For example, you can run a simple macro:

Sub ToggleFormulaBar()
    Application.DisplayFormulaBar = Not Application.DisplayFormulaBar
End Sub

This toggles the display for the entire Excel application, not just a single sheet. You can assign this macro to a custom ribbon button or a keyboard shortcut if you prefer.

Hiding Formulas vs. Hiding the Formula Bar

A common misconception is that hiding the formula bar also hides the formulas from other users. It does not. If you hide the bar, a user can still click a cell and see the formula in the formula bar—unless you hide the bar, but that only works if they are on your machine with your settings. When you share the file, the bar will appear on their screen.

To truly hide formulas from other users, you need to do two things:

  1. Select the cells with formulas, right-click, choose Format Cells → Protection tab, and check Hidden.
  2. Protect the worksheet via Review → Protect Sheet. Set a password if desired.

When a sheet is protected, the formula bar will not show the formulas in those cells, and users cannot edit them. Note that this does not hide the bar itself—it just makes the formula contents invisible. If you want both, combine the two methods.

Common Problems and Troubleshooting

Users often encounter a few issues when trying to hide the formula bar:

  • The checkbox is grayed out. This happens if the workbook is shared (legacy shared workbooks) or if the sheet is protected in a way that disables the view settings. Unshare the workbook or unprotect the sheet.
  • The bar reappears after reopening the file. The setting is stored per user and per Excel session, not per file. If you want it hidden for all users, you need to use a VBA macro that runs on workbook open (e.g., in the Workbook_Open event).
  • Only the formula bar is missing, but the column letters are also gone. That is a different setting—uncheck the Headings checkbox in the same Show group.
  • You cannot see the formula bar in full-screen mode. In full-screen (Ctrl+Shift+F1), the ribbon and formula bar are hidden by design. Press the same shortcut to exit full-screen.

If the formula bar is hidden but you need to see it temporarily, you can click on a cell and press F2—this will show the formula in the cell itself (edit mode) and also display it in the formula bar if the bar is visible. If the bar is hidden, F2 still lets you edit the formula in the cell.

How to Hide the Formula Bar Permanently for All Users

If you are distributing a workbook and want the formula bar hidden for everyone who opens it, you cannot rely on the View tab setting because it is not saved with the file. Instead, you can use a small VBA macro that runs automatically when the workbook opens.

  1. Press Alt+F11 to open the VBA editor.
  2. In the Project Explorer, double-click ThisWorkbook.
  3. Paste the following code:
Private Sub Workbook_Open()
    Application.DisplayFormulaBar = False
End Sub
  1. Save the file as a macro-enabled workbook (.xlsm).

When any user opens the file, the formula bar will be hidden. To show it again, they can go to View and check the box, or you can provide a macro to toggle it. Note that if macros are disabled, the code will not run, and the bar will appear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does hiding the formula bar affect printing?

No. The formula bar is an on-screen element only; it never appears in printed output. Printing a worksheet will not include the formula bar, regardless of whether it is visible or hidden.

Can I hide the formula bar in Excel Online or Google Sheets?

In Excel Online, the formula bar is always visible and cannot be hidden. In Google Sheets, you can hide it by going to View → Show → unchecking Formula bar. The option is in the same place on the web version.

Why does the formula bar show a different value than the cell?

The cell shows the calculated result, while the formula bar shows the underlying formula. If the cell contains a formula, the bar will display the formula. If you see a date or number that looks different, it may be due to cell formatting—the bar always shows the raw value, not the formatted display.

Can I hide only the formulas in the formula bar without hiding the bar itself?

Yes. Use the cell protection method described earlier: format the cells as Hidden and protect the sheet. The formula bar will remain visible, but it will show nothing when you select a protected cell with a formula.

How do I show the formula bar again after hiding it?

Go to the View tab and check the Formula Bar checkbox. If you used VBA, run a macro that sets Application.DisplayFormulaBar = True.

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