Suppose you have a worksheet that contains confidential information, such as employee salaries, that you do not want a co-worker who stops by your desk to see. Or perhaps you multiply the values in a range of cells by the value in another cell that you do not want to be visible on the worksheet. By applying a custom number format, you can hide the values of those cells on the worksheet.
Note:Â Although cells with hidden values appear blank on the worksheet, their values remain displayed in the formula bar where you can work with them.
Hide cell values
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Select the cell or range of cells that contains values that you want to hide. For more information, see Select cells, ranges, rows, or columns on a worksheet.
Note:Â The selected cells will appear blank on the worksheet, but a value appears in the formula bar when you select one of the cells.
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On the Home tab, select the Number Format buttonÂ
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In the Category box, select Custom.
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In the Type box, select the existing codes.
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Type ;;; (three semicolons).
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Select OK.
Tip:Â To cancel a selection of cells, select any cell on the worksheet.
Display hidden cell values
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Select the cell or range of cells that contains values that are hidden. For more information, see Select cells, ranges, rows, or columns on a worksheet.
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On the Home tab, select the Number Format button
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In the Category box, select General to apply the default number format, or select the date, time, or number format that you want.
Tip:Â To cancel a selection of cells, select any cell on the worksheet.
