Excel - rows too narrow to see

It sounds like you are dealing with hidden rows in your Excel spreadsheet, which can occur for various reasons. Here are some suggestions to help you resolve the issue:

1. Unhide Rows: First, ensure that the hidden rows are unhidden. You can do this by selecting the rows around the hidden ones, right-clicking, and choosing "Unhide".
2. Check for Filters: Although you mentioned that there are no filters applied, double-check the filter settings to ensure that all rows are visible. Sometimes filters can be applied inadvertently.
3. Adjust Row Height Manually: If the AutoFit feature is not working, you may need to manually adjust the row height. Select the rows, right-click, and choose "Row Height" to set a specific height.
4. Clear Formatting: If there are any formatting issues, you might want to clear the formatting of the affected rows. Select the rows, go to the Home tab, and choose "Clear" > "Clear Formats".
5. Check for Merged Cells: Merged cells can sometimes cause issues with row heights. Check if there are any merged cells in the rows that are causing the problem and unmerge them if necessary.
6. Inspect Conditional Formatting: If you have conditional formatting applied, it may affect the visibility of the rows. Review any conditional formatting rules that might be impacting the display.
7. Excel Updates: Ensure that your Excel application is up to date, as updates can fix bugs and improve performance.

If these suggestions do not resolve the issue, consider creating a new worksheet and copying the data over to see if the problem persists in a fresh environment.

References:

• Troubleshoot opening a blank screen when you double-click a file icon or file name in Excel
• Excel performance: Performance and limit improvements

We've tried these solutions and they haven't solved the problem. I'm looking at working out what the trigger seems to be.

Hi,

Thanks for reaching out and sharing the details. To help figure this out, could you confirm if the rows become too narrow right after pasting data, importing from another source, or running any macros? Also, are there any merged cells or hidden formatting in those areas that might prevent AutoFit from working? These details will help identify whether the issue is caused by external data, automation, or formatting quirks.

From what you described, the rows in your Excel sheet are extremely narrow, and even using AutoFit doesn’t make them visible. Since there are no filters hiding them and removing wrap text didn’t help, the problem is likely caused by something else.

This usually happens when the row height has been manually set to a very small value, or when merged cells or custom formatting prevent AutoFit from working. If the cells contain data similar to the visible rows, Excel should normally adjust the height automatically, but merged cells or hidden formatting can block that.

One approach is to select all rows and manually reset the row height to a standard size, like 15. If that works, the issue was a manual height setting. If not, check for merged cells across columns,AutoFit doesn’t work on merged cells.

Also, verify that no conditional formatting or VBA code is forcing row height changes. If you suspect corruption, copy the data into a new sheet or workbook and see if the problem persists. Once the formatting is fixed, the rows should stay visible and AutoFit should work normally.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need more clarification or want a quick checklist to troubleshoot further.

Regards,

Edward