When writing formulas in Excel, most Excel users prefer to type the formula directly within the cell.
However, when working with large complex formulas, typing or editing the formula in the cell becomes a bit hard.
In such cases are usually do this in the formula bar.
A formula bar is a bar below the ribbon and above the working area of the worksheet (as seen in the image below).
Whenever you select a cell that has a formula, that formula is shown in the formula bar. And many Excel users prefer to type the formulas directly in the formula bar instead of the cell.
But what if you cannot see the formula bar anymore? Where did it go?
Let me tell you how to show the formula bar in Excel (or hide it if you don’t want it).
Show/Hide Formula Bar in Excel
If you can not see the formula bar when you open Excel, it must be hidden and you need to change the setting to show it.
Below are the steps to show the formula bar:
- Click the View tab
- In the Show group, check the Formula bar option
The above steps would make the formula bar reappear in your workbook.
And in case you have the formula bar visible and you want to hide it, repeat the above steps, and in Step 2, uncheck the Formula bar option.
Shortcut to Show Formula Bar in Excel Shortcut
If you prefer keyboard shortcuts, below are the shortcuts to hide or show the formula bar in Excel:
ALT + W + V + F
Hit these keys one after the other in succession.
The above keyboard shortcut reverses the formula bar setting (if it’s visible, it hides it, and if it’s hidden, it makes it visible).
Also read: Excel Showing Formula Instead of Result
Why Hide the Formula Bar?
While I prefer to keep the formula bar visible, I’ve seen a lot of people (including some advanced Excel users) hide it when working with Excel.
Here are a couple of common reasons why people want to hide the formula bar:
More Rows Become Visible
When you hide the formula bar in excel, a few extra rows may become visible on your screen.
For example, as of now as I open a worksheet in Excel with the formula bar visible, I can see 28 rows in the worksheet. And if I hide the formula bar, I would be able to see 30 rows.
Some people prefer seeing more rows in the worksheet, so they hide the formula bar`(and even collapse the ribbon)
You’re Comfortable Writing Formulas in the Cell
Some people are comfortable writing formulas right within the cell and have no use for the formula bar.
In such cases, hiding the formula bar would declutter their Excel working space.
In this tutorial, I covered how to quickly show and hide the formula bar in Excel. I hope you found this useful.
Other Excel tutorials you may also like:
- How to Get the Excel Developer Tab Show Up in the Ribbon
- Improve your Spreadsheet Experience with these Excel Options
- How to Hide Formulas in Excel (and Only Display the Value)
- How to Hide a Worksheet in Excel (that can not be unhidden)
- How to Edit Cells in Excel? (Shortcuts)
- How to Show or Hide the Ribbon in Excel? (with Shortcuts)
- Formula vs Function in Excel – What’s the Difference?
- Status Bar in Excel
