The formula bar in Excel 2013 is the area at the top of the worksheet where you can view and edit cell contents, including formulas. While it’s useful for many tasks, sometimes you may want to hide the formula bar to maximize screen space or create a cleaner look, especially when sharing spreadsheets with others.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to hide and show the formula bar in Excel 2013, along with some tips to optimize your workspace.
🧠 Why Hide the Formula Bar?
Hiding the formula bar in Excel can be useful for several reasons:
Maximize workspace: Get more room for rows and columns on small screens.
Clean interface: Present a polished, uncluttered view when sharing or projecting spreadsheets.
Prevent accidental edits: Reduce the chance of editing formulas unintentionally.
By managing the formula bar visibility, you can make your Excel environment more user-friendly and professional.
⚙️ How to Hide the Formula Bar in Excel 2013
Follow these simple steps to hide the formula bar:
Step 1: Open Your Excel 2013 Workbook
Launch Excel 2013 and open the workbook where you want to hide the formula bar.
Step 2: Go to the View Tab
On the Excel ribbon at the top, click the View tab.
Step 3: Locate the Show Group
In the Show group, you will see several checkboxes, including:
Ruler
Gridlines
Formula Bar
Step 4: Uncheck Formula Bar
Simply uncheck the box next to Formula Bar.
The formula bar will immediately disappear from your Excel window.
🔄 How to Show the Formula Bar Again
If you want to restore the formula bar later:
Go back to the View tab.
In the Show group, check the box next to Formula Bar.
The formula bar will reappear, and you can continue editing your formulas.
💡 Alternative Method: Using Excel Options
You can also hide the formula bar through Excel Options:
Click the File tab.
Select Options at the bottom of the menu.
In the Excel Options window, click Advanced on the left.
Scroll down to the Display section.
Uncheck Show formula bar.
Click OK to apply changes.
This method is especially useful if you want to hide the formula bar permanently for all new workbooks.
🧭 Quick Tips for Managing the Formula Bar
Keyboard shortcut tip: Unfortunately, Excel 2013 doesn’t have a direct shortcut to hide/show the formula bar, but using Alt → W → V → F in sequence can toggle it.
Maximize screen space: Combine hiding the formula bar with hiding the ribbon (Ctrl + F1) for a full-screen view.
Presentation mode: Hiding the formula bar is useful when presenting Excel dashboards or charts to an audience.
✅ Benefits of Hiding the Formula Bar
Benefit
Description
More visible rows and columns
Great for small monitors or large datasets
Cleaner interface
Less distraction when presenting or sharing
Reduced editing errors
Users are less likely to accidentally edit formulas
🔚 Final Thoughts
Hiding the formula bar in Excel 2013 is a simple but effective way to improve your workspace and presentation view. Whether you’re working on a detailed dataset or preparing a professional presentation, knowing how to toggle the formula bar on and off gives you more control over your Excel environment.
Remember, hiding the formula bar doesn’t delete any data or formulas; it simply changes the way you view your spreadsheet. Use this feature strategically to enhance productivity and make your Excel interface cleaner and more efficient.
