For security or privacy reasons, you may want to hide a formula from users of your worksheet. Or you may be auditing formulas and you need to see all the formulas on the worksheet. You can use the following procedures to control the hiding or displaying of formulas.What do you want to do?

Switch between displaying formulas and their values on a worksheet

Prevent a formula from displaying in the formula bar

Caution This procedure also prevents the cells that contain the formula from being edited.

  1. Select the range of cells whose formulas you want to hide. You can also select nonadjacent ranges or the entire sheet.
  2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format, click Format Cells, and then click the Protection tab.

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  3. Select the Hidden check box.
  4. Click OK.
  5. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format, and then click Protect Sheet.

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  6. Make sure that the Protect worksheet and contents of locked cells check box is selected.

Show formulas that were previously hidden by removing protection

  1. On the Review tab, in the Changes group, click Unprotect Sheet.

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  2. Select the range of cells whose formulas you want to unhide.
  3. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format, click Format Cells, and then click the Protection tab.
  4. Clear the Hidden check box.