Select Visible Cells Only in Excel
The Select Visible Cells Only shortcut allows you to highlight only the visible cells in a selection, automatically ignoring hidden rows, columns, or filtered data.
Keyboard Shortcut
| Windows | Mac |
|---|---|
| Alt + ; | Cmd + Shift + Z |
What Does This Shortcut Do?
When you press this shortcut, Excel selects only cells that are currently visible within the selected range, skipping hidden or filtered-out cells.
How to Use the Shortcut
- Select a range of cells
- Apply a filter or hide some rows or columns
- Press Alt + ; (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Z (Mac)
- Only visible cells remain selected
When This Shortcut Is Useful
- Copying filtered data without hidden rows
- Pasting values into another worksheet
- Formatting only visible rows
- Deleting visible records safely
Tips & Best Practices
- Essential before copying data from filtered lists
- Prevents accidental changes to hidden cells
- Works with tables, ranges, and filtered datasets
FAQ
- Q: Why does Excel copy hidden rows sometimes?
- Because hidden cells are still part of the selection unless you use this shortcut.
- Q: Does this work for filtered columns?
- Yes, filtered-out rows are ignored.
- Q: Can I use this shortcut before deleting rows?
- Yes, it’s highly recommended to avoid deleting hidden data.