Accidentally lost rows 1, 2, 3 in Excel, what should I do?

If you lost rows 1, 2, 3 in Excel, you are not alone, many people have the same problem as you. This TipsMake article will show you how to get it back. 

Sometimes when using Excel, you will encounter a situation where the line is hidden and you don't know how to open it. Don't worry too much, this article will help you know the reasons to (avoid) and how to fix when rows 1, 2, 3 are lost in Excel . In addition, not only rows 1,2,3, you can apply the methods in the article to retrieve all hidden rows quickly and effectively. 

Accidentally lost rows 1, 2, 3 in Excel, what should I do? Picture 1

Why are rows 1,2,3 missing in Excel?

Losing lines 1,2,3 in Excel is a common error due to cases such as: 

1. Line size is too small
2. Advanced Filter is being applied
3. Freezing or freezing 1 row or 1 column

This is also one of the reasons why Excel hides column A and cannot be unhide .

Accidentally lost rows 1, 2, 3 in Excel, what should I do? Picture 3

Fix missing lines 1, 2, 3 in Excel

Based on each cause of lost rows 1, 2, 3 in Excel 2010, 2013, 2015, 2018, you can apply to get back the lost rows. 

Fix error due to hidden lines

Sometimes when you accidentally forget to hide, you can use this method. Applies to cases where line errors are hidden. 

Select the line around the lost line > right click and select ' Unhide ' (show). So you can quickly display lost lines. 

Accidentally lost rows 1, 2, 3 in Excel, what should I do? Picture 5

Fix Excel error where the first line is hidden and cannot be unhide

In case the row is hidden and you cannot use Unhide, it may be because the row size is too small.

Here you use the following tips to fix the error. 

Move the mouse cursor to the intersection of the row and column so that a 2-way arrow appears. Then double-click the left mouse button twice. 

This method also applies to cases where lines are hidden.

Accidentally lost rows 1, 2, 3 in Excel, what should I do? Picture 7

This method is extremely fast and effective for all Excel files with hidden first lines. At the same time, the same applies to the case where Excel has hidden column A and cannot be unhide. 

How to open hidden lines in Excel via filter function

This method applies advanced data filtering methods in Excel. Proceed as follows: 

1. Select the Data tab > Sort & Filter > Advanced , after this step a table will appear. 
2. Select the item to delete data in the Criteria range section > and click OK . 
   1. Criteria range : Conditions to filter (including title and conditions corresponding to that title). When deleted, the original data will appear. 

At this point, fixing the error of missing lines 1, 2, 3 in Excel has been successful. 

How to fix errors when turning off the Freeze Plane function

To turn off the Freeze Panes function in Excel and fix the error of not being able to display the column again, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the Excel file you're working on > Select the ' View ' tab on the menu bar.
2. In the ' Windows ' group, check that ' Freeze Panes ' is selected. If so, click on it to turn off this function!
3. After turning off the Freeze Panes function , you can try unhide again as instructed above. 
4. If the row is still not visible, you can try other methods such as using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + 0 (zero) or using VBA to unhide the column. 

(*) VBA method instructions: 

1. Press the key combination Alt + F11
2. In the VBA Editor, select ' Insert ' and select ' Module ' from the menu. A new VBA code window will appear.

Accidentally lost rows 1, 2, 3 in Excel, what should I do? Picture 9

1. Copy or enter this code. 

Sub UnhideRows()

    Rows('1:3').EntireRow.Hidden = False

End Sub

1. Press the F5 key combination or click the ' Run ' button on the toolbar to run the VBA code. 

After running this VBA code, lines 1, 2, 3 will be reopened and displayed in your Excel spreadsheet.

Note: Before running the VBA code, make sure you have saved your Excel file to avoid unwanted data loss.

Wishing you success with these methods to fix missing lines 1, 2, 3 in Excel.

Samuel Daniel

Update 09 December 2023