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How to reverse (delete) filtered rows in Excel?

Author Kelly Last modified

In some cases, you have filtered out some data in Excel before, but later you need to reverse the filter and display filtered/hidden data. Any idea to reverse filter quickly? In this article I will share several tricks to get it done easily.

Reverse filter rows with a helper column in Excel

Reverse filter rows with manually deleting filtered out rows in Excel

Reverse filter rows with deleting filtered out rows in Excel with Kutools for Excel

Supposing you have filtered a fruit purchase table, and filtered out the purchase records of apple and orange as below screenshots shown. Here I will take this example to demonstrate how to reverse filters in Excel.

a screenshot showing the original dataa screenshot showing the original filtered data


Reverse filter rows with a helper column in Excel

This method will walk you through adding a helper column to reverse filter easily in Excel. Please do as follows:

1. Beside filtered range, type Filtered as helper column header, next type Y into below cells as following screenshot shown:

a screenshot of adding a helper column

2. Select the new helper column, and click the Filter button twice on the Data tab.

"a

Note: Clicking the Filter for the first time will disable filter in the filtered range, and clicking the Filter button for the second time will enable filter in the selected helper column.

3. Click the Arrow button in the Filter column, only check the (Blanks) option, and click the OK button.

a screenshot of checking Blanks in the helper column in the Filter drop-down menu

Now the filter is reversed, and hidden rows are shown immediately.

a screenshot showing the filter reverse data

Note: Deleting the helper column will disable the new filter. But you can hide the helper column with right clicking and selecting Hide from the right-clicking menu.

a screenshot of deleting the helper column


Reverse filter rows with manually deleting filtered out rows in Excel

This method is talking about deleting all filtered out rows to reverse filter in a certain range. Please do as follows:

1. Select all filtered out rows except the heading row in the certain range, and then press the Alt + ; keys simultaneously to select only visible rows.

2. Right click these selected rows header, and select the Delete Row from the right-clicking menu.

a screenshot of deleting the selected rows

3. Now all visible rows (except the heading row) are removed but hidden rows have not come out yet. Click the Data > Filter to disable the filter.

a screenshot of disabling the Filter function

Now all hidden rows are displaying as below screenshot shown:

a screenshot showing all hidden data


Reverse filter rows with deleting filtered out rows in Excel with Kutools for Excel

In the third method, I will introduce Kutools for Excel’s Delete Hidden (Visible) Rows & Columns utility to delete filtered out rows and reverse filter easily.

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1. Select the certain range without the heading row, and click the Kutools > Delete > Delete Hidden (Visible) Rows & Columns. See below screenshot:

2. In the opening Delete Hidden (Visible) Rows & Columns dialog box, you need to:

(1) Click the Look in drop down list and select In Selected Range;

(2) In the Delete type section, please check the Rows option;

(3) In the Detailed type section, please check the Visible rows option.

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a screenshot of setting the Delete Hidden (Visible Rows & Columns dialog box)

3. Click the Ok button.

Then a dialog box will come out and show you how many rows have been deleted. Just click the OK button to close it.

a screenshot showing how many visible rows are deleted

4. Now all visible rows are removed but hidden rows have not come out yet. Please click the Data > Filter to disable the filter.

a screenshot of turn off the Filter function

Now the original filter is reversed, and all filtered/hidden rows are displaying as below screenshot shown:

a screenshot showing all hidden data 2


Demo: reverse (delete) filtered rows in Excel

 
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