Use Auto Hide Content with 3 how-to topics: turn it on from the right-click menu, turn it on from the Collaboration tab, and manage viewing permissions or turn it off; choose a topic from the index and follow the steps.
How-to Index
| No. | Topic | Membership Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. Turn on Auto Hide Content from the right-click menu | Free |
| 2 | 2. Turn on Auto Hide Content from the Collaboration tab | Free |
| 3 | 3. Manage viewing permissions or turn off Auto Hide Content | Free |
How-to Guide
1. Turn on Auto Hide Content from the right-click menu
Feature entry: Right-click menu → Enable Content Auto-Hide
- Select the cell range whose content you want to hide.
- Right-click anywhere inside the selected range.
- Click Enable Content Auto-Hide in the shortcut menu.
- After it is enabled, the content in that range is shown as
●. Only the document owner, fillers, and designated users can view the original content.
Success Criteria
- Interface result: The original values in the selected range are no longer shown directly and appear as
●. - Next action available: You can continue to select the range and open its hidden-content settings.
Tips While Using
- This feature takes effect in collaboration mode.
- Unauthorized collaborators cannot directly view the original content in the hidden range.
2. Turn on Auto Hide Content from the Collaboration tab
Feature entry: Collaboration → Protected Range → Content Auto-Hide
- Click the Collaboration tab at the top of the window.
- Click Protected Range on the toolbar.
- Select Content Auto-Hide from the drop-down menu.
- Complete the protected-range settings in the panel on the right.
Success Criteria
- Interface result: A protected-range settings panel appears on the right side.
- Next action available: You can continue to configure the hidden range and related permissions.
Tips While Using
- This method is useful when you want to manage protected-range settings from the toolbar.
- Make sure the current file is already in online collaboration mode before you start.
3. Manage viewing permissions or turn off Auto Hide Content
Feature entry: Click a hidden cell → left-side drop-down menu with the shield icon
- Click a cell that already has Auto Hide Content enabled.
- Open the hidden-content settings from the left-side drop-down menu.
- Set Ignore first [N] rows if you want header rows to remain visible.
- Set Designated people to manage hidden content to choose which collaborators can view the original values in the hidden range.
- If you want to restore normal display, select Disable Content Auto-Hide.
Success Criteria
- Interface result: The ignored rows, designated viewers, or disabled hidden state has taken effect.
- Next action available: Authorized users can view the original content, unauthorized users still see hidden display, and normal display returns after the feature is turned off.
Tips While Using
- Ignoring the first N rows is useful when you want to keep table headers visible.
- Turning off Auto Hide Content does not delete data. It only removes the hidden display state.