Hiding and unhiding rows and columns is a common feature in daily office work. It helps protect sensitive information, simplify data views, or temporarily conceal unnecessary data. Spire.XLS for JavaScript runs entirely in the browser via WebAssembly, using a virtual file system (VFS) to manage input and output files — no backend server required. It provides a simple API for controlling the visibility of rows and columns.

This article covers four core features:

• Hide Specific Rows and Columns in Excel
• Unhide Specific Rows and Columns in Excel
• Hide Multiple Rows and Columns at Once in Excel
• Unhide All Hidden Rows and Columns in Excel

For installation and project setup, refer to Integrating Spire.XLS for JavaScript in a React Project. The examples below assume Spire.XLS is installed and the WebAssembly module is initialized.

Hide Specific Rows and Columns in Excel

Hiding specific rows and columns can keep your worksheet cleaner and more readable without compromising data integrity. Spire.XLS for JavaScript supports hiding a specific row or column using the HideRow() and HideColumn() methods. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and load an existing Excel file containing data.
2. Use worksheet.HideRow() to hide a specific row.
3. Use worksheet.HideColumn() to hide a specific column.
4. Save the workbook to an Excel file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to hide specific rows and columns in Excel in React:

function App() {
  const hideSpecificRowsAndColumns = async () => {
    // Get the Spire.XLS WASM module
    const xlsModule = window.wasmModule?.spirexls;

    // Check if the module is ready
    if (!xlsModule) {
      alert('Spire.Xls is not ready yet');
      return;
    }

    // Load the sample file into the virtual file system (VFS)
    let excelFileName = 'Sample.xlsx';
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(excelFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}data/`);

    // Create a workbook object and load the existing file
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    workbook.LoadFromFile({ fileName: excelFileName });
    let sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);

    // Hide a specific row (row 4)
    sheet.HideRow(4);

    // Hide a specific column (column 2, i.e., column B)
    sheet.HideColumn(2);

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'HideSpecificRowsColumns.xlsx';
    workbook.SaveToFile(outputFileName);
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the file from VFS and trigger download
    const fileArray = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(outputFileName);
    const blob = new Blob([fileArray], { type: 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' });
    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = url;
    a.download = outputFileName;
    a.click();
    URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Hide Specific Rows and Columns</h1>
      <button onClick={hideSpecificRowsAndColumns}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Specific rows and columns hidden with Spire.XLS for JavaScript

Unhide Specific Rows and Columns in Excel

When you need to view or edit specific hidden data, you can unhide a particular row or column individually. Spire.XLS for JavaScript supports unhiding a specific row or column using the ShowRow() and ShowColumn() methods. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and load an existing Excel file containing hidden rows/columns.
2. Use sheet.ShowRow() to unhide a specific row.
3. Use sheet.ShowColumn() to unhide a specific column.
4. Save the workbook to an Excel file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to unhide specific rows and columns in Excel in React:

function App() {
  const unhideSpecificRowsAndColumns = async () => {
    // Get the Spire.XLS WASM module
    const xlsModule = window.wasmModule?.spirexls;

    // Check if the module is ready
    if (!xlsModule) {
      alert('Spire.Xls is not ready yet');
      return;
    }

    // Load the sample file into the virtual file system (VFS)
    let excelFileName = 'HideSpecificRowsColumns.xlsx';
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(excelFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}data/`);

    // Create a workbook object and load the existing file
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    workbook.LoadFromFile({ fileName: excelFileName });

    // Get the first worksheet
    let sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);

    // Unhide a specific row (row 4)
    sheet.ShowRow(4);

    // Unhide a specific column (column 2, i.e., column B)
    sheet.ShowColumn(2);

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'UnhideSpecificRowsColumns.xlsx';
    workbook.SaveToFile(outputFileName);
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the file from VFS and trigger download
    const fileArray = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(outputFileName);
    const blob = new Blob([fileArray], { type: 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' });
    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = url;
    a.download = outputFileName;
    a.click();
    URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Unhide Specific Rows and Columns</h1>
      <button onClick={unhideSpecificRowsAndColumns}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Specific rows and columns unhidden with Spire.XLS for JavaScript

Hide Multiple Rows and Columns at Once in Excel

When there are multiple rows or columns that you don't need to display, hiding them one by one is inefficient. Spire.XLS for JavaScript supports hiding multiple rows and columns at once through loops, greatly improving operational efficiency. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and load an existing Excel file containing data.
2. Use a loop to call worksheet.HideRow() to hide multiple rows at once.
3. Use a loop to call worksheet.HideColumn() to hide multiple columns at once.
4. Save the workbook to an Excel file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to hide multiple rows and columns at once in Excel in React:

function App() {
  const hideMultipleRowsAndColumns = async () => {
    // Get the Spire.XLS WASM module
    const xlsModule = window.wasmModule?.spirexls;

    // Check if the module is ready
    if (!xlsModule) {
      alert('Spire.Xls is not ready yet');
      return;
    }

    // Load the sample file into the virtual file system (VFS)
    let excelFileName = 'Sample.xlsx';
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(excelFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}data/`);

    // Create a workbook object and load the existing file
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    workbook.LoadFromFile({ fileName: excelFileName });
    let sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);

    // Hide multiple rows at once (rows 6 through 10)
    for (let i = 6; i <= 10; i++) {
      sheet.HideRow(i);
    }

    // Hide multiple columns at once (columns 4 through 5, i.e., columns D to E)
    for (let j = 4; j <= 5; j++) {
      sheet.HideColumn(j);
    }

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'HideMultipleRowsColumns.xlsx';
    workbook.SaveToFile(outputFileName);
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the file from VFS and trigger download
    const fileArray = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(outputFileName);
    const blob = new Blob([fileArray], { type: 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' });
    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = url;
    a.download = outputFileName;
    a.click();
    URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Hide Multiple Rows and Columns</h1>
      <button onClick={hideMultipleRowsAndColumns}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Multiple rows and columns hidden at once with Spire.XLS for JavaScript

Unhide All Hidden Rows and Columns in Excel

To unhide all hidden rows and columns, iterate through the rows and columns in the worksheet, use GetRowIsHide() and GetColumnIsHide() to find hidden ones, then call ShowRow() and ShowColumn() to unhide them. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and load the Excel file.
2. Get the worksheet.
3. Iterate through rows, use GetRowIsHide() to find hidden rows, use ShowRow() to unhide.
4. Iterate through columns, use GetColumnIsHide() to find hidden columns, use ShowColumn() to unhide.
5. Save the result file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to unhide all hidden rows and columns in Excel in React:

function App() {
  const unhideAllRowsAndColumns = async () => {
    // Get the Spire.XLS WASM module
    const xlsModule = window.wasmModule?.spirexls;

    // Check if the module is ready
    if (!xlsModule) {
      alert('Spire.Xls is not ready yet');
      return;
    }

    // Load the sample file into the virtual file system (VFS)
    let excelFileName = 'HideMultipleRowsColumns.xlsx';
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(excelFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}data/`);

    // Create a workbook object and load the existing file
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    workbook.LoadFromFile({ fileName: excelFileName });

    // Get the first worksheet
    let sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);

    for (let i = 1; i <= sheet.Rows.length; i++) {
      if (sheet.GetRowIsHide(i)) {
        // Unhide row
        sheet.ShowRow(i);
      }
    }

    for (let j = 1; j <= sheet.Columns.length; j++) {
      if (sheet.GetColumnIsHide(j)) {
        // Unhide column
        sheet.ShowColumn(j);
      }
    }
    
    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'UnhideAllRowsColumns.xlsx';
    workbook.SaveToFile(outputFileName);
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the file from VFS and trigger download
    const fileArray = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(outputFileName);
    const blob = new Blob([fileArray], { type: 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' });
    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = url;
    a.download = outputFileName;
    a.click();
    URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Unhide All Rows and Columns</h1>
      <button onClick={unhideAllRowsAndColumns}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

All hidden rows and columns unhidden with Spire.XLS for JavaScript

FAQ

How to check whether a row or column is hidden?

Solution: Use the GetRowIsHide() and GetColumnIsHide() methods to check:

// Check if row 3 is hidden
let rowIsHidden = sheet.GetRowIsHide(3);

// Check if column 2 (column B) is hidden
let columnIsHidden = sheet.GetColumnIsHide(2);

Are row heights or column widths preserved after hiding?

Solution: When hiding rows or columns, the original row height and column width values are preserved. After unhiding with ShowRow() or ShowColumn(), the original dimensions are automatically restored without any additional configuration.

Get a Free License

Spire.XLS for JavaScript offers a 30-day full-featured free trial license with no functional limitations. Apply here to evaluate before purchasing.

Copying data within Excel files while preserving formatting is a common requirement in web-based spreadsheet applications. Spire.XLS for JavaScript runs entirely in the browser via WebAssembly, using a virtual file system (VFS) to manage input and output files — no backend server required. It provides comprehensive APIs to copy rows, columns, and cell ranges while keeping the original styles, fonts, colors, and other formatting intact.

This article covers three core features:

• Copy Rows in Excel
• Copy Columns in Excel
• Copy Cells in Excel

For installation and project setup, refer to Integrating Spire.XLS for JavaScript in a React Project. The examples below assume Spire.XLS is installed and the WebAssembly module is initialized.

Copy Rows in Excel

With Spire.XLS for JavaScript, you can copy rows within the same worksheet or across different worksheets while preserving all formatting, formulas, and styles. This is useful when you need to duplicate structured data such as headers, summary rows, or formatted templates. Through the CopyRangeOptions parameter, you can flexibly configure copy options such as copying all formats, conditional formatting, data validation, or only formula result values. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and load an existing Excel file.
2. Get the source and destination worksheets via workbook.Worksheets.get().
3. Get the row to copy via sheet.Rows[index].
4. Use sheet.Copy() with the source row, destination worksheet, destination row index, and CopyRangeOptions.All to copy the row and its formatting.
5. Copy the column widths from the source row cells to the corresponding destination row cells.
6. Save the workbook to an Excel file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to copy rows in React:

function App() {
  const copyRows = async () => {
    // Get the Spire.XLS WASM module
    const xlsModule = window.wasmModule?.spirexls;

    // Check if the module is ready
    if (!xlsModule) {
      alert('Spire.Xls is not ready yet');
      return;
    }

    // Fetch the Excel file and add it to the Virtual File System (VFS)
    let excelFileName = 'Copying.xls';
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(excelFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}data/`);

    // Create a new workbook and load an existing file
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    workbook.LoadFromFile({ fileName: excelFileName });

    // Get the source and destination worksheets
    let sheet1 = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);
    let sheet2 = workbook.Worksheets.get(1);

    // Get the row to copy
    let row = sheet1.Rows[0];

    // Copy the row to the destination worksheet with all formatting
    sheet1.Copy({ sourceRange: row, destRange: sheet2.Rows[0], copyOptions: xlsModule.CopyRangeOptions.All });

    // Copy the column widths from source row to destination row
    let columns = sheet1.Columns.length;
    for (let i = 0; i < columns; i++) {
      let columnWidth = row.Columns[i].ColumnWidth;
      sheet2.Rows[0].Columns[i].ColumnWidth = columnWidth;
    }

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'CopyRows_out.xlsx';
    workbook.SaveToFile({ fileName: outputFileName, version: xlsModule.ExcelVersion.Version2010 });
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the file from VFS and trigger download
    const fileArray = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(outputFileName);
    const blob = new Blob([fileArray], { type: 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' });
    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = url;
    a.download = outputFileName;
    a.click();
    URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Copy Excel Rows</h1>
      <button onClick={copyRows}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Row copy result

Copy Columns in Excel

Copying columns is equally straightforward with Spire.XLS for JavaScript. You can duplicate a column within the same worksheet or copy it to another sheet, and all cell styles, number formats, and data will be preserved. Through the CopyRangeOptions parameter, you can flexibly configure which elements to copy. This is particularly helpful for reorganizing spreadsheet layouts or replicating data structures. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and load an existing Excel file.
2. Get the source and destination worksheets.
3. Get the column to copy via sheet.Columns[index].
4. Use sheet.Copy() with the source column, destination worksheet, destination column index, and CopyRangeOptions.All to copy the column and its formatting.
5. Copy the column widths and row heights from the source column cells to the corresponding destination column cells.
6. Save the workbook to an Excel file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to copy columns in React:

function App() {
  const copyColumns = async () => {
    // Get the Spire.XLS WASM module
    const xlsModule = window.wasmModule?.spirexls;

    // Check if the module is ready
    if (!xlsModule) {
      alert('Spire.Xls is not ready yet');
      return;
    }

    // Fetch the Excel file and add it to the Virtual File System (VFS)
    let excelFileName = 'Copying.xls';
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(excelFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}data/`);

    // Create a new workbook and load an existing file
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    workbook.LoadFromFile({ fileName: excelFileName });

    // Get the source and destination worksheets
    let sheet1 = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);
    let sheet2 = workbook.Worksheets.get(1);

    // Get the column to copy
    let column = sheet1.Columns[0];

    // Copy the column to the destination worksheet with all formatting
    sheet1.Copy({ sourceRange: column, destRange: sheet2.Columns[0], copyOptions: xlsModule.CopyRangeOptions.All });

    // Copy the column width and row heights from source column to destination column
    sheet2.Columns[0].ColumnWidth = column.ColumnWidth;
    let rows = column.Rows.length;
    for (let i = 0; i < rows; i++) {
      let rowHeight = column.Rows[i].RowHeight;
      sheet2.Columns[0].Rows[i].RowHeight = rowHeight;
    }

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'CopyColumns_out.xlsx';
    workbook.SaveToFile({ fileName: outputFileName, version: xlsModule.ExcelVersion.Version2010 });
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the file from VFS and trigger download
    const fileArray = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(outputFileName);
    const blob = new Blob([fileArray], { type: 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' });
    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = url;
    a.download = outputFileName;
    a.click();
    URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Copy Excel Columns</h1>
      <button onClick={copyColumns}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Column copy result

Copy Cells in Excel

Beyond copying entire rows and columns, Spire.XLS for JavaScript also allows you to copy specific cell ranges from one location to another while preserving all formatting. The CellRange.Copy() method provides this capability with flexible options. This gives you fine-grained control over which cells to duplicate. You can copy a range of cells within the same worksheet or to a different worksheet. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and load an existing Excel file.
2. Get the source and destination worksheets.
3. Get the source cell range and destination cell range via sheet.Range.get().
4. Use sourceRange.Copy() with the destination range and CopyRangeOptions.All to copy the cell range with all formatting.
5. Copy the column widths and row heights from the source range to the destination range.
6. Save the workbook to an Excel file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to copy cells in React:

function App() {
  const copyCells = async () => {
    // Get the Spire.XLS WASM module
    const xlsModule = window.wasmModule?.spirexls;

    // Check if the module is ready
    if (!xlsModule) {
      alert('Spire.Xls is not ready yet');
      return;
    }

    // Fetch the Excel file and add it to the Virtual File System (VFS)
    let excelFileName = 'Copying.xls';
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(excelFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}data/`);

    // Create a new workbook and load an existing file
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    workbook.LoadFromFile({ fileName: excelFileName });

    // Get the source and destination worksheets
    let sheet1 = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);
    let sheet2 = workbook.Worksheets.get(1);

    // Get the source cell range and destination cell range
    let range1 = sheet1.Range.get("A1:E7");
    let range2 = sheet2.Range.get("A1:E7");

    // Copy the source range to the destination range with all formatting
    range1.Copy({ destRange: range2, copyOptions: xlsModule.CopyRangeOptions.All });

    // Copy the row heights and column widths from source to destination
    for (let i = 0; i < range1.Rows.length; i++) {
      let row = range1.Rows[i];
      for (let j = 0; j < row.Columns.length; j++) {
        let column = row.Columns[j];
        range2.Rows[i].Columns[j].ColumnWidth = column.ColumnWidth;
        range2.Rows[i].RowHeight = row.RowHeight;
      }
    }

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'CopyCells.xlsx';
    workbook.SaveToFile({ fileName: outputFileName, version: xlsModule.ExcelVersion.Version2010 });
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the file from VFS and trigger download
    const fileArray = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(outputFileName);
    const blob = new Blob([fileArray], { type: 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' });
    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = url;
    a.download = outputFileName;
    a.click();
    URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Copy Excel Cells</h1>
      <button onClick={copyCells}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Cell copy result

FAQ

What happens if the target location already contains data

Cause: By default, the Copy() method overwrites existing data at the target location without merging or preserving the original content.

Solution: Choose an empty area as the destination range, or check whether the target range is empty before performing the copy. You can also back up the target data first, then execute the copy operation.

Can I copy only values without formulas

Cause: CopyRangeOptions.All copies formulas themselves, but sometimes you only need the calculated result values without preserving the formula logic.

Solution: Use the CopyRangeOptions.OnlyCopyFormulaValue option to copy only the calculated result values, not the formulas themselves:

sourceRange.Copy({ destRange: destRange, copyOptions: xlsModule.CopyRangeOptions.OnlyCopyFormulaValue });

Get a Free License

Spire.XLS for JavaScript offers a 30-day full-featured free trial license with no functional limitations. Apply here to evaluate before purchasing.