Ever had that moment when you’re this close to finishing your work, and someone interrupts with:

'Hey, can you help me unhide all the cells in my Excel?'

You sigh, remind yourself you’re a team player, and march over to save the day (again).

Welcome to this week's edition of Between the Sheets!

In focus today:

• dealing with hidden rows and columns
• a path to become an ultimate Excel master
• AI in your Office/Workspace apps

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🥷 Unhide All Rows or Columns

So, you know how to unhide a row in Excel. It’s easy, right? Just select the rows on either side, right-click, and choose Unhide. Boom - done.

What if you want to unhide all rows and columns at once?

1. Select the Entire Sheet

• click on the triangle on the intersection of row and column headings

• or use the shortcut: Ctrl+A.

2. Unhide All Rows

• Right-click anywhere on the sheet and select “Unhide”.
• or use the shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + 9 or Ctrl + Shift + (

3. Unhide All Columns

• Right-click on any column heading and select “Unhide”.
• or use the shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + 0 or Ctrl + Shift + )

The keyboard shortcut to unhide not working?

If your keyboard shortcuts for unhiding rows or columns aren’t working, it’s likely due to a Windows setting. This isn’t an Excel issue but a system setting on your computer.

Follow these steps to adjust your Windows settings:

1. Open Advanced Keyboard Settings

• Click the Windows icon on your desktop (bottom-left corner).
• Type Advanced Keyboard Settings into the search bar and press Enter.

2. Update the Key Sequence Settings

• In the window that opens, look for Input Language Hot Keys and click it.
• Select the option for "Between input languages" and click Change Key Sequence.

3. Disable Conflicting Shortcuts

• Make sure Ctrl+Shift is not assigned to either option (Switch Input Language or Switch Keyboard Layout).
• Select OK and Apply.

Did you know that the visibility settings are also hidden 😉 in the ribbon? But barely anyone uses this option.

For more (un)hiding tips & tricks, check out our blog post.

And tell your colleague that next time, they'll be better off grouping rows and columns instead of hiding them.

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🥋 Revamped Excel Black Belt

The Excel Black Belt Bundle is now even more powerful!

We’ve upgraded it with two recent courses:

• ​Pivot Table Essentials (create summary reports in record time)
• ​Business Charts in Excel (turn numbers into professional visuals)

With these additions, the Black Belt Bundle gives you EVERYTHING you need to master Excel. From the basics to advanced skills like Power Query, Power Pivot, data visualization, and VBA automation. Plus, you’ll get exclusive bonuses not available anywhere else to level up your learning.

Yes. It's a BIG bundle. To help you decide where to begin, you can either follow our recommended learning path OR take the Black Belt quiz to create your very own custom path (You'll get to the quiz after enrolling).

📈 Why Go for Black Belt?

Think about this: You’re the person everyone turns to when they’re stuck. You save time, solve problems, and deliver results that make a real impact.

And you know what happens to people who make life easier for others?

They build confidence. They get noticed. They get promoted.

This bundle has everything you need to become that person.

If you’re already a Black Belt member, I sent you an email a little while ago with a special offer to upgrade to the newest courses. If you missed it, don’t worry - just email us at info@xelplus.com, and we’ll make sure you're taken care of.

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🤓 Geeky News

🧑‍✈️ Microsoft 365 Family & Personal get Copilot... at a cost

Microsoft is adding Copilot and Designer to the Family & Personal plans.

Previously, this required an additional subscription to Copilot Pro. Now it's included automatically. But at the same time, the price of the standard plan goes up.

It's still a fraction of the Copilot Pro cost, but you also only get limited AI credits (60 per month) compared to unlimited Copilot Pro.

If you don't want AI features in your Office apps, you can downgrade to Microsoft 365 Classic when you go to cancel subscription.

🌈 Google Workspace AI more widely available

Similar changes in Google Workspace, but for Business/Enterprise accounts.

Google is now offering its AI tools in Gmail, Docs, and other Workspace apps for free.

This includes email summaries, spreadsheet design, automated meeting notes, the NotebookLM research assistant, and the Gemini chatbot, among others.

These features were once part of the paid Gemini Business plan. Now they're available with all Workspace plans.

At the same time, the Workspace subscription prices are going up for everyone, not just Gemini Business subscribers.

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👏 Power Stories

Becoming an Excel Black Belt takes time. But just like in karate you're earning different-colored belts on your journey to mastery. Here, you're also gaining new skills.

Oh, and did I mention? You’re collecting digital badges along the way (because who doesn’t love a little recognition?).

Every new insight you come across, every technique you apply - it’s making your work easier right now. And the best part? There’s so much more waiting for you.

Just like Sabine, one of our Black Belt members who shared this:

I am on my way to becoming a black belt in Excel. Looking forward to that! [Excel Essentials] is a great start for beginners and intermediate Excel users (like myself). You will definitely learn tons of new stuff. It covered a lot of useful shortcuts and made me understand the different functions and formats a lot better. I learned so much already, but I also know there is a lot more to learn. I am going to continue my journey, but hopefully I can impress my colleagues this month with some new features in our report.

Sabine Verbeek

I have no doubt her colleagues were wowed, and I know her skills only grew from there.

Got a success story about using your XelPlus skills? I’d love to hear it! Hit reply to share the details, and inspire other students 😇

See you next week,

Leila

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