How to Hide Worksheet Tabs in Excel Workbook

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Reem, one of the PHD readers, asks in e-mail,

Is there a way to prevent users from unhiding “hidden sheets” in an excel file – without using VBA?

or to put it in other words, can the “Format/Sheet/Unhide” be disabled for specific worksheets?

Here is a non-VBA way to do this. I am not sure if this is optimum, but it seems to produce results without much effort. And it doesn’t use VBA, just the VBA Editor.

Step 1: Right click on the tab you want to hide and select view code option

Step 1: Right click on the tab you want to hide and select view code option

Step 2: In the properties window for that sheet, set “visibility” as 2 – xlSheetVeryHidden

Step 2: In the properties window for that sheet, set

Step 3: Now right click on the sheet name in project explorer area and select VBA Project properties

Step 3: Now right click on the sheet name in project explorer area and select VBA Project properties

Step 4: Go to “Protection” tab and check “Lock” project

Step 4: Go to

Step 5: and set password for protection, click ok

Step 5: and set password for protection

Step 6: when someone tries to open the VBA Code for that sheet to make the worksheet tab unhidden (visible), Excel prompts for a password

Step 6: when someone tries to open the VBA Code for that sheet to make the worksheet tab unhidden (visible), Excel prompts for a password

This trick is very handy when you are sharing workbooks with others and afraid that they may ruin the calculations or data.

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17 Responses to “Custom Number Formats – Colors”

  1. Duncan says:

    You are right, Chandoo. I was playing with the colour numbers last week and some of them don't appear different from each other. Others are totally different from yours.

  2. Hui... says:

    @Duncan
    Each version of Excel, post 2003, renders colors slightly differently
    Different language versions may also have different default color palettes

  3. polo says:

    Hello in french
    excel 2010
    colo1 = couleur1 = black
    [couleur1]; [couleur2]; etc..

  4. Andras Ujszaszy says:

    @Hui, thank you very much again for this great post.
    However - under Excel 2007, Hungarian version your solution does not work with color names. I've tried both English and Hungarian names, but drops an error message "not valid formats"

    Do you have any idea how to solve this issue?
    thanks in advance

    • Hui... says:

      @Andras

      Without a Hungarian version of Excel 2003 I don't think I can assist

    • Sarah says:

      Have you tried using the colour numbers? I couldn't get the names to work (despite using an english version of excel). but it did work with the numbers though. I left out the "u" and was easily able to produce burgundy using [color9]

    • Florinel says:

      Here a possible solution: find an English version of Excel, write there the formats using English names, then open the file in the Hungarian version and see the translation.

  5. Nigel says:

    In Excel 2007 I can't get the colour names to work e.g Sea Green but the numbers do e.g color3 - colour3 does not work so I must bow to the country that has stolen my language (ha ha!)

  6. Hey chandoo, nice Tip!
    Wouldn't be easier just apply some conditional formatting for negative numbers and another for positive numbers? Or there's some cases that you can't do that?

  7. Unfortunately the TEXT function doesn't color the cell as number formatting does.

  8. Khalid NGO says:

    Hi Hui,
    Great post Sir, love the new way of formatting with color numbers.
    I am using 2007, and it leads me to the last color number 56.

    Thanks Hui.

  9. […] explains how to set up custom number formats with a wide array of […]

  10. Colin says:

    Thanks Hui - works a treat!

  11. John Smith says:

    Thank you, very helpful.
    Trying to figure out if it is possible to apply color only to a part of the cell?

    E.g. I have a value formatted as Accounting with a currency symbol.
    Those I find somewhat distracting though necessary. If I could make them less obtrusive by coloring them gray while the number would stay black, that would be great. Tried tinkering with the format string, but didn't get the desired result. Single color for complete cell value works, but coloring just part of it could not be achieved. Maybe somebody managed that?

  12. Shaun says:

    Exactly what I was looking for - thank you!

  13. colour in the Australian doesn't work - we have to go American and no problem.
    I always thought is was 56 colours notice you have 57. Cool.

    thanks
    Analir Pisani
    Customised Microsoft Office Training Specialist
    Sydney - Australia
    http://www.azsolutions.com.au

  14. Me Myself says:

    Thank You!

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