To show formulas in Google Sheets, press Ctrl + ~ (the same on Windows and Mac), or click View > Show > Formulas. Every cell then shows its formula instead of its result. Do the same thing again to go back to results. The same View > Show menu also turns Gridlines on or off.
This guide covers showing every formula at once, checking a single formula, displaying a formula as text with FORMULATEXT or an apostrophe, hiding or printing gridlines, and other formula shortcuts. The shortcuts come from Google’s Sheets keyboard shortcuts list and Google’s FORMULATEXT help page.
How to Show Formulas in Google Sheets
- Open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
- Press Ctrl + ~. Google lists this shortcut as “Show all formulas” for both Windows and Mac.
- Or click View > Show > Formulas.
- Press the shortcut again, or click the menu option again, to go back to results.
Result: every cell that holds a formula shows the formula text instead of the calculated value. This view applies across the spreadsheet and stays on until you turn it off. It also shows the shortcut written as Ctrl + ` (the backtick key, which shares a key with ~ on most keyboards).
How to See a Single Formula
If you only need to check one cell, you don’t have to switch the whole sheet. Click the cell and read the formula in the formula bar above the grid. If you can’t see the formula bar, turn it on with View > Show > Formula bar.
Show a formula next to its result with FORMULATEXT
To keep the result and display the formula beside it, use FORMULATEXT. According to Google’s FORMULATEXT help page, =FORMULATEXT(A1) returns the formula in A1 as a text string. This is handy when you’re documenting a sheet or teaching someone how it works.
Show a formula as text with an apostrophe
You can also type an apostrophe before a formula, such as ‘=SUM(A1:A5). Sheets then displays the formula as text and doesn’t calculate it. Remove the apostrophe when you want it to work as a formula again.
How to Hide or Show Gridlines
- Click View > Show.
- Click Gridlines to turn them off or on. On a phone, see how to view or hide gridlines in Google Sheets on an iPhone.
Result: the light gray lines between cells disappear or come back on screen. This doesn’t add or remove any cell borders you’ve applied yourself. To draw those lines, see how to add or remove borders in Google Sheets.
Print without gridlines
Printing has its own setting. Open File > Print (or press Ctrl + P), expand Formatting, and uncheck Show gridlines to leave them off the printout. Keep it checked if you want them printed. If the sheet spills onto extra pages, see how to print on one page in Google Sheets.
Other Formula Shortcuts
These come from Google’s Sheets keyboard shortcuts list:
- F4 (Fn + F4 on Mac): switch between absolute and relative references while you edit a formula.
- Shift + F1 (Shift + Fn + F1 on Mac): show or hide formula help. F1 switches between full and compact help.
- Ctrl + Shift + Enter (⌘ + Shift + Enter on Mac): insert an array formula.
- F9: toggle formula result previews.
- Ctrl + E: collapse an expanded array.
Showing formulas changes how existing cells are displayed. If the issue is unwanted suggestions while you type, turn off Google Sheets autocomplete instead. If results aren’t updating, check the recalculation settings in Google Sheets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Ctrl + ~ not show formulas?
Google writes the shortcut as Ctrl + ~, which is the same key as Ctrl + ` on most US keyboards. On other keyboard layouts the key can sit elsewhere, so the simplest fix is View > Show > Formulas, which does the same thing.
Does showing formulas change my data?
No. It only changes the display. Your formulas and their results stay the same, and you can switch back at any time.
Related Guides
- How to print on one page in Google Sheets
- How to change calculation settings in Google Sheets
- How to unhide the menu in Google Sheets
- How to remove sheet protection in Google Sheets
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.