Office Compatibility Issues

How to Select Only Visible Cells in Excel for iPad

Emma Brown Sep 29, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to select and copy non-adjacent columns or visible cells in Microsoft Excel for iPad.

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: iPadOS
Scenario: Attempting to copy selected non-adjacent columns or visible cells to another location while working on a spreadsheet on an iPad.
Observed behavior: The native desktop feature for selecting visible cells or multiple non-adjacent columns is currently unavailable in the Excel for iPad application.

Before you start

Ensure your Excel for iPad app is updated to the latest version so that dynamic array functions like CHOOSECOLS are fully supported.

Solution 1Recommended

Use the CHOOSECOLS Function to Extract Visible Columns

Since the iPad app lacks direct visible-cell selection, you can use the CHOOSECOLS formula to pull the specific columns you need onto a new temporary sheet before copying them.

This workaround leverages dynamic arrays to pull only the columns you want to copy, bypassing the restriction on selecting non-adjacent ranges manually.

Create a temporary worksheet

Tap the '+' icon at the bottom of your Excel workbook to add a new, blank worksheet.

Enter the CHOOSECOLS formula

Tap a cell in the new sheet and type the formula =CHOOSECOLS(Sheet1!A:G, 1, 2, 4, 6, 7). Replace 'Sheet1!A:G' with your actual data range, and the numbers with the specific column indexes you want to keep.

Generate the spilled array

Press Enter. The formula will automatically spill the data from the chosen columns into the adjacent cells.

Copy and paste as values

Select the newly generated range of data, tap 'Copy', navigate to your final destination sheet, and use 'Paste Special' > 'Values' to finalize the transfer.

Use the CHOOSECOLS Function to Extract Visible Columns

Feature Request: You can request the native 'Select Visible Cells' feature for iPad by submitting feedback to Microsoft at https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I select multiple non-adjacent columns in Excel for iPad?

The mobile and tablet versions of Excel currently lack full feature parity with the desktop version. Advanced selection tools, including non-adjacent range selection and 'Select Visible Cells', are not natively supported on the iPad app.

Is there a keyboard shortcut to select only visible cells on an iPad?

No native shortcut exists for this action on the iPad version of Excel, even with an external keyboard connected. You must use formula workarounds like the CHOOSECOLS function to extract visible data.

Will Microsoft add the 'Select Visible Cells' feature to the iPad app?

Microsoft regularly updates the iPad app based on user requests, but there is no official timeline for this specific feature. Users are encouraged to submit feature requests via the Microsoft Feedback Portal.

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