How to Show or Hide Ink in Excel

In this tutorial page, you will learn how to show or hide ink in Excel step by step. If you are using Excel on a touch-enabled computer, you can utilize the Ink or Ink Annotation feature. This tool lets you use the touch gestures to highlight errors or suggest changes directly within your spreadsheet.

What is Ink in Excel?

The Ink feature in Microsoft Excel allows users to draw or write directly on their spreadsheets using a stylus, touchscreen, or mouse. It is primarily designed for creating freehand annotations, notes, sketches, or highlights directly on the workbook. The feature is especially useful for presentations, collaboration, or brainstorming sessions where visual emphasis is needed.

The Ink tools are part of the Draw tab in the Excel ribbon, where users can choose from various pen styles, colors, and thicknesses. Once added, these ink strokes can be formatted, moved, or deleted like other objects in Excel. This feature is particularly beneficial for users working on devices that support pen input, such as tablets or touch-enabled laptops, offering a more interactive and hands-on way to work with spreadsheets.

Why to Show or Hide Ink in Excel?

You may want to show or hide ink (ink annotations) for various reasons:

• To focus on spreadsheet data without distractions.
• To present a clean, ink-free view during meetings or reports.
• To edit or review ink annotations selectively.

How to Hide Ink in Excel?

Follow the below steps to hide Ink in Excel:

• Open the Excel workbook containing ink annotations.
• Go to Review tab > Ink group and select Hide Ink.
• In the drop down you also have option to delete all Ink on Sheet and delete all Ink in Workbook.

How to Show Ink in Excel?

Follow the below steps to show Ink in Excel:

• Open the Excel workbook in which the ink annotations are hidden.
• Go to Review tab > Ink group and click on Hide Ink. If the ink annotations are hidden, then it will be active and toggle it off to show them.

Shortcut keys

Below is the keyboard shortcut key to show or hide ink in Excel:

Conclusion

The excessive ink annotations may slow down the workbook. So, it’s always advisable to hide or remove the unnecessary ink annotations. If your ink includes shapes or handwritten text, you can convert it to editable Excel objects by selecting the ink and choosing Ink to Shape under the Draw tab.

If your device doesn’t have a touchscreen, you can still access the Draw tab in Excel and use its digital inking features. Here’s how:

• Click File in the top left corner and select Options.
• Click Customize Ribbon on the left side.
• On the right side, scroll down the list of Main Tabs and find Draw.
• Click the checkbox next to Draw to enable it.
• Click OK to save your changes.

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