What you will build

You will reproduce a filter that hides expected rows, identify the hidden Owner value in Filter by values, and restore every original row without changing the source data.

Learning objectives

Open the practice workbook

HANDS-ON PRACTICE

Practice in your own copy

Make your own Google Sheets copy with the same data, formulas, formatting, filter and frozen header. The original remains unchanged.

Make a Google Sheets copy (access required) ↗View original

Sign in to Google. If the original is not publicly shared, download the full workbook and import it into Google Sheets, or paste the example data into your own sheet.

Google Sheets result workbook with the complete A1:C5 Task, Owner, Status table selected before creating a filter.

Hands-on practice

Step 1: Select A1:C5, including the header row and all four records. The filter needs the complete table so each column receives a filter control.

Step 2: Choose Data > Create a filter. The header row now shows filter controls for Task, Owner, and Status.

Google Sheets Data menu with Create a filter visible while A1:C5 is selected.
Google Sheets after Create a filter, with filter controls visible in the Task, Owner, and Status headers.

Step 3: Open the Owner filter. Under Filter by values, the verified Owner values are An, Linh, and Minh. With all three selected, all four source rows remain visible.

Owner filter popup in Google Sheets showing Filter by values with An, Linh, and Minh all selected.

Step 4: Temporarily uncheck Linh and choose OK. Because Brief and Launch both have Owner = Linh, those two rows disappear; only Dataset/Minh/Working and QA/An/Planned remain visible. This proves the rows were filtered, not deleted.

Google Sheets after Linh is excluded from the Owner filter, leaving only the Minh and An rows visible.

Step 5: Reopen the Owner filter, select all Owner values again, and confirm. The Brief and Launch rows return, restoring all four original records.

Google Sheets final checkpoint with all four original rows visible again and filter controls still enabled.

Checkpoint

TaskOwnerStatus
BriefLinhDone
DatasetMinhWorking
QAAnPlanned
LaunchLinhPlanned

All four original records are visible again. The filter controls may remain enabled; no source values were changed.

Why expected rows disappear

A basic filter does not delete records. It decides which rows are displayed. In this sample, excluding Owner = Linh hides two different records because Linh appears twice. Re-enabling Linh makes both rows visible again immediately.

Common mistakes and fixes

Correction: restore the missing values in the filter popup and confirm the filter. Edit source cells only when the underlying data is actually wrong.

Independent practice

Temporarily filter Status so only Planned is selected, observe which rows remain, then select all Status values again and verify that the full four-row sample returns.

Key takeaways

  • ✓Create the filter on the complete A1:C5 table, including headers.
  • ✓Filter by values controls which existing rows are displayed; it does not delete them.
  • ✓Excluding Owner = Linh hides both Brief and Launch because Linh appears in two records.
  • ✓Re-selecting all Owner values restores the hidden rows immediately.
  • ✓Troubleshoot filter controls before editing or recreating source records.
QUICK CHECK

Check your understanding

Answer four questions about the practice sheet.

1. Which range should be selected before creating the filter?
2. What happens when Linh is unchecked in the Owner filter?
3. Which section of the column filter should you inspect for unchecked owners?
4. What proves the filter problem is fixed?

Next lesson

Continue after you can distinguish rows hidden by a filter from rows that are actually missing from the dataset.