Troubleshoot outlining a worksheet

1. Use the outline symbols , , and to hide the detail data that you don't want copied.
2. Select the range of summary rows.
3. On the Edit menu, click Go To.
4. Click Special.
5. Click Visible Cells only.
6. Click OK, and then copy the data.

Select only the detail data for grouping    When you manually group rows and columns, select only the detail rows or columns that make up the group. Do not include the related summary row or column in the selection. For example, if row 6 contains totals for the data in rows 3 through 5, select only rows 3 through 5 to define the group.

Display all data before grouping    When you group multiple outline levels, it's best to have all data displayed. If you're grouping manually, make sure to select all of the subordinate summary rows or columns, as well as their related detail data. For example, rows 6 and 10 contain subtotals for rows 3 through 5 and rows 7 through 9, respectively. Row 11 contains grand totals. To group the detail data for row 11, select rows 3 through 10.

Change the direction of the outline    If Microsoft Excel displays or next to the wrong row or column of the outline, first display any hidden data, and then select the outlined range. On the Data menu, point to Group and Outline, click Settings, and then verify that the options under Direction are correct. If summary rows or columns are located above or to the left of the related detail rows and columns, clear the Summary rows below detail or Summary columns to right of detail check box.

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Click the View tab.
3. Select the Outline symbols check box.
4. If the symbols still aren't visible or readable, use the Zoom box on the Standard toolbar to change the magnification to 100%.

If you ungroup or remove an outline while the detail data is hidden, the detail rows or columns may remain hidden. To display the data, drag across the visible row numbers or column letters adjacent to the hidden rows and columns. On the Format menu, point to Row or Column, and then click Unhide.