This question matters because it shows how quickly a spreadsheet can move from simple data entry into a miniature rules engine. The user wants to hide values across a range when each cell is less than or equal to the reference value at the bottom of its own column. That is a reasonable business need, not an edge case. Similar frustrations appear in discussions like "The operating system is not presently configured to run this application", "Aggravated by Excel changing numbers to an exponential", and "How to calculate a value based on multiple dropdown lists", where the real issue is not the spreadsheet itself, but the amount of hidden logic users are expected to manage manually.
The practical answer is simpler than the forum post suggests. If the data range is B2:L7 and the reference row is row 9, select the full range B2:L7, then apply a conditional formatting rule with a formula such as =B2<=B$9. The key is the mixed reference. B2 is relative, so it changes as the rule moves across rows and columns. B$9 locks only the row, which means each column compares against its own bottom reference: B2 against B9, C2 against C9, and so on. To hide the text visually, the formatting can set the font color to white, or the custom number format can use ;;; to suppress displayed values. Conditional formatting does not truly delete or hide the underlying value, but it can make the cell appear hidden to the reader.
This is exactly the kind of workflow that reveals both the power and the limits of traditional spreadsheets. The formula itself is not complex once you understand relative and absolute references, but that understanding is not evenly distributed across teams. A single misplaced dollar sign can turn a scalable rule into a column-by-column maintenance problem. That friction is why spreadsheet work often feels more fragile than it should. Users are not struggling because