How to Show the Gridlines in Excel – 3 Methods

This is an overview.

Download Practice Workbook

Download the practice workbook.

Method 1 – Show the Gridlines in the Worksheet using the Ribbon

There are no gridlines in this sheet:

To add gridlines:

• Click on the top left corner or press CTRL+A to select all the cells.
• Go to the View tab and select Show.
• Check Gridlines.

This is the output.

Method 2 – Add Gridlines using the Excel Options

• Click File and select Options.

• Select Advanced.
• Check Show gridlines.
• Click OK.

This is the output.

Method 3 – Add Gridlines to a Specific Area in the Worksheet

• Select B4:B12.
• Go to the Home tab and select Border.
• Choose All Borders.

This is the output.

How to Change the Color of Gridlines

• Click File and select Options.

• Select Advanced.
• Choose a color in Gridline color. Here, red.
• Click OK.

This is the output.

Read More: How to Show Gridlines after Using Fill Color in Excel

How to Print Gridlines in Excel

• Go to the Page Layout tab and select Sheet Options.
• Check Print in Gridlines.

• Click Print or press CTRL+ P, you will see the sheet with gridlines.

How to Hide the Gridlines in Excel

1. Hide the Gridlines in the Whole Worksheet using the Ribbon

• Select the entire sheet or press CTRL+A.
• Go to the View tab and select Show.
• Uncheck Gridlines.

This is the output.

2. Make the Gridlines Invisible by Changing the Background Color

• Select the entire sheet and go to the Home tab.
• Select Fill Color.
• Change the background color from No Fill to White.

This is the output.

3. Remove the Gridlines from Specific cells

• Select the cells and right-click.
• Select Format Cells.

• Select Color and choose white.

• Choose Outline and Inside in Presets.
• Click OK.

This is the output.

4. Hide the Gridlines Using an Excel Shortcut

• Press ALT + W+ V + G.

This is the output.

5. Remove the Gridlines Using a VBA Code

• Go to the Developer tab and select Visual Basic.

• In Insert, select Module.

• Use the following code in the module.
• Click Run.

Sub Hide_Mesh()
If ActiveWindow.DisplayGridlines Then
ActiveWindow.DisplayGridlines = False
Else
MsgBox "Grid lines are already hidden!"
End If
End Sub

If ActiveWindow.DisplayGridlines Then
ActiveWindow.DisplayGridlines = False
Else
MsgBox "Grid lines are already hidden!"
End If

This is the output.

6. Hide Gridlines While Printing the Sheet

• Go to the Page Layout tab and select Sheet Options.
• Uncheck Print.

This is the output.

Gridlines are Not Showing in Excel – Solution

Gridlines are not visible because of the fill color:

• Select the entire sheet.
• Go to the Home tab and select No Fill in Fill Color.

This is the output.

Read More: [Fixed] Excel Gridlines Not Showing by Default

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I adjust the thickness of the gridlines in Excel?

No. The thickness of the gridlines is determined by Excel default settings.

2. Why are the gridlines not showing in Excel?

• The cell format may have overridden gridlines. Apply a default cell format or manually enable gridlines for specific cells.
• The zoom level may be too high. Adjust it.

Show Gridlines in Excel: Knowledge Hub

• How to Keep Gridlines When Copy and Paste in Excel
• How Do You Fix Missing Gridlines in Excel
• How to Get Gridlines Back in Excel

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