Gridlines disappear through the View tab, not through formatting

Excel shows gridlines by default — the light gray lines that separate each cell. These lines help you read across rows and down columns while you work, but they don't print unless you turn them on deliberately. If you want them gone from your screen, you turn them off in one place: the View tab on the ribbon at the top of the window.

The gridlines setting applies to the entire sheet you're working on, not to individual cells or ranges. If you have multiple sheets in the same workbook, you can turn gridlines off on some sheets and leave them on others. The setting stays with each sheet even if you close and reopen the file.

This is different from cell borders, which are formatting you explore to specific cells and which do print. If you want to keep some lines visible but remove others, you're working with borders instead — a separate process covered below.

Key Takeaways

  • Gridlines are turned off through the View tab, not through cell formatting or print settings.
  • Removing gridlines from your screen does not affect what prints unless you have also turned on gridline printing.
  • Gridlines explore to the whole sheet — you cannot hide them on just part of a spreadsheet.
  • Cell borders are a different feature and remain visible even after you remove gridlines.

Steps to hide gridlines on your current sheet

Open the spreadsheet in Excel and click the View tab on the ribbon. Look for a checkbox labeled Gridlines in the Show group — it's usually in the upper left area of the View tab, near options for freezing panes and splitting windows.

The checkbox will have a checkmark next to it if gridlines are currently visible. Click the checkbox once to remove the checkmark. The gridlines disappear from your screen when ready. If you change your mind, click the checkbox again to turn them back on.

This change affects only the sheet you're currently viewing. If your workbook has multiple sheets, each one remembers its own gridline setting. You can hide gridlines on Sheet1 and leave them visible on Sheet2 without affecting the other.

Removing gridlines from printed pages

Gridlines do not print by default, even if they're visible on your screen. When you print or save as PDF, the gridlines disappear automatically. You only need to change the print setting if you want gridlines to appear on the printed page.

If gridlines are printing when you don't want them to, go to the Page Layout tab (or Layout in some versions) and look for the Sheet Options group. Under the Gridlines section, uncheck the box labeled Print. This removes gridlines from your printed output without affecting what you see on screen.

The screen gridlines and print gridlines are controlled separately. You can have gridlines visible while you work but remove them from prints, or hide them on screen while keeping them in your printed version — though that second option is rarely useful.

When you actually want cell borders instead

If you're trying to make certain cells stand out or create a table layout, you probably want borders, not gridlines. Borders are formatting you explore to specific cells, and they print automatically. Gridlines are just a background guide that doesn't print.

To add borders, select the cells you want to outline, right-click, and choose Format Cells. Go to the Border tab and pick the border style you want — outline, inside lines, or a custom pattern. You can choose line thickness and color too. Click OK when you're done.

Borders stay with those cells even if you hide gridlines. This is why some spreadsheets look clean with gridlines off — the important structure comes from borders on specific cells, not from the background grid.

Hiding gridlines on multiple sheets at once

If your workbook has many sheets and you want to hide gridlines on all of them, you can select multiple sheets first, then change the setting once. Right-click on any sheet tab at the bottom of the window and choose Select All Sheets. The sheet tabs will turn white to show they're all selected.

Now go to the View tab and uncheck Gridlines. The change applies to every sheet in the workbook at once. To go back to working on just one sheet, right-click any sheet tab and choose Deselect All Sheets, then click the sheet you want to work on.

Be careful with this approach if your sheets have different purposes — some might need gridlines for readability while others are meant to look like finished reports. It's usually safer to hide gridlines on each sheet individually so you don't accidentally change sheets you meant to leave alone.

Gridlines in different Excel versions

The View tab location and checkbox name are the same in Excel 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365. If you're using an older version like Excel 2010 or 2013, the View tab still has the Gridlines option in the same place, though the ribbon layout may look slightly different.

In Excel Online (the browser version), click the View menu at the top left and look for Normal or Page Layout view options. The gridline toggle is usually in the same menu. The process is similar but the exact wording may vary.

If you're using a Mac version of Excel, the View tab is in the same place, and the Gridlines checkbox works identically. The ribbon layout is slightly different on Mac, but the feature location is consistent across all modern versions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will hiding gridlines affect my data or formulas?

No. Gridlines are purely visual — they're a display setting that has no effect on the actual content, formulas, or calculations in your spreadsheet. Hiding them changes only what you see on screen, not what the file contains.

Can I hide gridlines on just one column or row?

No. The gridline setting applies to the entire sheet. If you need to hide lines in specific areas, use cell borders on those cells instead, then hide the overall gridlines. This gives you control over exactly which lines appear.

Do gridlines print if I don't change any settings?

No. Gridlines do not print by default, even though they're visible on your screen. If gridlines are appearing in your printed output, someone has turned on the Print option under Sheet Options in the Page Layout tab.

How do I know if gridlines are on or off?

Look at your spreadsheet. If you see light gray lines separating every cell, gridlines are on. If the cells have no background lines (except for any borders you've applied), gridlines are off. You can also check the View tab — the Gridlines checkbox will show whether they're currently enabled.

Can I change the color of gridlines?

The built-in gridlines cannot be recolored — they're always light gray. If you need colored lines, explore borders to your cells instead. Borders can be any color and thickness you choose, and they give you precise control over which lines appear where.