3 Methods To Remove Gridlines In Excel

Have you ever wondered how to remove those annoying gridlines in Excel? You’re not alone! Luckily, it’s a straightforward task that can make your spreadsheets look cleaner and more professional.

Pro tip – under no circumstances should you fill in your spreadsheet with white a background or border! This will explode the spreadsheet file size.

In this article, I’ll guide you through the process of hiding gridlines in Excel, step by step. By the end, your worksheets will have a polished appearance and be easier to read.

So let’s dive right in and start upping your Excel game!

How To Remove Gridlines In The Entire Workbook

We’ve all been there – you’re working on a detailed Excel spreadsheet, and the default gridlines seem to clutter up your masterpiece. No worries, removing gridlines is super easy.

Method 1: Using View Tab

Follow these steps to use the View tab:

  1. Open Excel and select the workbook.
  2. Navigate to the View Tab.
  3. Uncheck the box for Gridlines.
  4. The shortcut key is ALT + W + V + G

Voilà! The gridlines now disappear.

Note – this method only removes the gridlines for the currently selected worksheet. If you want to remove gridlines across the entire workbook, then click on the first tab, hold SHIFT, click on the last tab, and repeat steps 2 and 3. Remember to ungroup the tabs once you’re done.

Remove Gridlines from View menu

Method 2: Using the Excel Options

Alternatively, try this approach:

  1. Click on the File tab.
  2. Select Options > Advanced.
  3. Locate the Display Options section.
  4. Uncheck Show gridlines.

The grid lines are now gone using the Excel Options. Just under the Show gridlines checkbox, you can also apply custom formatting to the default gridlines.

Method 3: VBA

Lastly, for the coders out there, let’s remove the gridlines using VBA:

  1. Press Alt+F11 to open the VBA editor.
  2. Click Insert > Module.
  3. Paste the following code:
Sub RemoveGridlines()

    Dim ws As Worksheet

    For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets

        ws.DisplayGridlines = False

    Next ws

End Sub
  1. Press F5 to run the code.

And there you have it, the gridlines have been removed using VBA.

If you need to use this quite often, then I suggest you can save the code in your Personal Macro Workbook. This way, you can access the code from any Excel workbook on your system. It’s a great way to save time and make your work more efficient!

Now, you can work on your spreadsheets without the distraction of gridlines. Happy spreadsheet-ing!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Gridlines In Excel?

Gridlines are the faint lines that separate the cells in an Excel spreadsheet. They can be helpful for keeping data organized, but sometimes you might want to remove them for a cleaner look.

Can I Turn Gridlines Back On If I Change My Mind?

Yes, you can! Simply follow the same steps as before and select “Gridlines” to turn the gridlines back on for your selected sheet or the entire workbook.

Will Removing Gridlines Affect My Data In Any Way?

No, removing gridlines will not affect your data in any way. It will simply remove the faint lines that separate your cells and make your spreadsheet look cleaner and more professional.

Can You Turn Off Gridlines For Only A Small Section Of A Worksheet?

Unfortunately no. I suggest you turn off the gridlines for the entire worksheet and fill in cell borders for only the section you need.

Remember that these “gridlines” will show up when you print out the worksheet though.

And that’s a wrap. With this knowledge in your toolkit, you can confidently remove and restore gridlines as you wish. Happy spreadsheet crafting!

Thanks for reading and I hope you found this helpful!

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