How to Add or Remove Dotted Border in Excel

Q: How to customize the color of the dotted border in Excel?

To customize the color of dotted border, select the range. Press Ctrl+1 to open Format cells dialog box. Go to Border tab > click Color drop-down. Select any color. The selected color will be applied to the dotted border instead of the default black color.

Written by Md. Araf Bin Jayed

Reviewed by Nuraida Kashmin

Last updated: Jul 24, 2024

In the image, the left side of the data has no border, while the right side is outlined with a dotted border, showing names and ages.

2 Ways to Add Dotted Border

Method 1 – Using the Format Cells Dialog Box

Select the data range.
Go to the Home tab and the Font group, then click the Border drop-down.

Select More Borders option.

The Format Cells dialog box will pop-up.
Go to the Border tab.
Select the first border style from the Style group.
Select Outline and Inside from Presets group.
Press OK.

The selected data range will get a dotted border like the following image.

Read More: How to Insert Border in Excel

Method 2 – Using the Line Style from the Border Dropdown

Go to Home and select the Borders drop-down.
Click on the Line Style arrow.
Select the dotted border style.

Excel switches to the Draw Border mode automatically, and the cursor becomes a pen.
Take the mouse pointer to the range of cells where you want to apply the border.
Click on the mouse, hold it, and drag it to the range of cells.

You will get the following output in your worksheet.

Here’s a GIF overview.

Remove the Dotted Border in Excel

Select the data range of data with dotted border.
Go to the Home tab and the Border drop-down, then select No Border.

The dotted border from the selected range will be removed, like in the following image.

Note: To replace the dotted border, utilize the Borders drop-down menu. Choose the cell range that has the dotted border and then select a border style from the available border options.

Read More: How to Remove Borders in Excel

Download the Practice Workbook

Dotted Border.xlsx

Frequently Asked Questions

How to customize the color of the dotted border in Excel?

To customize the color of dotted border, select the range, press Ctrl+1 to open Format cells dialog box, go to the Border tab and click the Color drop-down. Select any color, and it will be applied to the dotted border instead of the default black color.