Without gridlines, Excel sheets look empty. Here, we will discuss 5 solutions to fix missing gridlines in Excel.
Fix 1 – Enable Gridlines View from View or Page Layout Tabs
Case 1.1 – Enable Gridlines from the View Tab
Steps:
- Go to the View tab.
- Check the Gridlines option.
- Check the sheet for gridlines.
Case 1.2 – Enable Gridlines from Page Layout
Steps:
- Go to the Page Layout tab.
- Check the View option under Gridlines.
Fix 2 – Make Changes to the Default Gridline Color
Steps:
- Go to File and pick Options. The Excel Options window appears.
- Go to the Advanced tab.
- Find he Display options for this worksheet section and check the Show gridlines option.
- Click on the drop-down for Gridline color.
- Choose a color from the list.
- Press OK.
Fix 3 – Change Cell Fill Color That Overlaps with Gridlines
In this example, the cells have the same fill color as the gridlines, so we need to change the fill.
Steps:
- Press Ctrl + A to select the whole sheet.
- Go to the Fill Color option from the Home tab.
- Click on the fill bucket.
- Choose No Fill from the list or select a different color.
- Look at the worksheet.
Read More: How to Show Gridlines after Using Fill Color in Excel
Fix 4 – Remove Conditional Formatting
Steps:
- Go to Conditional Formatting from the Home tab.
- Choose the Clear Rules option from the list.
- Select Clear Rules from Entire Sheet.
Fix 5 – Check If Gridline Color Is White and Apply a Different One
Sometimes gridlines do not show even when gridlines are enabled if they’re white.
Steps:
- Go to File and select Options.
- Select the Advanced tab in the Excel options window.
- Scroll to the Display options for those worksheets section.
- Press the fill bucket for Gridline color.
- Choose a color that’s not white.
- Press OK.
- Look at the worksheet.
Gridlines are showing exactly here.
Read More: [Fixed] Excel Gridlines Not Showing by Default
Download Practice Workbook
Download this practice workbook to practice changing gridlines while reading this article.
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Mine disappeared, they’ve been there for years, but I did get a new computer in June and now the figures are all gone. I went through your steps and they didn’t come back?
Hello Laurie,
Sorry to hear the steps didn’t solve it. Since you recently switched to a new computer, it could be related to display or Excel default settings. Please check:
1. Go to File > Options > Advanced and make sure ‘Show gridlines’ is checked.
2. Verify that the gridline color isn’t set to white. Go to File > Options > Advanced > Display options for this worksheet).
3. Ensure no fill color is applied to the cells (even a white fill will hide gridlines).
4. Lastly, check your screen zoom or display scaling, as sometimes that can affect how gridlines appear.
If you try these and they still don’t show, let us know which Excel version you’re using so we can guide you further.
Regards
ExcelDemy