While working with a large dataset you will see tracer arrows in blue lines to indicate relationship between cells in Microsoft Excel. But you should remove them when you are printing your documents or sharing the worksheet with others. Today, in this article, I am sharing with you how to remove blue lines in Excel. Stay tuned!
What Are Blue Lines in Excel?
Blue lines are basically the tracer arrows that show a relationship between cells. Two types of blue lines can be found which are-
- Trace Precedents Arrow
- Trace Dependents Arrow
How to Remove Blue Lines in Excel: 2 Quick Steps
In the following, I have described 2 quick and simple steps to remove blue lines in Excel. Follow the steps properly to learn this easy trick.
Step 1: Create Dataset with Proper Information
- First, we will create our dataset with “EmployeeName”, “Total Working Hour”, and “Rate Per Hour”. Then we will calculate the “Total Income” for all the employees.
- In order to calculate choose a cell (D7) and write the below formula down-
=C7*$C$4
- Hence, press ENTER and drag the “Fill Handle” down to fill.
- Finally, our dataset is ready.
Read More: How to Remove Print Lines in Excel
Step 2: Use Formulas Tab
- Well, sometimes you will see these trace precedents arrows or blue lines over cells showing the connection between cells.
- In order to remove these blue lines press “Remove Arrows” from the “Formulas” tab.
- In summary, the blue lines connecting cells are removed from the worksheet.
- In some cases, you will also find trace-dependent arrows or blue lines just like in the below image.
- To remove them, similarly, click “RemoveArrows” from the “Formulas” option.
- Finally, we have successfully removed the blue lines in Excel.
Read More: How to Remove the Page Break Lines in Excel
How to Remove Page Break Blue Line in Excel
We often see blue dotted lines inside a worksheet which might not be desirable when editing a dataset. This dotted line is known as the page break line.
If you want to view the page line in a better way then press the “Page Break” option from the “View” option. Let’s learn by removing the page break line from a worksheet.
- Presently, click the “File” option from the top ribbon.
- Thereafter, press “Options” to open the “Excel Options” window.
- Then, remove the checkmark from the “Show Page Breaks” feature and click OK to continue.
- Here, we have successfully deleted blue lines in Excel.
Read More: [Solved]: Page Break in Excel Not Working Error
Download Practice Workbook
Download this practice workbook to exercise while you are reading this article.
Conclusion
In this article, I have tried to cover all the steps to remove blue lines in Excel. Take a tour of the practice workbook and download the file to practice by yourself. I hope you find it helpful. Please inform us in the comment section about your experience. Stay tuned and keep learning.
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<< Go Back to Page Break | Page Setup | Print in Excel | Learn Excel
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I am interested in keeping random blue lines from appearing in the first place. They are vertical and horizontal randomly and partially surrounding some cells on my labels. They are not dotted lines. They are not a border, yet they do come around cells. Maybe two out of four sides are in this darker blue line. It is not the gridline or page break which everyone has addressed. I have many sheets with data about books in a library. I take the first column (A) and copy and paste onto the blank label sheet. As I enter the data making many labels these blue lines start popping up. I do notice the gridlines on my spreadsheets have darker blue lines also. But they don’t bother the information on the workbook. I do use Format painter a lot to make sure every cell is even with same format. This blue line issue has not been doing this in the beginning (August), Maybe mid September, 2023. Any help? Thank you, oh I do know how to get rid of them but I want to stop them from coming back. (highlight, no border)
Dear Betty Domowski,
Thank you for sharing your problem. As you already know how to get rid of these lines but to stop them from coming back there is no other alternative except using the Remove Arrows option from the Formulas tab. Please check the image below.
Hope you found your solution you are looking for.
Regards
Wasim Akram
Exceldemy