Rubayed Razib Suprov
Gridline helps us have a clear idea of cell numbering, in other words, cell address. But it will be very annoying if some of that grid line is missing from the worksheet. If you are curious to know how you can solve the issue of some Gridlines not showing in Excel, then this article may come in handy for you. In this article, we discuss how you can solve the issue of some Gridlines not showing in Excel with an elaborate explanation.
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7 Possible Solutions If Some of Your Gridlines Are Not Showing in Excel
For the demonstration purpose, we are going to use the below dataset. Using the dataset, we will demonstrate how you can show Gridlines in an Excel worksheet in different criteria and conditions.
Solution 1: Change Default Gridline Color
Because most worksheets have a white background color, setting the Gridline color to white can create the impression that there is no Gridline or that it is hidden or not showing. Resetting the color to black can turn back the Gridlines in Excel.
Steps
- In the below image you can clearly see that there is no Gridline showing in the whole dataset.
- The probable reason may be because the Gridline color is set to white.
- To resolve this issue, we first need to click on the File.
- Then in the starter menu, click on the Options at the bottom of the page.
- Then in the Options menu, click on the Advanced, then from the Display options for this worksheet, click on the Gridline color.
- You can see from the drop-down menu, that the color is white.
- Then to switch back to the black color, click on the Black color.
- Click OK after this.
- After clicking OK, you will notice that the Gridlines are now showing with the black color.
Read More: Excel Fix: Gridlines Disappear When Color Added (2 Solutions)
Solution 2: Change Color of Cell Borders
Excel’s Gridlines can be affected by Cell Borders in Excel. Setting the Cell Border color to white can hide both the border and the Gridlines in a worksheet. Resetting the cell border color to black will solve the issue of Gridlines not showing.
Steps
- In the below worksheet, you can notice that the range of cell B5:E10 does not have any Gridlines.
- The primary reason may be because the Cell Border color is set to white.
- To resolve this issue, from the Home tab, click on the More Borders dropdown command.
- From the drop-down menu, click on More Borders.
- Then in the Format Cells dialog box, go to the Border tab.
- Next, in the Color drop-down menu, select Black.
- After that in the Presets options, click on Outline and Inside. Until all the inside and the outside part of the Border sections filled with the border lines.
- Click OK after this.
- After clicking OK, you will notice that the Gridlines with the borders are back with black color.
- And this is how we solved the issue of some of the Gridlines not showing in Excel, by setting the Border color to black.
Read More: How to Show Gridlines after Using Fill Color in Excel (4 Methods)
Solution 3: Modify Fill Color
Overlaying the white or other colors can make the Gridlines not show in the worksheet.
Steps
- In the below worksheet, you can notice that a couple of cells around the Product Information table do not have any Gridlines.
- The reason may be because of the color overlay of the cells around and inside the table.
- To resolve this issue, select the range of cell A5:F12 to select all the cells without the Gridlines.
- Then from the Home tab, click on the Fill Color dropdown menu.
- Then in the dropdown menu, click on the No Fill.
- After clicking on the No Fill, you will notice that the Gridlines around the table are now back.
Solution 4: Clear Conditional Formatting Rules
Various types of conditional formatting can cause Gridlines to disappear from a worksheet.
Steps
- In the below dataset, you can clearly see that cell D5 does not have any Gridlines around it.
- The reason may be faulty Conditional Formatting that may create this issue.
- To resolve this issue, select the range of cells that contains this issue. After then from the Home tab, click on Conditional Formatting.
- Then from the dropdown menu, go to Clear Rules > Clear Rules from Selected Cells
- Clicking this will clear any Conditional Rules that create this issue.
- Finally, we can see that the Gridlines around cell D5 are now back.
- And this is how we solved the issue of some of the Gridlines not showing in Excel, by clearing the Conditional Formatting existing in the worksheet.
Solution 5: Enable Gridlines for Entire Worksheet
Ticking the dedicated check box for the Gridlines can resolve the issue of Gridlines not showing on the worksheet.
Steps
- There is a dedicated check box in the View tab, checking that can enable the Gridlines for the entire sheet.
- In the dataset shown below, you can see that there are no Gridlines in the whole worksheet.
- Click on the Select All button on the corner of the sheet. Doing this will select all the cells in the worksheet.
- Then in the View tab, you can see that the Gridlines check box is not ticked.
- Tick the Gridlines Check box. Doing this will be showing all the Gridlines in the worksheet.
- And this is how we solved the issue of some of the Gridlines not showing in Excel, by enabling Gridlines in the entire worksheet.
Read More: [Fixed] Excel Gridlines Not Showing by Default (3 Solutions)
Solution 6: Format Cells to Show Gridlines
The below method will help us show Gridlines in specific rows and columns.
Steps
- In the dataset shown below, the range of cells D5:E10 does not contain any Gridlines.
- The main reason behind this could border an issue with this range of cells.
- To resolve this issue, select the range of cells D5:E10, and then right-click on the mouse.
- Then from the context menu, click on the Format Cell.
- In the Format Cells dialog box, click on the Outline and Inside in the Presets options.
- Click OK after this.
- After clicking OK, you will notice that the range of cells D5:E10 now has the Gridlines.
- And this is how we solved the issue of Gridlines not showing in Excel.
Read More: How to Show Gridlines in Excel When Printing (6 Easy Ways)
Solution 7: Change Display Properties
Sometimes the display brightness and contrast can play a role in displaying the Gridlines. Different brightness settings and contrast ratios can make the visibility of the Gridline poor. Moreover, the Gridlines are actually quite a faint color in the worksheet. This can make the impression that the Gridlines are not in the worksheet, although they were there from the beginning. So try to reset your display settings to the default settings or try to tweak the brightness and the contrast value until you find good visibility of the Gridlines. You should try this method if all of the above methods failed to solve your issue.
Conclusion
To sum it up, the solution to why some of my Gridlines are not showing in Excel is answered here by 7 different solutions.
For this problem, a workbook is attached where you can practice these methods.
Feel free to ask any questions or feedback through the comment section. Any suggestion for the betterment of the Exceldemy community will be highly appreciable.
