Why Do Gridlines Disappear in Excel? (5 Reasons with Solutions)

In this article, we’re going to show you the top 5 reasons along with solutions for why do Gridlines disappear in Excel. To describe our methods to you, we’ve selected a dataset with 3 columns: ID, Name, and Email.

Why Do Gridlines Disappear in Excel?: 5 Solutions

1. Gridlines Disappear in Excel If Those Are Turned off

Firstly, if Gridlines are turned off then the Gridlines will not be visible in Excel.

To check if the Gridlines are turned off or not follow the given steps.

Steps:

• Firstly, from the View tab put a tick mark on Gridlines.

This will make our Gridlines appear in Excel. However, if doesn’t work, then follow the other methods.

2. Gridlines Disappear in Excel When Color Overlay Is Set to White

If the Background Color of a cell is set to “White” instead of no Fill, then the Gridlines disappear in Excel.

To change the background cell color to “White”, follow these –

Steps:

• Firstly, select the cells that have no Gridlines.
• Secondly, From the Home tab >>> Fill Color >>> select No Fill.

Thus, we’ve solved our problem, Gridlines are visible now.

3. When Cell Borders Are White Then Gridline Disappear in Excel

If the cell borders are “White” then we’ll not be able to see the Gridlines in Excel. To fix this problem follow our steps.

Steps:

• Firstly, select the cell range B5:D10.
• Secondly, from the Home tab >>> Border >>> select More Borders…

The Format Cells dialog box will appear.

• Thirdly, select “Automatic” in the  “Color:” box.
• Then, select “Outline” and “Inside” from the Presets.
• Finally, press OK.

In conclusion, we’ve shown you yet another reason and solution to fix our problem.

Read More: Excel Fix: Gridlines Disappear When Color Added

4. If Conditional Formatting Is Used Then Gridlines Disappear in Excel

If our dataset has some Conditional Formatting applied, Gridlines disappear in Excel.

To fix this problem follow these –

Steps:

• Firstly, select our cell range B4:D10.
• Secondly, from the Home tab >>> Conditional Formatting >>> Clear Rules >>> click on “Clear Rules from Selected Cells”.

Thus, we’ve removed the Conditional Formatting applied to these cells. Consequently, make our Gridlines visible.

5. When Gridlines Are White They Disappear

When the gridline color is “White”, then we’ll not see it. To fix this, follow our step-by-step guide.

Steps:

• Firstly, click on the File tab.

• Secondly, click on Options.

The Excel Options window will appear.

• Thirdly, click on Advanced.
• Then, under “Display options for this worksheet:” change the “Gridline color” to “Automatic”.
• Finally, press OK.

In conclusion, we’ve shown you the fifth reason and solution for the Gridline disappearing problem in Excel.

Things to Remember

• If none of the 5 methods work for you, then you may want to tweak your Brightness and Contrast settings to make the Gridlines visible.

Practice Section

We’ve added practice datasets in the Excel file, hence you can follow along with our methods easily.

Download Practice Workbook

Conclusion

We’ve shown you the top 5 reasons why do Gridlines disappear in Excel and solutions to that problem. If you have any problems regarding these, feel free to comment below. Thanks for reading, keep excelling!

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• How to Hide Gridlines on Part of a Sheet in Excel