How to Show Gridlines in Excel (Step-by-Step Guide in 2026)

If you want to show gridlines in Excel, go to the View tab and check the Gridlines checkbox in the Show group. That is the fastest way. Done. But there is more to know, especially when gridlines disappear, when you are printing, or when you need them for a specific sheet or range. This guide covers all of it.

Gridlines are the faint lines that divide cells in your spreadsheet. They help you read data clearly without adding actual borders. Most Excel users do not think about gridlines until they vanish, and then they panic. This guide fixes that.

Why Gridlines Matter in Excel

Gridlines make your data readable. Without them, a sheet full of numbers looks like a wall of text. They give structure without formatting effort. They are not printed by default, which surprises a lot of people. And they can be hidden either accidentally or on purpose by someone who set a white background or turned off the view option.

Understanding how Excel handles gridlines helps you control your spreadsheet presentation properly.

How to Show Gridlines in Excel: The Main Methods

Method 1: Use the View Tab (Fastest Way)

This works in Excel 2016, 2019, 2021, Microsoft 365, and Excel for the web.

1. Open your Excel workbook
2. Click the View tab in the ribbon
3. Look for the Show group
4. Check the box next to Gridlines

If the box is already checked and gridlines are still not visible, the problem is usually a white cell background. More on that below.

Method 2: Use the Page Layout Tab

1. Click the Page Layout tab
2. Find the Sheet Options group
3. Under Gridlines, check View

This tab also lets you control whether gridlines print, which is a separate setting. You will see two checkboxes under Gridlines: View and Print. They work independently.

Method 3: Excel Options (For Persistent Settings)

If you want to change the default behavior for a workbook:

1. Click File
2. Click Options
3. Go to Advanced
4. Scroll down to Display options for this worksheet
5. Check Show gridlines
6. You can also change the Gridline color here

This setting is per worksheet. If you have multiple sheets, you need to set it on each one individually, or set it while all sheets are selected (right-click a sheet tab, click Select All Sheets, then change the option).

How to Show Gridlines When Printing in Excel

By default, Excel does not print gridlines. A lot of people discover this the hard way. Here is how to turn on gridlines for printing:

1. Click the Page Layout tab
2. In the Sheet Options group, under Gridlines, check Print

You can also do it through Page Setup:

1. Click Page Layout then click the small arrow in the bottom right of the Page Setup group
2. Go to the Sheet tab
3. Check Gridlines under Print

Now when you print, the gridlines will appear on paper too.

Why Are Gridlines Not Showing in Excel?

This is the most common problem. Here are the real reasons and fixes.

Reason	What Happened	Fix
Gridlines turned off	Someone unchecked the View option	View tab > Check Gridlines
White cell background	Cells have white fill applied	Remove fill color (set to No Fill)
Sheet color setting	Sheet tab color affects gridlines sometimes	Clear tab color
Excel Options setting	Display option was changed	File > Options > Advanced > Show gridlines
Shared workbook setting	Another user changed it	Re-enable via View tab

The White Background Problem

This is the number one hidden reason gridlines disappear. When a cell or range has a white background fill, the gridlines are still technically there, but the white fill covers them. They look invisible.

To fix this:

1. Select the cells that look blank (or press Ctrl + A to select all)
2. Go to Home tab
3. Click the arrow next to the Fill Color button (the paint bucket)
4. Click No Fill

Now your gridlines will reappear. According to Microsoft’s official support documentation, this is the most overlooked cause of missing gridlines in Excel.

How to Show Gridlines for Specific Sheets Only

Gridlines in Excel are controlled per sheet. So if you want gridlines on Sheet1 but not Sheet2, that is fully possible.

To show gridlines only on a specific sheet:

1. Click the sheet tab where you want gridlines
2. Go to View > Show > check Gridlines

To hide on another sheet:

1. Click that sheet tab
2. View > Show > uncheck Gridlines

Simple. Each sheet remembers its own gridline setting.

How to Change Gridline Color in Excel

You can make gridlines any color you want. This is useful for presentations or when you want more visible lines.

1. Click File > Options
2. Go to Advanced
3. Scroll to Display options for this worksheet
4. Find Gridline color
5. Click the color box and pick a color
6. Click OK

Note: This only changes the color on screen. Printed gridlines are always gray regardless of this setting.

Gridlines vs Borders: What Is the Difference?

A lot of users confuse these two. Here is a clear breakdown:

Feature	Gridlines	Borders
Default visibility	Visible on screen	Not applied by default
Printing	Off by default	Always prints if applied
Customizable per cell	No	Yes
Part of formatting	No	Yes
Affects all cells	Yes	Only selected cells

Gridlines are structural guides. Borders are formatting. If you want lines that always print and look exactly how you set them, use borders. If you just want visual guidance while working, gridlines are enough.

For more on using borders effectively, Microsoft’s own Excel formatting guide at support.microsoft.com is a reliable resource.

How to Show Gridlines in Excel for the Web

Excel Online behaves slightly differently:

1. Open your file in Excel for the web at office.com
2. Click the View tab
3. Click Show in the ribbon
4. Toggle Gridlines on or off

The setting works the same way, but some older formatting from desktop Excel may affect how gridlines display in the browser version.

Keyboard Shortcut for Gridlines?

There is no direct keyboard shortcut to toggle gridlines in Excel. The fastest way is still the View tab checkbox. However, if you use the ribbon keyboard navigation:

Press Alt > W > VG in sequence (not all at once)

This navigates: Alt opens ribbon, W goes to View tab, VG toggles gridlines. It works on Windows in Excel 2016 and newer.

How to Show Gridlines on a Mac in Excel

The process on Mac is nearly identical:

1. Open Excel
2. Click the View menu or tab
3. Check Show Gridlines or use the checkbox in the View ribbon

For printing on Mac:

1. Page Layout tab
2. Under Gridlines, check Print

Mac Excel menus are slightly different visually, but the functionality is the same.

Common Mistakes People Make With Gridlines

Here are things that trip people up regularly:

• Applying a white background and thinking gridlines are broken
• Expecting gridlines to print without enabling the Print option
• Changing the setting on one sheet and wondering why other sheets are unaffected
• Confusing gridlines with borders and removing the wrong thing
• Setting gridline color and expecting it to show in print

Avoiding these saves a lot of troubleshooting time.

How to Show Gridlines When They Keep Disappearing

If gridlines keep disappearing every time you open a file, the issue is usually a template or default that has them turned off. Here is how to fix it permanently for that file:

1. Show gridlines using the View tab method
2. Save the file (Ctrl + S)
3. Close and reopen

If it still disappears, someone may have set a macro or conditional formatting rule that applies a white background. Check for that under Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules.

For persistent issues across all new workbooks, you can modify your Excel template. The default template is called Book.xltx. Save a blank workbook with gridlines enabled as Book.xltx in your XLSTART folder and Excel will use it for every new file.

Learn more about customizing Excel templates from Chandoo.org, a well-known Excel community resource with deep tutorials on defaults and templates.

Quick Reference Table: Gridline Settings in Excel

What You Want	Where to Go	Setting
Show gridlines on screen	View > Show	Check Gridlines
Hide gridlines	View > Show	Uncheck Gridlines
Print gridlines	Page Layout > Sheet Options	Check Print under Gridlines
Change gridline color	File > Options > Advanced	Gridline color
Show gridlines for all sheets	Select all sheets > View	Check Gridlines
Fix invisible gridlines	Home > Fill Color	Set to No Fill

Conclusion

Showing gridlines in Excel is simple once you know where to look. The View tab is your first stop. If gridlines are not showing, check for white cell fills before anything else, since that is the most common hidden cause. For printing, remember that you have to enable the Print setting separately under Page Layout. Each worksheet has its own gridline setting, so check every sheet individually if needed.

Gridlines are a small feature, but getting them right makes your spreadsheets cleaner and easier to use. Now you know every way to control them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my gridlines not showing in Excel even though the option is checked?

The most likely cause is a white background fill applied to your cells. Select all cells with Ctrl + A, go to Home, click the Fill Color dropdown, and choose No Fill. This removes the white overlay and reveals the gridlines underneath.

How do I show gridlines when printing in Excel?

Go to the Page Layout tab, find the Sheet Options group, and check the Print checkbox under Gridlines. Gridlines are hidden from print by default, so this must be enabled separately from the screen view setting.

Can I show gridlines on some sheets but not others?

Yes. Gridlines are controlled per worksheet. Click the sheet tab you want to change, go to View > Show, and check or uncheck Gridlines. Each sheet remembers its own setting independently.

How do I change the color of gridlines in Excel?

Go to File > Options > Advanced. Scroll to Display options for this worksheet and find Gridline color. Click the color selector and pick any color. Note that printed gridlines will still appear gray regardless of this screen color setting.

Is there a shortcut to toggle gridlines in Excel?

There is no single-key shortcut. You can use Alt, then W, then V, then G in sequence using ribbon keyboard navigation on Windows. Otherwise, the View tab checkbox is the fastest method.