Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Changing the Color of Worksheet Gridlines.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 9, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Most people using Excel leave the gridlines visible so that they can easily see where the various cells are. By default, the gridlines are a light gray. You can easily change the gridlines to a different color by following these steps:
Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Excel Options dialog box.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6210) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Changing the Color of Worksheet Gridlines.
Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!
Have you ever deleted a worksheet by mistake? Once you get over the sick feeling in your stomach, you will start casting ...
Discover MoreExcel places a limit on how many characters you can use in a worksheet name. This tip discusses that limit and provides ...
Discover MoreNeed to know which cells in a column are the widest? There are a few ways you can approach the task, and three of those ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-02-06 14:28:37
John Mann
This bears further investigation on my part - thanks for idea. When I set the grid lines colour to a non-standard colour, I usually match them to the colour of the tab for the worksheet. Setting the grid colour to match the tab colour is an attempt to replace the very nice feature in Lotus 1-2-3 whereby the tab colour o the entire active sheet is reproduced as a line across the top of the sheet. (1-2-3 has it's tabs across the top, instead of wasting space in the status bar. (see Figure 1 below)
It would seem to me, therefor, that modifying the macro to pick up the colour of the worksheet tab, and then applying it tothe gridlines of not just a range of cells but to the entire sheet would be very useful. Something to experiment with while I'm learning macros.
Figure 1. Lotus 1-2-3 tabs
2021-01-31 06:55:02
Harold Druss
For John Mann:
How about a macro?
Sub SetBackgroundColor()
Dim rng As Range
Set rng = Range("D1, D3, D5, D7")
With rng
.Interior.ColorIndex = 8
.BorderAround ColorIndex:=1, Weight:=xlThin
End With
End Sub
2021-01-30 16:51:12
John Mann
I've used this option on a number of occasions for various reasons - practical or just to look pretty.
It doesn't solve a problem I've encountered with Excel 2010 (can't write about other versions) where when I set a background colour for a range of cells, the grid-lines disappear. If I want them to be visible within a coloured ranged, I have to actually format the range with external and internal borders of the desired colour. On some occasions I've done that by selecting the entire sheet, then setting the border colours.
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Comments