Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. 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 Gridline Color.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 7, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
The gridlines help you track information on the screen easier and to locate cells quickly. Normally the gridlines are shown in black, but you may want to make them some other stylish color. If you want to change the gridline color, follow these steps:

Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Excel Options dialog box.
You can specify different gridline colors for each worksheet in a workbook.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8728) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Changing Gridline Color.
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2023-10-09 10:01:40
J. Woolley
My Excel Toolbox includes the GridlineColor macro to set the color of gridlines in the active worksheet and (optionally) all worksheets in the active workbook.
See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox
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