2 Quick Ways to Insert Cell Borders or Gridlines in Excel

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A complete guide to adding borders around cells in Microsoft Excel
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If you want to make your data easier to read in Excel, you can add borders around the cells. Borders can be applied around each cell or around a chart. This is different from gridlines, which are the light grey lines separating each cell. Here's how to insert borders in Excel using your Windows or Mac computer.

Applying Cell Borders in an Excel Worksheet

To add borders in Excel, highlight the data. Click the Home tab and click the arrow next to the Borders icon. Select a border icon to apply it. To print with the default gridlines, go to Page Layout → Sheet Options → check the box for Print underneath Gridlines.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Inserting Borders

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    Open a worksheet in Microsoft Excel . You can use an existing project or create a new spreadsheet.
    • Borders are added manually and can be customized, unlike gridlines. If you have multiple pages of data that you need to print , consider using gridlines instead.
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    You will be able to add a border that surrounds the entire selected range, and/or around each individual cell in the range. [1]
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    It's at the top of Excel.
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    The Borders icon is a dotted grid on the "Font" panel at the top of Excel. A list of border styles will appear.
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    If you want to add darker grid lines surrounding each selected cell, choose All Borders . Otherwise, choose any of the other options, such as Thick Outside Borders , which adds one solid border around the selected range.
    • To remove cell borders, select the cells again. Click the arrow next to the Borders icon in the toolbar, and then choose No Border .
    • Unlike gridlines, cell borders are always shown on printed sheets.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Inserting Gridlines

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    You can use an existing project or create a new spreadsheet . [2]
    • Gridlines can't be customized in the same way borders can.
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    This is the tab at the top.
    • If you're using Excel for Mac, click Page Layout instead.
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    This will be between the Workbook Views and Zoom sections.
    • You should see a list of options, such as Ruler, Gridlines, Formula Bar, etc.
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    When this box is checked, you'll see the gridlines appear on your Excel worksheet.
    • On Mac, check the View box underneath Gridlines . To print the gridlines, check the box for Print .
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    Gridlines do not print by default. If you want to print a spreadsheet with the gridlines on, do the following:
    • Click the Page layout tab at the top.
    • Find the Sheet Options section.
    • Check the box next to Print underneath Gridlines .
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/apply-or-remove-cell-borders-on-a-worksheet-dc8a310b-92e3-46a7-9f17-2ab745810f4a
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-new-workbook-ae99f19b-cecb-4aa0-92c8-7126d6212a83

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To insert borders in excel, open your excel document and select the cells where you would like to add a border. Click the down arrow next to the Borders button on the Home tab which is located next to the Fonts group button. Then, select the border type from the dropdown menu.

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