4 Simple Ways To Insert Borders In Excel - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow 2 Quick Ways to Insert Cell Borders or Gridlines in Excel PDF download Download Article A complete guide to adding borders around cells in Microsoft Excel Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: April 8, 2024 Fact Checked

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  • Inserting Borders
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  • Inserting Gridlines
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly. Rain is a tech writer and editor for wikiHow with over 5 years of professional writing experience. In the past, Rain has worked with other creative writers as a Writing Tutor at San Francisco State University and has published gaming features, guides, and news articles for a variety of media outlets. Rain shares a lifelong passion for writing and gaming and is eager to grow alongside new tech inventions. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 51,557 times. Learn more...

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.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 2:

Inserting Borders

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  1. Step 1 Open a worksheet... 1 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.
  2. Step 2 Select the range of cells you want to add borders to. 2 Select the range of cells you want to add borders to. You will be able to add a border that surrounds the entire selected range, and/or around each individual cell in the range.[1] Advertisement
  3. Step 3 Click the Home tab. 3 Click the Home tab. It's at the top of Excel.
  4. Step 4 Click the arrow next to the Borders icon. 4 Click the arrow next to the Borders icon. The Borders icon is a dotted grid on the "Font" panel at the top of Excel. A list of border styles will appear.
  5. Step 5 Select a border style. 5 Select a border style. 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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  1. Step 1 Open a worksheet in Microsoft Excel. 1 Open a worksheet in Microsoft Excel. You can use an existing project or create a new spreadsheet.[2]
    • Gridlines can't be customized in the same way borders can.
  2. Step 2 Click View. 2 Click View. This is the tab at the top.
    • If you're using Excel for Mac, click Page Layout instead.
  3. Step 3 Locate the "Show" section. 3 Locate the "Show" section. This will be between the Workbook Views and Zoom sections.
    • You should see a list of options, such as Ruler, Gridlines, Formula Bar, etc.
  4. Step 4 Check the box next to "Gridlines". 4 Check the box next to "Gridlines". 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.
  5. Step 5 Enable gridline printing. 5 Enable gridline printing. 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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wikiHow Video: How to Insert Borders in Excel

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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

Rain Kengly Written by: Rain Kengly wikiHow Technology Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly. Rain is a tech writer and editor for wikiHow with over 5 years of professional writing experience. In the past, Rain has worked with other creative writers as a Writing Tutor at San Francisco State University and has published gaming features, guides, and news articles for a variety of media outlets. Rain shares a lifelong passion for writing and gaming and is eager to grow alongside new tech inventions. This article has been viewed 51,557 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 3 Updated: April 8, 2024 Views: 51,557 Categories: Microsoft Excel Article SummaryX

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. Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Rain Kengly Written by: Rain Kengly wikiHow Technology Writer Click a star to vote Co-authors: 3 Updated: April 8, 2024 Views: 51,557

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