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To print cell gridlines in desktop Excel, select the worksheet, go to Page Layout > Sheet Options > Gridlines, and tick Print. Excel does not print gridlines by default, even when they are visible on screen, so this checkbox is the setting that matters. Untick it to stop them printing. Excel for the web cannot print gridlines at all, so there you need cell borders instead.
Print gridlines in desktop Excel on Windows
Use these steps in Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, or Excel 2021 for Windows. Microsoft’s support article “Print gridlines in a worksheet” covers the same steps.
- Select the sheet you want to print. If you select several sheets, Excel groups them, so any change applies to all of them. To cancel a selection, click an unselected sheet tab. To ungroup a selected set, right-click one of the selected tabs and choose Ungroup Sheets.
- Open the Page Layout tab. In the Sheet Options group, find Gridlines and tick Print. The View checkbox beside it controls only what you see on screen.
- Open the print preview. Choose File > Print, or press Ctrl+P. Check that the lines appear on the preview page before you send the job.
Set gridlines from the Page Setup dialog instead
If you prefer the older dialog, open Page Setup in either of two ways: click the small dialog launcher arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Page Setup group on the Page Layout tab, or click the Page Setup link on the print screen. Switch to the Sheet tab, where a Gridlines checkbox under the print options does the same job as the ribbon checkbox. Either route sets the same worksheet property, so you do not need to change both.
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On Excel for Mac (Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, or Excel 2021), select the sheet, then open the Page Layout tab. Under Gridlines, tick Print. Then open File > Print to review the page before printing. Microsoft’s guidance for this is in its support article “Print cell gridlines.”
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Show cell divisions on a printout in Excel for the web
Microsoft states that Excel for the web does not support printing gridlines. To get visible lines on paper, use borders instead:
- Select the cells you want to outline.
- Choose Home > Borders > All Borders.
- Open File > Print to check the preview.
Borders are real cell formatting, so they print darker and more precisely than gridlines. They are not the same feature, which is why the checkbox approach above does not carry over.
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Why gridlines still do not print
If you have ticked Print and the lines are still missing, work through these causes in order. Each one is a separate setting, so check them one at a time.
The wrong sheet is selected
Gridline printing is set per sheet. If you changed one tab and printed another, the lines will be absent. Confirm the active tab in the print preview.
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A cell fill is covering the gridlines
A fill colour hides gridlines in the cells it covers. Microsoft notes that even a white fill hides them. To restore them, select the cells, open the Fill Color drop-down on the Home tab, and choose No Fill. If you need the colour to stay, apply borders to the cells instead.
Draft quality is turned on
Draft quality can drop lines from both the preview and the printout. Open File > Print, select Page Setup, go to the Sheet tab, and clear Draft quality if it is ticked. Microsoft recommends this check when lines are missing.
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Blank cells are outside the print area
Gridlines print only around cells that fall within the print area. Empty cells at the edge of your data may not print a boundary at all. Either widen the print area to include them, or format the cells with borders, which print whether or not the cells contain data.
A chart, image, or object is selected
When a chart, picture, or other object is selected, the Sheet Options controls can be dimmed. Click a cell on the worksheet to clear the object selection, then return to the Gridlines settings.
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The printer driver is the problem
If the sheet is set correctly, the lines still do not print, and the preview looks right, the printer driver may be at fault. Microsoft suggests installing the latest driver from the printer manufacturer’s website. This is a general troubleshooting step, not a sign that a particular printer or driver is required.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to remove lines that still print
Unwanted lines on a printout usually come from one of three sources, and each has a different fix.
- Gridlines you did not want: Go to Page Layout > Sheet Options > Gridlines and untick Print for each sheet you are printing. Check the preview.
- Borders you did not want: Select the affected cells, choose Home > Borders, and pick No Border from the same menu.
- Lines inside coloured areas: These are usually borders or gridlines showing through a fill. Set the fill to No Fill if the colour is not needed, or remove the borders from those cells.
Gridlines or borders: which one to use
Choose gridlines when you want a uniform grid across the whole sheet and you are working in desktop Excel. Choose borders when only certain cells need lines, when a fill must stay visible, when empty cells need a boundary, or when you are using Excel for the web.
| Factor | Worksheet gridlines | Cell borders |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Whole worksheet | Selected cells or ranges |
| Customisation | Cannot be customised or applied selectively | Can be customised in style and placement |
| Interaction with cell fill | Hidden by any fill, including white | Remains visible on filled cells |
| Empty cells in the print area | Printed only when the empty cells are inside the print area | Printed when applied to the empty cells |
| Excel for the web | Printing gridlines not supported | Printed as the workaround |
Because gridlines cover the whole sheet, you cannot use them to highlight a single table. Borders solve that problem, but they require you to apply them yourself.
Sources for the steps above are Microsoft Support’s “Print gridlines in a worksheet,” “Print cell gridlines,” “Show or hide gridlines on a worksheet,” and “Page Setup” articles, checked in October 2026. The Windows article also notes that a printer driver issue can prevent gridlines from printing even when the settings are correct.
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