Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Changing the Color of Worksheet Gridlines.

Changing the Color of Worksheet Gridlines

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 14, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

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:

  1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Excel displays the Options dialog box.
  2. Make sure the View tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)

    3. Figure 1. The View tab of the Options dialog box.

  3. Ensure the Gridlines check box is selected.
  4. Using the Gridlines Color drop-down list, choose the color you want to use.
  5. Click OK.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2374) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Changing the Color of Worksheet Gridlines.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Random Resetting of the Standard Toolbar

Excel allows you to easily customize what appears on its various toolbars. If you make customizations to the Standard ...

Discover More

Comments in Endnotes

Able to add comments everywhere, except in endnotes? This seems to be a limitation in Word, but here are some ways to ...

Discover More

Omitting Page Numbers on Some Pages

Excel doesn't allow for as robust of headers and footers as Word does. Even so, there are some things you can do to ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Getting Rid of the Startup Spreadsheet

When you start Excel, you normally see a blank worksheet displayed. Here's how to get rid of it.

Discover More

Precision and Number Display

Do you need to work with very precise numbers in your worksheets? If you do, then it is imperative you understand ...

Discover More

Precision in Excel

The best way to understand why Excel provides the answers it does is to examine how it handles precision. This tip ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 5 - 0?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2023 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.