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 Gridline Color.

Changing Gridline Color

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 26, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


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:

  1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. You will see the Options dialog box.
  2. Click on the View tab. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The View tab of the Options dialog box.

  4. Use the Color drop-down palette to select a color for your gridlines.
  5. Make sure the Gridlines check box is selected.
  6. Click on OK.

You can specify different gridline colors for each worksheet in a workbook.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2736) 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 Gridline Color.

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. ...

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