Guide to Changing Gridline Color in Excel
In this article, we will guide you through the process of modifying the Gridline color in Excel. Gridlines are the faint lines that frame the individual cells in a spreadsheet, helping to distinguish them and enhancing the readability and organization of data. By default, these gridlines appear in a light grey shade. However, there are several methods available if you prefer to adjust their color to suit your preferences.
Methods to Change Gridline Color in Excel
You can use the following methods to alter the Gridline color in an Excel worksheet on a Windows 11/10 computer:
- Excel Options
- Cell Borders
- Line Color
- Conditional Formatting
- VBA Scripting
Let’s explore these options in more detail.
1] Excel Options
Excel offers a straightforward way to select a different gridline color for your worksheets. To do this:
Navigate to File > More… > Options. In the Excel Options window, switch to the Advanced tab and scroll down to find the Display options for this worksheet section.
At the bottom of this section, click on the Gridline color dropdown menu. Choose your preferred color from the available palette, and then click OK to apply your selection.
The steps above will modify the gridline color for the current worksheet. To change the gridline color for all worksheets within your workbook, click on their tabs while holding down the Ctrl key to group them (a ‘[Group]’ label will appear in the workbook title). Changing the gridline color afterward will apply this new color to all selected sheets.
After setting a new color, don’t forget to ungroup the sheets (right-click on a tab and choose Ungroup Sheets). If you skip this step, any additional changes you make to the active worksheet will also impact the other sheets.
2] Cell Borders
It’s important to note that gridlines and borders serve different purposes in Excel. Gridlines automatically fill the entire worksheet, whereas borders can be manually added around a cell or group of cells to emphasize specific data.
You can simulate a change in gridline color by applying borders to your cells. To do this:
Select the desired cell or range of cells, then click the Borders dropdown in the Home ribbon (found under Font) and choose More Borders. This opens the Format Cells dialog with the ‘Border’ tab, which is selected by default. Click on the Color dropdown on the left to pick your preferred shade for the new borders. Next, click the Outline and Inside preview buttons to visualize the changes. Finally, click OK to apply your selections.
The instructions above will override the default gridlines and establish colored outlines around the selected cells.
3] Line Color
The Line Color option is part of the Borders feature and allows you to highlight particular cells with colored borders, providing an alternative to the standard gridlines.
To modify the Line Color in Excel, click the dropdown next to the Borders icon, then hover over Line Color and choose the color you wish to utilize from the provided palette.
Your cursor will change to a pencil icon. Move the pencil across the cell border where you want to apply the color and click to execute the change.
4] Conditional Formatting
Conditional Formatting offers a way to visually adjust grids colors but is applied selectively (based on established conditions).
Begin by selecting the cells where you want to implement the custom grid effects, or highlight the entire worksheet. Click on the Conditional Formatting dropdown within the Home section and choose New Rule.
In the New Formatting Rule dialog box, pick a Rule Type. For instance, if you want to change the color of gridlines for cells containing a specific value or text, select Format only cells that contain, then under Edit Rule Description, select Cell Value > equal to > [value/text].
After that, click the Format button to choose your border color and preset options (as described previously). Finally, press OK to apply the formatting rule.
5] Using VBA
For advanced users, employing VBA is an option for changing the gridline color in Excel. Follow these steps:
Press Alt + F11 to access the VBA editor. Click on Insert > Module, and paste the following code in the editor:
Sub ChangeGridlineColor()
Application.ActiveWindow.GridlineColor = RGB([RedValue], [GreenValue], [BlueValue])
End Sub
Replace [RedValue], [GreenValue], and [BlueValue] with values ranging from 0 to 255 for each color channel. For example, using RGB(0, 0, 255) will give you a blue color. Execute the macro to update the gridline colors.
To revert to the default gridline color, navigate to File > Options > Advanced and select Automatic in the Gridline color dropdown.
That wraps up our guide! We hope you find this information valuable.
How can I customize the grid in Excel?
To personalize the gridlines in your Excel worksheet, consider changing their color, applying borders, or filling selected cells with color. If you prefer not to show gridlines in your worksheets, you can choose to hide them. Additionally, resizing the gridlines can be done by adjusting the row height or column width (Home > Format > Row Height/Column Width).
What is the process for coloring grid lines in Excel?
To assign a custom color to the gridlines in your Excel worksheet, head to the File menu, select More > Options, then go to Advanced > Display options for this worksheet. Click on the Gridline color dropdown to choose your preferred color and hit OK to finalize your changes.
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