# Excel grid lines

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-grid-lines/801708>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 15, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-grid-lines/801708 "2017-11-15T19:40:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-grid-lines/801708/1 "2017-11-15T19:40:10Z")

</div>

One of my users has managed to change a spreadsheet so that the grid lines do not print. It has me stumped. Windows 8, Office 2013. The spreadsheet is locked. The “print gridlines” box is checked. My PC will print the gridlines on the same printer.  
Does anyone have any ideas?  
Thanks!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2017, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-grid-lines/801708/2 "2017-11-15T19:58:56Z")

</div>

if you highlight a cell and then change the cell color to white using the “fill” icon, it will eliminate the visible grid line(s). you can undo it by selecting the problem cells and changing them to “no fill.”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-grid-lines/801708/3 "2017-11-15T20:13:36Z")

</div>

I don’t think she can do that on a protected spreadsheet. The gridlines print on a copy of her sheet from my PC to the same network printer.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-grid-lines/801708/4 "2017-11-16T23:05:35Z")

</div>

My best guess, based on your description, is that the other user changed the print options for that document on their computer (which, afaik, are part of excel’s settings, not document data). If you go into File \> Print \> Scaling \> Custom Scaling Options \> sheet (tab) there’s an option for print gridlines. Compare the setting on that computer (the one that doesn’t print the gridlines) with the setting on your computer.

There’s an option in the page layout tab (of the main ribbon in Excel) for print gridlines, but it sounds like you checked that, and that should be part of the document data.

By the way, that was a good idea to print a copy of her sheet from another PC.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-grid-lines/801708/5 "2017-11-17T02:37:32Z")

</div>

Another IT guy updated her to Office 2013, and the problem no longer exists.  
_Dammit_, I want to know what happened!