Gridlines are an integral component in Google Sheets that makes data look good. But while your typical spreadsheet already has Gridlines applied by default, sometimes, you might not want to have the gridlines on some specific cells, rows or columns.
In this Google Sheets tutorial, we will give you a detailed walkthrough on how to hide gridlines in Google Sheets. Not just that, we will also show you how to either make them appear or remain hidden when printing.
How To Hide gridlines in Google Sheets
Hiding gridlines in Google Sheets is straightforward, and we will show you how to go about it. Plus, you don’t need to have a ton of experience in Google Sheets to get this done. By following the steps we will show you shortly, you should be able to get it done in just a few steps.
Here is how to hide gridlines in Google Sheets:
Step 1: Launch the spreadsheet you
The first thing you want to do is launch the spreadsheet you plan to work with. Alternatively, you can simply open a new spreadsheet.
Step 2: View > Gridlines
After launching your spreadsheet, you’re ready to hide gridlines. To do this, head to the View menu and click on the option for Show. This action will present you with several options. Simply click on the option for Gridlines. With the changes effected, you should no longer see gridlines in the entire spreadsheet.
The image above shows you exactly how to execute this step.
If you followed the steps exactly as we detailed above, you should have a plain spreadsheet that now looks like this:
Adding gridlines in Google Sheets
Adding gridlines in Google Sheets is just as easy as hiding gridlines. As a matter of fact, the process is the same.
Assuming someone shared a spreadsheet with you with the gridlines hidden, and you want the gridlines to show, all you need to do is head to the View tab menu, select the option for Show and click on Gridlines. This simple action will add the gridlines back to your spreadsheet.
The short video below shows you how to add gridlines to a spreadsheet.
Note: Remember that when you show or hide gridlines in Google Sheets, the changes are only applied to the sheet you’re working on. This means that if you have multiple spreadsheets, the changes won’t be effected in all spreadsheets.
If you’d like to show or hide gridlines in all the spreadsheets you’re working with, you need to go at it manually.
Showing gridlines on a specific range in Google Sheets
Do you know it’s possible to show gridlines on a specific range in Google Sheets and not the entire sheet? Oh yes, and it’s super easy to get this done. The first thing you want to do is remove the gridlines, just like we did earlier.
After removing the gridlines, you then want to apply the border to the selected range of cells. Sounds a bit confusing? Follow these steps to show gridlines on a specific range of cells in Google Sheets:
Step 1: Select the range of cells
Do you have a particular range of cells where you’d like to have gridlines? Well, go ahead and select those.
Step 2: Select borders
With the range of cells selected across your blank spreadsheet, you need to click on the Borders icon and select your preferred option. For this guide, we decided to opt for the All borders option. This option will apply the borders to your selected cells.
With the changes made now effected, you should notice some changes in your spreadsheet. Here is what ours look like:
Show/hide gridlines while printing
By default, when you have gridlines in your spreadsheet, you’ll typically find those gridlines when you print the worksheet. Even if you hide the gridlines before you print, you’ll notice that the gridlines appear in the printed worksheet.
If you don’t want the gridlines to be printed, Google Sheets provides you with the option to disable it. Here is how to go about it.
Step 1: Select the range of cells
Do you have a specific range of cells that you don’t want the gridlines to show after printing the worksheet? Well, it’s pretty simple. Start by selecting the range of cells you’d like to print.
Step 2: File > Print
After selecting the range of cells you’d like to print, head to the File menu and navigate all the way down to the Print option. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + P or Command + C on Mac.
Step 3: Print settings
With the option for Print selected as shown in the second step, Google Sheets will automatically launch a new page for Print settings. Here, you want to click on the formatting option and uncheck the box for Show gridlines. After that, click Next and wait for the worksheet to be printed.
In case you’re confused, the following video will clear any doubt.
The steps highlighted above are intended to hide the gridlines for the selected range of cells from showing when the sheet is printed. If you want the gridlines to show in the printed sheet, you need to ensure the option is checked.
Note: If you have previously applied a border to a range of cells you want to print, you won’t be able to remove it from the Print screen. If you don’t want the border to show in the printed worksheet, you must return to your original spreadsheet and remove it.
Final thoughts
If you have struggled to add, remove, change, hide or print gridlines in Google Sheets before, we are sure today’s guide has now made your job easy.
In today’s guide, we showed you a practical step-by-step guide on how you can seamlessly add, remove, change, hide or print gridlines in Google Sheets. If you’re ever tasked with adding or removing gridlines in Google Sheets, we are optimistic that following our guide will help you get the job done.
We hope today’s guide has helped you to better understand Google Sheets’ gridlines.