Formatting Issues

How to Make Table Borders Visible in Microsoft Word

Chanuka Geekiyanage Oct 7, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to make table lines visible so they appear correctly on the screen, in printed documents, and in exported PDFs.

How to Make Table Borders Visible in Microsoft Word

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Formatting a document containing tables intended for printing or PDF sharing.
Observed behavior: Table lines are visible as gridlines during editing but completely disappear when the document is printed, exported to PDF, or viewed without gridlines enabled.

Before you start

Verify whether the lines you see on your screen are light dashed lines (gridlines) or solid lines (borders). Gridlines are only meant for layout guidance and will never print.

Solution 1Recommended

Apply Actual Table Borders via the Home Tab

Use this method to convert non-printing gridlines into physical table borders that will appear in print and PDF outputs.

In Microsoft Word, gridlines are strictly for on-screen editing and display. To ensure your table lines are visible in your final output, you must apply standard table borders.

Select the table

Hover over the table and click the four-headed arrow (crosshair) icon that appears at the top-left corner to select the entire table.

Navigate to the Home tab

Go to the Home tab on the Word ribbon and locate the Paragraph group.

Apply borders

Click the small arrow next to the Borders button. From the drop-down menu, select 'All Borders' or choose 'Borders and Shading' at the bottom to customize the line style, color, and thickness.

Apply Actual Table Borders via the Home Tab

Print Preview: Always check File > Print to view the Print Preview before physically printing. If the borders show up there, they will print correctly.

Solution 2

Change the Table Style

Try this solution if you have applied borders but they are still not displaying properly on your screen due to a styling conflict.

Solution 3

Repair Office or Reset the Normal.dotm Template

Use this advanced troubleshooting method if table borders refuse to display due to a corrupted Word template or Office installation issue.

Efficient Document Formatting

Easily Manage Table Borders with WPS Writer

WPS Office provides an intuitive and reliable word processing experience. You can easily manage, format, and customize table borders to ensure they look perfect on screen, in print, and when exported to PDF.

1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open the document containing your table.
2. Select the table: Click on the table and use the selection icon at the top-left to highlight all rows and columns.
3. Apply table borders: Navigate to the Home tab, click the Borders icon in the formatting ribbon, and select 'All Borders' from the drop-down menu.
4. Preview and export: Click Menu > Print > Print Preview to confirm your borders are visible, or click 'Export to PDF' to save your correctly formatted document.

Completely free and lightweight office suiteFully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) document formatsIntuitive table formatting and border management toolsSeamless one-click export to PDF with all borders preserved

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do table lines disappear when I export my Word document to PDF?

This happens when the table only has gridlines enabled for display. Gridlines are visual aids and not physical borders, so they are ignored during PDF export. Apply actual borders using the Borders tool in the Home tab to fix this.

How can I view gridlines while editing a table without borders?

Click anywhere inside your table, navigate to the Layout tab (under Table Tools), and click 'View Gridlines'. This helps you see the cell boundaries while editing without adding printable borders.

Will resetting the Normal.dotm template delete my saved documents?

No, resetting or renaming the Normal.dotm template will not delete your saved Word documents. It only resets Word's default formatting settings, macros, and styles to their original installation state.

Document & File Issues