Formatting Issues

How to Remove a Double Blue Line Between Rows in Excel

Phi Hung Vo Oct 12, 2026 878 views

Question details

The user needs to remove an unexpected light double blue line appearing between rows in a spreadsheet.

How to Remove a Double Blue Line Between Rows in Excel

Product: Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Fixing unexpected visual indicators or persistent formatting lines in a worksheet.
Observed behavior: A light double blue line appears between rows that cannot be cleared using standard cell border removal tools, likely caused by table styles, formula tracing, or page-break preview.

Before you start

Before making changes, check if the blue line is part of a printed page boundary by verifying your current worksheet view, as standard cell borders behave differently than view indicators.

Solution 1Recommended

Switch from Page Break Preview to Normal View

Excel uses distinct blue lines to indicate page breaks. Switching back to the Normal view will hide these visual indicators.

Navigate to the View tab

Look at the main Excel ribbon at the top of your screen and click on the 'View' tab.

Select Normal View

In the 'Workbook Views' group on the far left, click on 'Normal'. The blue page break lines should instantly disappear from your worksheet.

Switch from Page Break Preview to Normal View

Page Breaks Adjusted: If you need to keep Page Break Preview on but want to move the line, you can simply click and drag the blue line to adjust the print area.

Solution 2

Clear Formula-Tracing Arrows

Blue lines with arrows indicate formula dependencies. Removing tracing arrows will clear these lines from your grid.

Solution 3

Remove Table Styles or Convert to Range

If your data is formatted as an official Excel Table, the blue line might be part of the applied table style design.

Manage Spreadsheets Easily

Remove Unwanted Formatting and Lines with WPS Spreadsheet

WPS Spreadsheet provides a clean, intuitive interface to easily manage page breaks, table styles, and formula tracing. Easily clear persistent formatting and keep your workbooks looking professional.

1. Open your file in WPS Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Office and open the Excel workbook containing the unwanted blue lines.
2. Adjust the View Mode: Go to the View tab and click Normal to remove any page break lines instantly.
3. Clear Tracing Arrows: If the lines are formula trackers, go to the Formulas tab and select Remove Arrows.

Easily toggle between Normal and Page Break views to manage blue linesHighly compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) formats and featuresIntuitive formula auditing and table design toolsFree, lightweight, and fast alternative for daily data management

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there a solid blue line in Excel that I cannot delete?

Solid blue lines usually represent manual page breaks in Page Break Preview. You cannot delete them using the border tool. Instead, you can drag them off the edge of the screen or switch to Normal view via the View tab to hide them.

Can conditional formatting cause a blue line between rows?

Yes. If a conditional formatting rule applies a top or bottom cell border based on specific cell values, it can appear as a blue line. You can check and remove this by navigating to Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules, selecting the worksheet, and deleting any unwanted rules.

How do I remove a double line caused by hidden rows?

When rows are hidden, a slightly thicker double line appears between the visible row headers (e.g., between row 4 and 7). To remove this, select the rows above and below the hidden section, right-click the row numbers, and choose 'Unhide'.

Document & File Issues