How to Keep Gridlines Visible When Coloring Cells in WPS Office Excel
Question details
The user wants to understand why Excel gridlines disappear when cells are filled with color and how to keep visible cell boundaries after applying fill color.
- Product
- WPS Office Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- The user is coloring worksheet cells and wants the default gridlines or clear cell boundaries to remain visible after applying fill color.
- Observed behavior
- Default gridlines are not shown across cells that have a fill color, making the cell boundaries difficult to see.
Open the workbook in WPS Office Excel and verify that gridlines are visible on the uncolored worksheet. If gridlines are hidden, go to the View tab and enable Gridlines before adding fill color.
Apply Borders to Colored Cells to Keep Boundaries Visible
Use this solution when you have already colored cells or need a quick way to restore visible cell boundaries.
In WPS Office Excel, fill color covers the default gridline display. Adding an explicit border places a line on top of the fill, so the colored area still shows clear cell edges.
Select the cell or range where you applied fill color and need visible boundaries.
On the Home tab, click the Borders drop-down arrow in the Font group.
Choose All Borders for a standard grid, or click More Borders to select outline and inside border styles.
Click OK if you used More Borders, then verify that the colored cells now display visible boundaries.
Create a Custom Cell Style with Fill and Border Formatting
Use this solution when you repeatedly apply the same fill color and want consistent fill plus border formatting in one click.
Keep Cell Borders Visible When Coloring Cells in WPS Office Excel
WPS Office Excel lets you apply fill colors and borders directly, so you can keep gridlines visible over colored cells without extra paid tools. Open your workbook in WPS Office Excel and use the built-in border or cell style tools to preserve clear boundaries.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Go to the WPS Office official website and download the free installer for your device.
- 2. Install and launch: Install WPS Office, open it, and sign in or continue with the free version.
- 3. Open your workbook: Click Open, locate your Excel workbook, and open it in WPS Office Excel.
- 4. Apply borders to colored cells: Select the colored cells, go to Home > Borders, and choose All Borders or More Borders.
- 5. Save the file: Save the workbook in WPS Office or export it as an Excel .xlsx file to keep the formatting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do gridlines disappear when I fill a cell with color in Excel?
In WPS Office Excel and Microsoft Excel, cell fill color is drawn over the worksheet gridlines because gridlines are a background display. To keep cell boundaries visible, select the colored cells and apply borders from Home > Borders.
Can I keep gridlines visible over colored cells without adding borders?
No, fill color hides the default gridlines in the colored area. You can use a custom cell style that includes both fill color and border formatting, so boundaries remain visible without manually drawing borders each time.
How do I apply borders to many colored cells at once?
Select the entire colored range first, then click Home > Borders > All Borders. For more control, choose More Borders and set outline and inside lines in the Format Cells dialog.
Does adding borders change the print layout in WPS Office Excel?
Yes. Borders placed over colored cells are printable, so the colored area keeps visible boundaries on paper. Go to File > Print to preview the result before printing.
Is WPS Office Excel compatible with my existing Excel files?
Yes. WPS Office Excel opens and saves Microsoft Excel .xlsx files, including cell styles, fills, and borders, so you can keep working with the same workbook formatting.
