Office Settings & Configuration

How to Disable Active Cell Row and Column Highlighting in Excel

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to stop Excel from highlighting the entire row and column of the currently active cell, preferring to see only the standard single-cell green outline.

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Viewing or editing an Excel workbook where the active cell generates a crosshair-style row and column highlight that the user finds distracting.
Observed behavior: Excel highlights the selected cell's entire row and column instead of displaying just the normal green cell outline.

Before you start

Ensure your Excel workbook is open and that the worksheet is not protected, as you will need access to the View ribbon settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable the Focus Cell Feature in the View Tab

Turn off the built-in Focus Cell option to remove the crosshair highlighting and restore the standard cell border.

Excel recently introduced the Focus Cell feature to help users easily track data in wide rows or long columns. However, if you find the shaded crosshair distracting, you can easily toggle it off from the ribbon menu.

Navigate to the View tab

Open your Excel workbook and click on the 'View' tab located in the top ribbon menu.

Locate the Show group

Find the 'Show' section within the View ribbon, which contains toggles for Gridlines, Formula Bar, and Headings.

Uncheck Focus Cell

Clear the checkbox next to 'Focus Cell'. This will instantly disable the active row and column highlighting for the workbook.

Highlighting Removed: Your active cell will now only display the standard green outline without shading the rest of the row or column.

Manage Cell Highlights with WPS Spreadsheet

Easily Toggle Row and Column Highlighting with WPS Office

WPS Spreadsheet offers a highly intuitive 'Reading Layout' feature, which performs the exact same function as Excel's Focus Cell. It allows you to track rows and columns in large datasets effortlessly, toggle colors, and turn it off with a single click while maintaining full compatibility with your Excel files.

1. Open your file in WPS Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Office and open your .xlsx or .xls workbook.
2. Go to the View tab: Click on the 'View' tab located in the top ribbon menu.
3. Toggle Reading Layout: Click the 'Reading Layout' button to easily turn the row and column highlighting on or off. You can also click the drop-down arrow beneath it to change the highlight color.

Toggle row and column highlighting instantly using the Reading Layout featureFully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls) formatsCustomize the highlight color to suit your visual preferencesLightweight, fast, and completely free to use

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Excel suddenly start highlighting rows and columns?

This occurs when the 'Focus Cell' feature is accidentally enabled. It is designed to help users track data across large spreadsheets, preventing visual misalignment, but can easily be disabled via the View tab.

Is the Focus Cell setting saved per workbook or globally?

Typically, the Focus Cell setting applies to the active workbook. If you open a different workbook where the setting was previously enabled and saved, you may need to disable it again for that specific file.

Can I change the color of the Focus Cell highlight in Excel?

In standard Excel, the default Focus Cell highlight color cannot be natively customized without using VBA macros. However, if you use alternatives like WPS Office, the equivalent 'Reading Layout' feature allows you to choose from various highlight colors directly from the ribbon.

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