Office Settings & Configuration

How to Remove the Green Crosshair Cursor Highlight in Excel

Maira Mehtab Sep 27, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to remove the green crosshair or cursor highlight that appears when selecting cells in Microsoft Excel.

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Editing or viewing spreadsheets where a green highlight visually surrounds the active cell or row/column.
Observed behavior: A green crosshair or cursor highlight persistently appears around the selected cell due to the Focus Cell or Auto-Highlight feature being enabled.

Before you start

Ensure you are using a version of Excel that supports the Focus Cell feature, and check if you have any third-party Excel add-ins enabled that might modify your cursor's visual appearance.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable Focus Cell and Auto-Highlight in the View Tab

Turn off the built-in reading and navigation aids in Excel that cause the active cell to be highlighted with a green crosshair.

The green crosshair effect is typically caused by Excel's 'Focus Cell' or 'Auto-Highlight' features, which are designed to help users track their active position in large datasets. Disabling these visual aids will return your cursor to its standard appearance.

Navigate to the View tab

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

Locate the Show group

Within the View tab, locate the 'Show' group of commands where visual settings are managed.

Disable Focus Cell

Click on the 'Focus Cell' drop-down menu. If 'Focus Cell' is highlighted or currently turned on, click it once to disable the feature.

Disable Auto-Highlight

In the same Show group or drop-down menu, check if 'Show Auto-Highlight' is enabled. If it is active, click it to turn it off as well.

Cursor Restored: Once both settings are disabled, your active cell selection will immediately return to the standard solid green border without the extended crosshair or row/column highlight.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the green crosshair cursor suddenly appear in my Excel?

The green crosshair usually appears because you accidentally enabled the 'Focus Cell' or 'Auto-Highlight' feature in the View tab. This feature is meant to make tracking rows and columns easier when reviewing large datasets.

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

By default, Microsoft Excel does not provide a direct setting to change the green color of the active cell border or the Focus Cell highlight. The color scheme is hardcoded to the default Office theme.

How do I turn off the crosshair reading layout in WPS Spreadsheet?

If you are using WPS Spreadsheet and see a highlighted row and column crosshair, simply navigate to the 'View' tab on the ribbon and click on 'Reading Layout' to toggle the visual highlight off.

Does disabling Focus Cell affect my data or formulas?

No, disabling the Focus Cell or Auto-Highlight features only changes how the active cell is visually displayed on your screen. It does not alter your actual spreadsheet data, formatting, or underlying formulas.

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