Office Settings & Configuration

How to Restore Invisible Gridlines in Excel

Huda Qurayshi Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to restore the visibility of gridlines in new Excel worksheets, which remain hidden even after altering gridline color settings.

How to Restore Invisible Gridlines in Excel

Product: Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating or opening Excel worksheets where the default cell gridlines fail to display on the screen.
Observed behavior: Gridlines are completely invisible on new worksheets, and changing the gridline color within Excel's settings does not permanently resolve the issue.

Before you start

Ensure that the cells in your worksheet are not filled with a solid white background color, as applying any fill color automatically hides the underlying default gridlines.

Solution 1Recommended

Adjust Monitor Contrast and Brightness Settings

Use this solution if Excel settings are correct but gridlines are still invisible, as high monitor contrast can cause light gray lines to wash out.

Often, display issues are hardware-related rather than software-related. If your monitor's contrast is set too high, the subtle light gray default gridlines in Excel will blend into the white background, making them invisible regardless of the application's configuration.

Access monitor settings

Press the physical menu button on your external monitor to open the built-in on-screen display (OSD) settings.

Navigate to picture settings

Use the monitor's directional buttons to navigate to the 'Display', 'Picture', or 'Color' settings menu.

Lower the contrast

Select the 'Contrast' option and gradually lower the value while looking at an open Excel worksheet until the gridlines become visible again.

Adjust Monitor Contrast and Brightness Settings

Hardware Solution: Adjusting the monitor contrast resolves the issue across all worksheets instantly without needing to change default application configurations.

Solution 2

Enable Gridlines in the View Tab

Check this basic setting to ensure gridlines haven't been accidentally toggled off in the active worksheet.

Solution 3

Verify Advanced Gridline Color Settings

Use this method to ensure the gridline color hasn't been set to white or a very faint shade in the advanced options.

WPS Spreadsheet Features

View and Customize Gridlines Easily in WPS Spreadsheet

WPS Office offers a highly compatible, user-friendly spreadsheet tool where managing layout elements like gridlines and cell shading is exceptionally straightforward. If you frequently encounter display glitches, trying a lightweight and efficient alternative can help streamline your workflow.

1. Open your workbook: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open your existing file or create a new blank workbook.
2. Navigate to the View tab: Click on the 'View' tab located in the top menu ribbon.
3. Toggle gridlines: Check or uncheck the 'View Gridlines' box to instantly show or hide the gridlines.
4. Customize color: To change the default color, navigate to Menu > Options > View, and select a new color under the Gridline color dropdown.

Easily toggle gridlines on and off from a clean, intuitive View ribbon.Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel formats, ensuring your .xlsx files look exactly as intended.Lightweight application that runs smoothly on various devices without display rendering issues.Completely free to download and use for essential daily tasks.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my Excel gridlines suddenly disappear?

Gridlines typically disappear if the 'Gridlines' box in the View tab is accidentally unchecked, if you filled the cells with a solid white background color, or if a recent change to your monitor's contrast settings washed out the faint gray lines.

Do gridlines print by default in Excel worksheets?

No, by default, gridlines are intended for on-screen viewing only. If you want them to appear on your printed document, you must go to the Page Layout tab and check the 'Print' box under the Gridlines heading.

Can Windows High Contrast themes affect Excel gridlines?

Yes. If you are using a High Contrast theme in Windows accessibility settings, it overrides Excel's default color schemes, which can often result in standard gridlines becoming invisible or displaying incorrectly.

How can I make the gridlines darker without changing my monitor settings?

You can manually configure a darker gridline color. Go to File > Options > Advanced, scroll to 'Display options for this worksheet', and change the 'Gridline color' from Automatic to a darker shade like black or dark gray.

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