To print without cell borders in Excel 2013, first make sure gridlines aren’t set to print: on the Page Layout tab, in the Sheet Options group, uncheck Print under Gridlines. If lines still print, they’re cell borders someone added. Select the cells (or press Ctrl + A), go to Home > the Borders arrow, and choose No Border. Check the result in File > Print before printing.
This guide explains the difference between gridlines and borders, how to remove each for printing, how to print without borders while keeping them on screen, and how to handle tables and conditional formatting that add lines. The steps also work in Excel 2016 and later.
Gridlines vs. borders
- Gridlines are the faint gray lines you see on every sheet. By default they don’t print.
- Borders are lines applied to cells with the Borders button or a table style. They print unless you remove them.
Step 1: Turn off printed gridlines
- Click the Page Layout tab.
- In Sheet Options, uncheck Print under Gridlines.
You can also go to Page Layout > Page Setup launcher > Sheet tab and uncheck Gridlines. Unchecking View hides gridlines on screen too, which helps you see what will print.
Step 2: Remove cell borders
- Select the cells with borders, or press Ctrl + A to select the whole sheet.
- On the Home tab, click the arrow next to Borders.
- Choose No Border.
Shortcut: select the cells and press Ctrl + Shift + – (minus) to remove outline borders.
Print without borders but keep them on screen
Excel doesn’t have a “don’t print borders” option. Workarounds:
- Save a copy of the workbook, remove borders in the copy, and print that.
- Draft quality – in Page Setup > Sheet, check Draft quality, which prints without most graphics and borders on many printers (results vary by printer).
- Custom view – use View > Custom Views to save a print-ready layout alongside your normal one.
Remove lines from tables
If your data is formatted as a table, click inside it, go to Table Tools Design (or Table Design), and choose a table style with no borders, or uncheck Banded Rows. You can also choose Convert to Range and then remove borders.
Other lines that may print
- Conditional formatting – rules can add borders; check Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules.
- Shapes and lines – drawn lines print as objects; select and delete them.
- Page break lines – dashed lines in Normal view don’t print.
Want a blank grid instead? See printing an empty grid in Excel.
Frequently asked questions
Why do gridlines print when the box is unchecked?
Those are probably cell borders. Remove them with No Border.
How do I print only the gridlines around my data?
Set a Print Area (Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area) so Excel only prints that range.
Do these steps work on Excel for Mac?
Yes. Look for Gridlines > Print on the Page Layout tab and No Border on the Home tab.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
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