How to Make Gridlines Darker in Excel 2016

Are you finding Excel’s default gridlines too light to see clearly? Don’t worry—you can easily make them darker in Excel 2016. Darker gridlines improve readability, especially when working with large spreadsheets or presenting your data. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to adjust gridline color and visibility step by step.

Table of Contents

Understanding Excel Gridlines

Gridlines are the faint lines that separate cells in your worksheet. They help you:

Visually organize data
Navigate spreadsheets more easily
Highlight different rows and columns

In Excel 2016, the default gridline color is light gray, which can be hard to see on some screens or when printing.

Why Are My Gridlines So Light?

Excel’s default light gray gridlines may appear faint because of:

High screen brightness or contrast
Light background colors applied to cells
Display settings on your monitor
Default Excel settings that favor subtle gridlines

The good news? You can easily darken them for better visibility.

Step 1: Open Excel 2016

First, launch Excel 2016 and open the workbook where you want to adjust the gridlines.

Step 2: Go to Excel Options

Click File in the top-left corner.
Select Options at the bottom of the menu.

This opens the Excel Options dialog box, where you can customize many aspects of your Excel environment.

Step 3: Change the Gridline Color

In the Excel Options window, click Advanced in the left sidebar.
Scroll down to the Display options for this worksheet section.
Find Show gridlines and make sure it is checked.
Next to Gridline color, click the color box.
Choose a darker shade (for example, dark gray or black) from the color palette.

Step 4: Apply the Color

After selecting your preferred gridline color:

Click OK in the Excel Options window.
Your worksheet will now display darker gridlines.

Tip: Darker gridlines make it easier to distinguish rows and columns, especially when printing or projecting your spreadsheet.

Step 5: Check the Gridline Visibility

If gridlines still don’t appear:

Ensure that Show gridlines is checked in Excel Options.
Make sure the cell background color is set to “No Fill”, as filled cells hide gridlines.
Verify that gridlines are enabled for the correct worksheet (gridline settings are worksheet-specific).

Tips for Better Gridline Visibility

Use contrast: Lighter backgrounds with darker gridlines improve readability.
Check print settings: Gridlines might not print if Print gridlines isn’t enabled.
Zoom in/out: Adjusting zoom levels can make gridlines appear darker visually.

Alternative: Use Borders for Darker Lines

If you want even more pronounced gridlines:

Select the cells or entire worksheet.
Go to the Home tab → Font group → Borders.
Choose All Borders or customize color and style.

Borders are often better for printing because they are more visible than gridlines.

FAQs About Excel Gridlines

1. Can I make gridlines black in Excel 2016?
Yes, by going to Excel Options → Advanced → Gridline color, you can select black.

2. Why don’t my gridlines show on some cells?
Cells with a background fill hide gridlines. Remove the fill to see them.

3. Do gridlines print automatically?
No, go to Page Layout → Sheet Options → Print → Check Print under Gridlines.

4. Can I adjust gridlines per worksheet?
Yes, gridline color and visibility settings are specific to each worksheet.

5. What’s the difference between borders and gridlines?
Gridlines are visual guides in Excel, while borders are applied formatting and appear in print and PDF.

Summary of Key Takeaways

Excel 2016 default gridlines are light gray and may be hard to see.
You can darken gridlines via File → Options → Advanced → Gridline color.
Ensure Show gridlines is checked and cells have No Fill for visibility.
For printing or more pronounced lines, use borders instead of gridlines.
Customizing gridlines improves readability, navigation, and presentation of spreadsheets.

Making gridlines darker in Excel 2016 is a small tweak that greatly improves your workflow, whether you’re analyzing data, preparing reports, or teaching spreadsheets.