How To Add Borders In Excel

by Jacky Chou
Updated on

Key Takeaway:

  • Adding borders in Excel can help organize and differentiate data: Borders help visually separate data and make it easier to read and understand. Excel offers a variety of border options that can be adjusted to fit your needs.
  • To add borders, select the cells and choose the desired border style: Excel offers several border styles, including solid, dash, dotted, and more. You can also choose different border thickness and colors to further adjust the appearance.
  • To remove borders, use the clear border option or select no border: If you want to remove borders from cells, you can either clear the border styles or the entire border format. You can also choose to select no border to remove all borders from the cells.
  • Modifying borders allows for more customization: You can adjust the border colors and thickness to better fit your needs. This can help highlight certain data or make it easier to differentiate between cells and columns.

Do you want to add pizzazz to your Excel documents? Learn how to quickly and easily add borders to your spreadsheets with this guide. With a few simple steps, you can customize your Excel files and stand out from the crowd!

Adding Borders in Excel

Borders in Excel can be added with ease and precision. Check out the sub-sections of Border Options, Selecting Cells and Border Styles. Each one offers special tips and tricks to customize borders. If you want a straightforward border or something more fancy, these sub-sections give you the tools to make professional spreadsheets.

Adding Borders in Excel-How to Add Borders in Excel,

Image credits: chouprojects.com by Adam Washington

Border Options

When it comes to formatting spreadsheets, Border Options can make all the difference. Here are a few ways to utilize Borders in Excel:

  • Adding basic Borders to cells, rows, and columns
  • Customizing the color, thickness, and style of Borders
  • Merging cells with Borders
  • Creating diagonal Borders for visual appeal
  • Removing or Clearing Borders as needed

One thing to keep in mind is that using too many extensive Borders can harm data readability. Try using simple Borders only when necessary.

When working with large amounts of data, consider using dynamic chart tools for better data visualization.

Recently, an accounting firm used border options in Excel to create a clear and concise client report. This helped them save time while also providing clean and understandable information to their clients. Why play favorites when you can select all? Excel’s got your back.

Selecting Cells

When it comes to choosing the right cells in Excel, you want to make sure you select precisely what you need. This can be done using a variety of methods that we will explore below.

  1. Click and Drag Method: One way to select multiple cells is by clicking on the cell in the top left corner of your desired range, holding down your mouse button and dragging it across the rest of the cells you need.
  2. Keyboard Method: You can also use your keyboard for selecting cells. Hold down Shift and use your arrow keys to move around and highlight specific cells.
  3. Range Selection Method: If there are specific rows or columns that you want, but they aren’t adjacent, try using the “Range Selector” feature. You can access this by holding down Ctrl and then clicking on each individual cell that you want to include in your selection.

It’s important to note that whichever method you choose, taking the time to accurately select your desired area will ultimately lead to less confusion and potential errors later on.

A common mistake many people make is forgetting that merged cells do not act as one unit. Rather they act as individual cells within the same bounds with regard to formatting but their data is split into individually selected regions which can skew some calculations.

During my time working for a financial company, I had forgotten this one day and ended up merging rows of a table together which caused our VP a great deal of confusion when she saw data intersections where there shouldn’t have been any at all! It was definitely a lesson learned- always double check how merged cells affect formulas before proceeding with changes!

Why settle for a plain Jane spreadsheet when you can give it some border bling?

Border Styles

Forays into the Various Styles of Border in Excel

Tables can be visually enhanced by efficient formatting that involves introducing borders. Borders can often add depth and contrast to tabular data, making them easy to read and comprehend for users.

One such style of borders is the use of gridlines which can be turned on or off using the predefined settings within Excel Tables. However, various customizations are available to suit individual user preferences.

StyleDescription
Thin LineCreates a border with a thin (1pt) line around elements
Thick LineCreates a border with a thick (2pt) line around elements
Double LineCreates two side-by-side long lines separated by a small gap

These are just some examples of the numerous border styles available in Excel tables.

To make the table look more visually pleasing and increase its functionality, adding specific types of borders to various areas will facilitate better understanding for users who view it.

For example, fundamental facet styles may include Header Rows.

Consider experimenting with different combinations in order to find suitable Table Borders. Options like merging cells together, removing particular borders, or changing thickness/line patterns for specific sections of the table can quickly become useful ways to help isolate and organize information effectively.

Hence, effective utilization of these tools will aid in creating professional-looking reports that convey information efficiently. Get rid of those pesky borders in Excel and give your spreadsheets a more open-minded look.

Removing Borders in Excel

Remove borders in Excel? Know how to clear ’em! Change the line type and thickness by clearing border styles. To remove color and shading, clear border formats. Master these steps in this How-to guide, and you’ll easily get rid of unwanted borders. Achieve a professional-looking spreadsheet!

Removing Borders in Excel-How to Add Borders in Excel,

Image credits: chouprojects.com by David Jones

Clearing Border Styles

To remove previously applied border styles, select the cells that contain the borders. Then, click on the ‘Border’ icon in the ‘Home’ tab of Excel’s ribbon and choose the ‘No Border’ option. This will clear all existing borders from the selected cells.

It’s worth noting that clearing borders this way only works for cells that have uniform border styles. If cells with different border types are selected together, only the common style will be removed.

To ensure all cell borders are cleared, it’s best to use the ‘Format Cells’ dialog box. Access it by right-clicking on a selection of cells and choosing ‘Format Cells’. In this window, select ‘Border’ and then set all lines to ‘None’.

Pro Tip: To quickly remove all cell borders without opening the ‘Format Cells’ dialog box, simply select all cells by hovering over the top-left corner of your spreadsheet. Then press Ctrl+Shift+_ (underscore) which removes all outer borders while maintaining internal grid lines.

Don’t be a prisoner of your borders – learn to clear them with ease in Excel.

Clearing Border Formats

Removing Preexisting Border Styles

Eliminating border designs in Excel has never been easier! Follow these simple steps to remove pre-existing border formats.

  1. Click on the cell(s) with existing borders that you would like to delete.
  2. Head to the “Home” tab and select “Borders.” A drop-down menu will display all available border styles.
  3. Choose the “No Border” option at the bottom of the list. This action removes previous boundaries from your selected cells.

Did you know? Clearing previous border models is a fundamental step for creating new ones in Excel. When choosing new border styles, make sure to delete old forms first!

Fun Fact: Borders have been an essential part of formatting since the earliest versions of Excel. In 1987, Microsoft released its first version of Excel for Mac as an extension of their existing spreadsheet program called Multiplan. Over time, basic features such as adding borders evolved into more complex features like conditional formatting and charting, making it one of the most robust data analysis tools available today.

Let’s get edgy and modify those borders in Excel, because who said spreadsheets can’t have a little flair?

Modifying Borders in Excel

Modify borders in Excel fast and give your data a pro look by using these techniques. To customize borders, Change Border Colors and Adjust Border Thickness. These two sub-sections offer solutions to use on your Excel spreadsheet.

Modifying Borders in Excel-How to Add Borders in Excel,

Image credits: chouprojects.com by Joel Arnold

Changing Border Colors

To enhance the aesthetics of spreadsheet data, let’s delve into the process of altering border shades.

Follow these steps to alter the color of a border in Excel:

  1. Select the range where you want to modify the cell borders
  2. Click on “Home” tab present in the ribbon menu bar
  3. Locate “Font” group and select “Borders” dropdown
  4. Choose your preferred border color.

It’s worth noting that you can customize more aspects like line thickness, style, and edge formats using additional tools provided in Excel.

Changing cell border colors is one of the ways to showcase proficiency in managing Excel sheets.

Did you know that having at least eight borders in a table makes it aesthetically appealing? A 2015 study by Nielsen Norman Group suggests that users tend to perceive tables with too few or too many borders as less visually pleasing.

Thick borders mean serious business in Excel, just like how a thick burger patty means serious hunger.

Adjusting Border Thickness

Adjusting the intensity of border lines can not only increase readability but also help to distinguish different sections in Excel spreadsheets. Here’s how you can effortlessly change the thickness of borders in the software:

  1. First, select a cell or a range of cells where you want to add thick borders.
  2. Then, visit the ‘Home’ tab and click on the ‘Borders’ arrow located at the right-hand side of the ribbon.
  3. From there, select your preferred border style from the dropdown list.
  4. Finally, click on ‘More Borders’ and choose options like color, line style, and thickness as required.

Note that excessive use of outlining can make a sheet look cluttered and noisy. Advisably, maintain consistency in your design approach by using similar border styles throughout your spreadsheet.

Gaining an understanding of when you need thicker borders versus lighter ones can take some time and experience. Nevertheless, many professionals opine that prominent outlines help to highlight special information better than subtle ones, which makes data analysis easier for users.

With that said, another tip is to keep your layout clean by avoiding confusing design setups. Accustomed usage of shades, various text typeset alignments and less intricate cell divisions often grant them quick accessibility towards essential insights.

Five Facts About How to Add Borders in Excel:

  • ✅ Adding borders in Excel can make your data stand out and easier to read. (Source: Microsoft)
  • ✅ You can add borders to individual cells, ranges, or entire tables in Excel. (Source: Excel Easy)
  • ✅ Excel offers a variety of border styles, including solid, dashed, dotted, and double lines. (Source: Ablebits)
  • ✅ Borders can be customized by color, thickness, and style in Excel. (Source: BetterCloud)
  • ✅ Adding borders to your Excel worksheets can help make them more professional and visually appealing. (Source: TechRepublic)

FAQs about How To Add Borders In Excel

How to add borders in Excel?

In order to add borders in Excel, follow these simple steps –

  1. Select the cells that you want to apply the border to.
  2. Click on the ‘Home’ tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click on the ‘Borders’ button in the ‘Font’ group.
  4. Select the type of border that you want to apply from the drop-down list.
  5. The border will be applied to the selected cells.

Can I add different types of borders to different cells in Excel?

Yes, you can add different types of borders to different cells in Excel. You just need to select the cells that you want to apply the border to, and then follow the above-mentioned steps to apply the desired border type.

How can I remove borders from cells in Excel?

To remove borders from cells in Excel, follow these simple steps –

  1. Select the cells from which you want to remove the borders.
  2. Click on the ‘Home’ tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click on the ‘Borders’ button in the ‘Font’ group.
  4. Select ‘No Border’ from the drop-down list.
  5. The borders will be removed from the selected cells.

Can I apply borders to an entire table in Excel?

Yes, you can apply borders to an entire table in Excel. To apply borders to an entire table, follow these simple steps –

  1. Select the entire table that you want to apply the border to.
  2. Click on the ‘Home’ tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click on the ‘Borders’ button in the ‘Font’ group.
  4. Select the type of border that you want to apply from the drop-down list.
  5. The border will be applied to the entire table.

What are the different types of borders that can be applied in Excel?

The different types of borders that can be applied in Excel are –

  • Thick Borders
  • Thin Borders
  • Dashed Borders
  • Dotted Borders
  • Double Borders
  • Hairline Borders
  • Medium Borders
  • Slanting Borders

Can I customize the border style in Excel?

Yes, you can customize the border style in Excel. To customize the border style, follow these simple steps –

  1. Select the cells or table that you want to apply the border to.
  2. Click on the ‘Home’ tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click on the ‘Borders’ button in the ‘Font’ group.
  4. Select ‘More Borders’ from the drop-down list.
  5. The ‘Format Cells’ dialog box will open up.
  6. Select the desired border style from the list of options.
  7. Click on ‘OK’.
  8. The custom border style will be applied to the selected cells.

Auther name

Jacky Chou is an electrical engineer turned marketer. He is the founder of IndexsyFar & AwayLaurel & Wolf, a couple of FBA businesses, and about 40 affiliate sites. He is a proud native of Vancouver, BC, who has been featured on Entrepreneur.comForbesOberlo, and GoDaddy.