When you create a new, blank spreadsheet in Google Sheets there are visible lines that separate each of the individual cells in the spreadsheet. These are called gridlines, and they can be very useful in providing a barrier that makes it easier to tell where one cell ends and another begins.
But those gridlines are not a permanent fixture of the spreadsheet, and they can be hidden. If you are collaborating with someone else, or working on a file that was created by someone else and you don’t see gridlines, then it’s possible to get them back. Our guide below will show you where to find that setting.
How to Restore Gridlines to View in Google Sheets
The steps in this article were performed in the desktop version of Google Chrome but will also work in other desktop browsers like Edge or Firefox.
Step 1: Sign into your Google Drive and open the Sheets file with the hidden gridlines.
Step 2: Select the View tab at the top of the window.
Step 3: Click the Gridlines option to restore gridlines to view.
If this doesn’t work, then it’s possible that someone has applied a white border to all of the cells in the spreadsheet. You can remove this white border by clicking the gray button at the top-left corner of the spreadsheet to select the entire spreadsheet.
Then clicking the Borders button above the spreadsheet.
Then choosing the No borders option.
Is there a row of data in your spreadsheet that you don’t want to delete, but you don’t want people to see it? Find out how to hide a row in Google Sheets and remove the cell sin that row from view.