To hide dotted page-break lines in Excel for Windows, select View > Normal, then open File > Options > Advanced and uncheck Show page breaks under Display options for this worksheet. On Mac, open Excel > Preferences > View and uncheck Page breaks under Show in Workbook.
Long dotted boundaries are usually page breaks, dots along cell edges can be borders, and faint lines throughout the sheet are gridlines. A moving dotted outline indicates copying or cutting. The desktop steps apply to Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2024 on Windows and Mac; browser and mobile steps are labeled separately.
The short version
- Page boundaries: Turn off the page-break display to hide dotted pagination lines.
- Cell borders: Select the affected cells and choose No Border.
- Worksheet grid: Turn off Gridlines to hide the sheet's regular cell guides.
- Moving outline: Press Esc to cancel the dotted border around copied or cut cells on Windows or Mac.
| Method | When to use it | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Select Normal view | Leave Page Break Preview before hiding remaining boundaries | Windows |
| Uncheck Show page breaks | Hide page boundaries on the selected worksheet | Windows |
| Uncheck Page breaks | Hide the page-break display | Mac |
| Choose No Border | Remove applied borders throughout selected cells | Windows, Mac, web |
| Use More Borders | Remove particular border edges | Windows, Mac |
| Apply a continuous border style | Keep cell borders while replacing their dots | Windows, web |
| Edit a conditional-formatting rule | Change borders controlled by a rule | Windows, web |
| Use Clear Rules | Remove conditional formatting from a range or sheet | Windows, web |
| Delete a conditional-formatting rule | Remove the rule responsible for the border | Mac |
| Hide worksheet gridlines | Remove regular cell guides from view | Windows, Mac, web |
| Apply a solid fill | Hide gridlines only within selected cells | Windows, Mac |
| Uncheck Print under Gridlines | Exclude worksheet gridlines from printing | Windows, Mac |
| Press Esc | Cancel a moving copy or cut outline | Windows, Mac |
| Select another cell after pasting comments or notes | Dismiss the outline after that paste operation | Windows, Mac |
| Use the Selection Pane | Hide a dotted drawing object | Windows |
| Select an object and press Delete | Remove an inserted line or connector | Windows |
| Change a drawing line's style | Keep the object with a continuous line | Windows, Mac, web |
| Choose No Outline for a chart line | Hide the line without deleting its data | Windows, Mac |
| Select chart gridlines and press Delete | Remove the selected chart gridlines | Windows |
| Turn off chart gridlines through Elements | Hide chart gridlines on a phone or tablet | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| Choose Remove Arrows | Remove formula-auditing tracer lines | Windows |
Hide page breaks in Excel for Windows
Select the worksheet containing the dotted boundaries, then choose View > Workbook Views > Normal. You can also select Normal on the status bar. This leaves Page Break Preview, but dotted page boundaries can remain visible in Normal view.
Open File > Options > Advanced, then scroll to Display options for this worksheet. Choose the affected worksheet, uncheck Show page breaks, and select OK. Repeat for other affected worksheets.
Use this display setting when you only want to hide the lines. Removing page breaks, changing print scaling, or clearing a print area can change pagination. If you want to choose which cells print, set a print area in Excel.
Hide page breaks in Excel for Mac
Open Excel > Preferences > View. Under Show in Workbook, uncheck Page breaks to hide the page-break display.
You cannot delete automatic page breaks on Mac, but you can hide them with this setting. Manual page breaks have separate removal controls, which change your pagination.
Remove dotted borders from cells
Select the cells with dotted edges. In Excel for Windows or Excel for the web, select Home, open the Borders arrow, and choose No Border. On Windows, you will find Borders in the Font group.
On Mac, select the affected cells, then open Home and find the Font group. Select the arrow next to Border and choose No Border.
Choose the range carefully because No Border removes applied borders throughout the selection, including solid borders you may want to keep. Pressing Delete or Backspace on selected cells does not remove their formatting.
To remove only certain edges on Windows, select the affected cells and open Home > Borders arrow > More Borders. On the Border tab, select the unwanted edges in the preview diagram, then select OK. On Mac, select the cells, open Home > Border arrow > More Borders, select the edges to remove under Border, and select OK.
Replace dotted borders with solid lines
To keep a border with a continuous line in Excel for Windows, select the cells, right-click, and choose Format Cells > Border. Under Line, choose a continuous line style. Under Presets, select the existing border arrangement to apply the replacement, then select OK.
In Excel for the web, select the cells and open Home > Borders arrow > Border Style. Choose a continuous style, then apply it to the required edges through the Borders menu.
Fix dotted borders controlled by formatting rules
If conditional formatting produces the dotted border, edit the rule responsible. On Windows, select an affected cell, then open Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules. Select the rule, choose Edit Rule > Format, change its border formatting, and select OK in the dialogs.
In Excel for the web, select an affected cell, open Home > Styles > Conditional Formatting, and select Manage Rules. Select the rule's pencil icon, edit the rule, then select Done. The formatting controls you can change depend on the rule type.
To clear conditional formatting from a range on Windows or the web, select the affected cells first. Open Home > Conditional Formatting > Clear Rules > Clear Rules from Selected Cells; in the browser, find Conditional Formatting under Styles. Choose Clear Rules from Entire Sheet only if you want every conditional-formatting rule removed from that worksheet. Clearing rules also removes their other formatting effects.
On Mac, select an affected cell and open Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules. Select the unwanted rule, select the delete-rule icon, and choose OK. This removes the whole rule, including any other formatting it applies.
Hide worksheet gridlines on screen or in print
For faint lines throughout the worksheet, use the gridline controls. On Windows or in Excel for the web, select the worksheet or worksheets, open View > Show, and uncheck Gridlines. On Mac, select the worksheet, open Page Layout, and uncheck View under Gridlines.
To hide gridlines in a selected area on Windows or Mac, select the cells and open Home > Fill Color arrow. Choose a solid fill, such as white, to hide those cells' gridlines on screen and in print. A fill does not remove applied borders, so use No Border if those lines remain.
To exclude gridlines from printing on Windows, select the worksheet, open Page Layout > Sheet Options > Gridlines, and uncheck Print. On Mac, select the worksheet, open Page Layout > Gridlines, and uncheck Print. Printing uses a separate gridline control from the on-screen display.
Cancel the moving dotted copy outline
Press Esc when an animated dotted border surrounds copied or cut cells in Excel for Windows or Mac. This cancels the moving outline.
After using Paste Special to paste comments or notes, selecting another cell also dismisses the moving outline. You can press Esc in that situation as well. If content will not paste, follow the steps to fix cut and paste in Excel.
Remove dotted lines in objects and charts
For a dotted drawing object in Excel for Windows, open Home > Editing > Find & Select > Selection Pane. Locate the line or shape and use its visibility control to hide it. To delete an inserted line or connector, select the object itself and press Delete.
To keep a drawing line but replace its dotted style on Windows or Mac, select it and open Shape Format > Shape Outline > Dashes. Choose a continuous style. In Excel for the web, select the line, open Shape > Outline > Dashes, and choose a continuous style.
Inside a chart on Windows or Mac, select the dotted line element and choose Format > Shape Outline > No Outline to make it invisible without deleting its data. On Windows, you can also select horizontal or vertical chart gridlines and press Delete to remove those gridlines.
On iPhone, iPad, Android phones, or Android tablets, select the chart and open Chart > Elements > Gridlines. Turn off the applicable major or minor horizontal or vertical gridlines. Your available choices depend on the chart type.
If the line is a formula-auditing arrow in Excel for Windows, select Formulas > Formula Auditing > Remove Arrows. To remove only one type, open the adjacent menu and choose Remove Precedent Arrows or Remove Dependent Arrows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can reopening the workbook hide page-break lines?
In Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2024 on Windows, closing and reopening without saving after Page Break Preview can hide the newly displayed page breaks. Use this only when you have no wanted unsaved changes. Saving before reopening can preserve the visible page breaks.
Does Reset All Page Breaks remove automatic dotted lines?
No, Reset All Page Breaks removes manual page breaks, while automatic breaks remain. In Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2024 on Windows or Mac, select Page Layout > Breaks > Reset All Page Breaks only when you want to reset manual pagination.
Is there a keyboard shortcut to remove cell borders?
In Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2024 on Windows, select the cells and press Ctrl + Shift + Underscore (_); on Mac, press Command + Option + Hyphen (-). These shortcuts remove outline borders. Choose No Border when you need to remove borders throughout a selected range.
Can clearing formatting remove dotted borders?
Yes, in Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2024 on Windows, select the cells and choose Home > Editing > Clear arrow > Clear Formats. On Mac, select the cells and choose Edit > Clear > Formats. This also removes other cell formatting; on Windows, that includes number formats and conditional formats.
Can Excel for the web print worksheet gridlines?
Excel for the web does not support printing worksheet gridlines. Lines around cells in its printed output may instead be applied borders, which you can remove by selecting the cells and choosing Home > Borders arrow > No Border.