What Are The Borders In Excel?
Border in Excel is an option to insert or draw a line on one or more sides of a cell and around or across a cell range. And unlike Gridlines, borders are visible when printing a worksheet.
Users can use the Excel Border option to highlight data in a spreadsheet containing massive and complex datasets. In simple terms, it enables users to create customized borders. It helps draw the audience’s attention to the critical sections in the specific spreadsheet.
For example, the image below shows two matrices and a third matrix as the sum of the first two matrices.
Now, the requirement is to add borders across the cell ranges F3:G5, J3:K5, and H7:I9. Then, we can use the option All Borders in Excel to insert borders around all the cells in the required ranges.
Meanwhile, we must select the cell ranges I3:J5, M3:N5, and K7:L9. Then, choose All Borders in Excel under the Border option in the Home tab to achieve the desired outcome.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- Border in Excel is a function that helps create predefined borders for a chosen cell or range and draw customized borders manually.
- Users can use the Excel Border option to make the data appear more presentable, highlight specific sections in massive datasets, and help make the data more coherent.
- Also, we can use the Border option in the Home tab and the Border tab in the Format Cells window to apply the desired border settings. And using the keyboard shortcut Alt + H + B, followed by the letter denoting the required border option, is another way to apply the required border settings.
Explanation
The Border function in Excel includes options in two sections, Borders and Draw Borders.
The Borders section includes predefined border options to insert or add one or multiple borders around a cell or range and across a range. The Draw Borders section contains the option to draw a border as an outline around a cell or range. Also, we can use it as a grid across a cell range.
We also get the options Line Color and Line Style to choose the desired border color and style, whether we aim to use predefined borders or draw the borders.
However, the above options help manage the outside border settings. But the More Borders option in the Border drop-down list lets us set the desired border setting inside a cell or range.
Thus, the above options ensure our data appear more professional and presentable. And they help customize the border settings to suit our requirements of highlighting specific data or sections in the spreadsheet.
Furthermore, the Border function includes an option, Erase Border. It enables us to remove the specific borders in a worksheet manually.
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How To Create And Add Borders In Excel?
We can use three methods to create and add cell borders in Excel. They are:
- Access the Border Options from The Excel Ribbon
- Access the Border Options from the Format Cells Window
- Using Keyboard Shortcuts
Method #1 – Access The Border Options From The Excel Ribbon
- First, choose the cell or range for which we require to create borders.
- Next, select the Home tab. Then, choose the Border drop-down; click the border option that fits the requirement from the Border drop-down list.
And once we click the required border, the selected border type will appear around the chosen cell or range.
Moreover, the listed border types include an option, No Border, to remove borders in Excel. Thus, the offered border options cover most of our outside border-setting requirements.
But we can also choose the Draw Borders options from the Border drop-down list; if we need to draw customized borders around the chosen cell or range manually.
Method #2 – Access The Border Option From The Format Cells Window
- To begin with, choose the cell or range for which we require to create borders.
- Next, select the Home tab → choose the Border drop-down → click the More Borders option to open the Border tab in the Format Cells window. Otherwise, we can use the shortcut for Border in Excel, Alt + H + B + M,to access the More Borders option and open the Border tab in the Format Cells window.
Alternatively, right-click the chosen cell or range and select Format Cells from the contextual menu. Alternatively, press the shortcut Ctrl + 1 to access the Format Cells window. And then click the Border tab to open it.
We can use the options from the Border tab to update the inside cell borders in Excel settings to suit our requirements.
- Finally, click OK to apply the updated border settings in the chosen cell or range.
Method #3 – Using Keyboard Shortcuts
- First, choose the cell or range for which we require to create borders.
- Next, apply the required border option using the corresponding shortcut for Border in Excel.
And for that, we must press Alt + H + B to choose the Border option in the Home tab.
And then, press the letter corresponding to the required border setting.
And the below table lists the keyboard shortcuts in excel for applying the various border settings on the selected cell or range quickly.
Examples
Check out the following Border in Excel examples to know the practical use of the Border option.
Example #1
The image below shows the values of z, calculated in the cell range D6:H15 using the x and y variables–based formula specified in cell B2. And the x and y variables’ values are in the cell ranges C6:C15 and D5:H5.
Here is how to use the Thick Outside Borders option to make the above data more presentable.
- Step 1: To start with, click cell B2, press Ctrl, click cells B6 and D4, and drag the cursor across the cell ranges C6:C15, D5:H5, and D6:H15 to select them.
- Step 2: Next, select Home à Border à Thick Outside Borders to add the chosen border type around the chosen cells and ranges.
Alternatively, we can use the shortcut keys Alt + H + B + T to insert the required border type.
- Step 3: Then select cells B2, B4, and D6. Next, set the required font size, color, and bold settings using the Font Size, Font Color, Fill Color, and Bold options from the Home tab.
Thus, the final data appears well-defined and clearer than the original without borders.
Example #2
The table below lists different stationery items in various categories.
Now, let us see the steps to draw borders across the dataset manually.
- Step 1: First, choose Home → Border → Draw Border Grid.
- Step 2: Next, choose Home → Border → Line Style → The required line style, as depicted below.
Now, the Border function will show the Draw Border Grid option in the ribbon, and the cursor will be a pen with a grid in the work area.
- Step 3: Then, press Ctrl and click the cells for which we must draw the chosen border style.
Next, click on the Border function in the Home tab. Or, press Esc to unselect the Draw Border Grid option and get the default cursor.
Likewise, the Draw Border options help us create customized borders quickly.
Example #3
The image below shows cell G6, with a specific row height and column width. And the requirement is to update the top 4 US tech companies and their revenue data in cell B3.
Now, we can use the More Borders option under the Border function in the Home tab to achieve the desired outcome in such a scenario.
- Step 1: First, choose cell B3 and select Home → Border → More Borders to access the Border tab in the Format Cells window.
Alternatively, we can right-click cell B3 to choose Format Cells from the contextual menu or press Ctrl + 1 to access the Format Cells window. And then click the Border tab to open it.
- Step 2: Next, choose Outline under Presets.
Now, the Border options we can set for the chosen cell will get highlighted.
Next, click the diagonal border option on the left in the Border section.
Now, the diagonal border option on the right will also get highlighted, indicating we can use it.
And then, click the diagonal border cell on the right in the Border section.
Finally, clicking OK will close the Format Cells window, and the chosen cell will have two-diagonal borders inside.
- Step 3: Though we can enter data in cell B3, we shall select Insert → Text → Text Box to insert a text box inside the cell for updating the required data.
- Step 4: Next, with the cursor at the required position inside cell B3, press Ctrl and drag the cursor to create a text box.
Next, set the required font settings using the options from the Font group in the Home tab. Then, type the required data in the text box, as shown below:
- Step 5: Then, repeat steps 3 and 4 to create and update data in text boxes in the remaining parts of the cell.
And then, right-click the first text box to choose Format Shape from the contextual menu.
Now, the Format Shape window will open, where we must set Line as No line in the Fill & Line tab to remove the text box border.
Now, iterate the above two steps from the remaining text boxes to achieve the desired outcome.
Similarly, if we want to delete the borders in cell B3, we can choose cell G6 and press Ctrl + Shift + _. The option will remove borders in Excel, both inside and outside the chosen cell.
Important Things To Note
- When you need to set the border in Excel for a cell or range, select the cell or range before choosing the required border type.
- Except for the More Borders option, all other options under the Border function help manage borders outside the chosen cell or range. And the More Borders option helps select border settings to apply inside a cell or range.
- While the Draw Border option helps draw a border around a cell range, the Draw Border Grid enables one to draw a border around each cell in a range.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We can choose Home → Border → Bottom Border or press Alt + H + B + O to insert the bottom border in the select cell or range. Similarly, choose Home → Border → Top Border or press Alt + H + B + P to insert the top border in the select cell or range
Otherwise, choose Home → Border → Top and Bottom Border or, press Alt + H + B + D to insert the top and bottom borders.
For example, the image below shows a scorecard without an outline border.
And the requirement is to add an outline border in a specific color around the given data. Then, the steps are as follows:
• Step 1: To start with, select Home → Border → Draw Border.
The cursor appears as a pen when we choose the Draw Border option.
• Step 2: Next, choose Home → Border → Line Color to select the required border color.
And then, click Home → Border → Line Styles and select the required border style.
• Step 3: Now, with the cursor at the top-left corner of the dataset, press Ctrl. Then, drag the cursor across the dataset range to draw the border or outline in the chosen color.
Next, click the Border function in the Home tab or press Esc to unselect the Draw Border option and get the default cursor.
• Step 4: Then, click the View tab. Uncheck the Gridlines option to achieve the desired dataset with an outline in the chosen color.
Borders in Excel may not appear if the Draft quality option in the Sheet tab is selected.
To resolve the border visibility,
1) First, choose the Page Layout tab → click the Page Layout dialog box launcher icon to open the Page Layout window.
2) Next, click the Sheet tab in the Page Layout window and uncheck the Draft quality option in the Print section.
3) Then, click Print Preview to confirm the borders are visible in the print setup.
4) Finally, click OK in the Page Layout window.
Download Template
This article must be helpful to understand the Border In Excel, with its formula and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.
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