Excel spreadsheet not showing gridlines

When using a program at work, I often export reports generated there to download them as an Excel spreadsheet. It works fairly well, except that the resulting spreadsheet doesn’t show gridlines. I know that one may show or hide gridlines by using the settings found in the View tab on the menu ribbon, but that wasn’t working to show the gridlines in my case. I like my gridlines!

Apparently the software we use generates Excel reports with a gray background, which masks the gridlines. The solution was to make sure that the “no fill” option is selected for the background color (or “Fill Color”) which is the menu option that looks like a wee paint can tipping over. I got my gridlines back!

Also, if you want to print your gridlines, please know that they don’t print by default. Head into the Page Layout tab and find “Gridlines” in the formatting options and make sure the box is checked.