Shortcut Keys, Ribbon Options to Add Borders in Excel GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > MS Office

How to Add Add Borders in Excel

Using shortcut keys and ribbon options

By Ted French Ted French Writer Former Lifewire writer Ted French is a Microsoft Certified Professional who teaches and writes about spreadsheets and spreadsheet programs. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 11, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email MS Office Excel Word Powerpoint Outlook

What to Know

Select the cells; press and hold Ctrl + Shift + &.Or, select the cells, go to Home tab > Font > Borders, and select a border style.Or, Home > Borders arrow > Draw borders. Select line color and style. Press Draw Border and draw around cells. Adding borders to your Excel spreadsheet can help you emphasize or separate information to make the document easier to read and use. Here's how to do it using both keyboard shortcuts and ribbon options in Excel versions 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010.

Add Borders Using a Keyboard Shortcut

Use a keyboard shortcut to quickly add a border to the outside edges of one or more selected cells. Highlight the desired range of cells in the worksheet. Press and hold Ctrl + Shift + &. (This shortcut uses the default line color and thickness.) The selected cells will be surrounded by a black border.

Add a Predefined Border From the Ribbon

The Borders option is located under the Home tab. Use it to add predefined borders to cells in your worksheet. Highlight the range of cells in the worksheet to which you want to add a border. On the Home tab, in the Font group, select the arrow next to Borders. Select a border style. The chosen border appears around the selected cells. The Borders button displays the most recently used border style. Select the Borders button (not the arrow) to apply that style.

How to Draw Borders

The Draw Border feature is located at the bottom of the Borders drop-down menu. One advantage of using Draw Border is that it isn't necessary to select cells first. Instead, once the Draw Border option is selected, add borders directly to a worksheet. Draw Border includes options for line color and style, making it easy to vary the appearance of borders used to highlight important blocks of data. Create borders with lines of varying thickness, dotted and dashed lines, and double lines. Select Home and then the Borders arrow. Select Draw Borders. Select Line Color and choose the color you want to use for the border. Select Line Style and choose the line thickness you want to apply to the border. Select Draw Border. The mouse pointer changes into a pencil. Select the side of individual cells where you want to add a single border. Drag with the pointer to add an outside border to a cell or group of cells to finalize your border. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Hide and Unhide Columns, Rows, and Cells in Excel Formatting Numbers in Excel Using Shortcut Keys How to Make a Schedule in Excel How to Merge and Unmerge Cells in Excel How to Add a Border in Google Docs How to Add a Border in Google Slides How to Add and Remove a Border From a Word Document How to Set Print Area in Excel Use Excel's EOMONTH Function to Add or Subtract Months How to Apply Background Colors to Tables in Word How to Count Data in Selected Cells With Excel's COUNTIF Function How to Move Around and Between Worksheet Tabs in Excel How to Make a Timeline on Google Slides Round up Numbers in Excel With the ROUNDUP Function How to Strikethrough In Excel How to Wrap Text and Formulas on Multiple Lines in Excel Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies