Remove Borders & Fills in Excel: Step-by-Step

This guide shows you how to clear borders and cell fills (background colors) in Microsoft Excel, returning your spreadsheet to a clean, default look. You’ll learn the quickest methods using the ribbon, right-click menus, and keyboard shortcuts, plus how to remove formatting from entire sheets or only specific ranges. No prior Excel experience is needed—just open your workbook and follow along.

What You’ll Need

• Microsoft Excel (2016, 2019, 2021, or Microsoft 365; steps are similar on Mac, though shortcut keys may differ).
• An open workbook containing the cells with borders or fills you want to remove.

Step-by-Step

1. Select the cells that have the borders or fills. Click and drag to highlight a range, or click the corner button (the triangle where row and column headers meet) to select the entire sheet.
2. Remove borders using the ribbon: Go to the Home tab. In the Font group, click the arrow next to the Borders button (it looks like a square divided into four quadrants). From the dropdown, choose No Border. This instantly removes all borders from the selected cells.
3. Remove fills using the ribbon: Still on the Home tab, in the Font group, click the arrow next to the Fill Color button (it looks like a paint bucket). Select No Fill from the dropdown. This clears the background color from the selected cells.
4. Alternative: use the right-click menu. Right-click the selected cells, choose Format Cells (or press Ctrl+1 on Windows / Cmd+1 on Mac). In the dialog box, go to the Border tab and click the None preset under “Presets.” Then go to the Fill tab and click No Color. Click OK.
5. Remove all formatting (including borders and fills) at once: If you want to strip all formatting—not just borders and fills—select the cells, go to the Home tab, and in the Editing group, click Clear (the eraser icon). Choose Clear Formats. This removes borders, fills, font styles, number formats, and alignment, leaving only the values.
6. Use the Format Painter to copy “clean” formatting (optional): If you have a cell with no borders or fill, select it, click the Format Painter (in the Clipboard group on the Home tab), then click the cells you want to clean. This copies the “no formatting” style over.
7. Remove borders from a table or range: If the borders come from an Excel Table or a named range, select a cell inside the table, go to the Table Design tab (or Table on Mac), and in the Table Styles group, choose a style with no borders, or click Convert to Range to remove the table formatting entirely (confirm when prompted).

Common Mistakes

• Only removing borders from the active cell. If you forget to select the entire range, only the cell you clicked will be cleared. Always highlight the full area first.
• Using “Clear All” instead of “Clear Formats.” “Clear All” removes the cell contents too, which may delete data you need. Use “Clear Formats” to keep values.
• Confusing fill with conditional formatting. If the fill color doesn’t disappear after using “No Fill,” it might be applied through conditional formatting. Check the Home tab > Conditional Formatting > Clear Rules > Clear Rules from Selected Cells.
• Clicking the border button instead of the arrow. Clicking the button itself applies the last-used border style; you must click the small arrow to see the “No Border” option.

Tips

• Use keyboard shortcuts: After selecting cells, press Ctrl+Shift+_ (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+_ (Mac) to remove borders. For fills, there’s no direct shortcut, but you can use Alt+H+H to open the fill color dropdown, then press N for “No Fill” (Windows).
• Clear formatting from an entire sheet: Click the Select All button (the triangle at the top-left corner), then use Clear Formats. This resets the whole sheet to default.
• Use the Format Cells dialog for precise control: If you only want to remove certain border lines (e.g., only the top border), use the Border tab in Format Cells and click the specific border buttons to toggle them off.
• Save a backup before mass-clearing: If you’re working on a complex sheet, duplicate the worksheet (right-click the tab > Move or Copy > Create a copy) before removing formatting, so you can revert if needed.

Troubleshooting

• Borders or fills won’t go away. This usually means the formatting is applied via a Table style or Conditional Formatting. For tables, convert to range or change the table style to “None.” For conditional formatting, go to Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules and delete the relevant rules.
• “No Fill” is grayed out. This can happen if the selection includes merged cells or if you’re in a protected sheet. Unmerge cells or unprotect the sheet (Review tab > Unprotect Sheet) first.
• Borders reappear when you type. This indicates the cells have a custom number format or a style that includes borders. Check the cell’s style (Home > Cell Styles) and reset it to “Normal.”
• You accidentally removed data with “Clear All.” Use Undo (Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z) immediately. If you’ve closed the file, you may recover a previous version via File > Info > Version History (if using OneDrive or SharePoint).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I remove borders from the entire worksheet at once?

Click the Select All button (the triangle at the top-left corner of the grid), then go to Home > Borders > No Border. This clears all borders on the sheet.

Why does my fill color not disappear when I choose “No Fill”?

The fill might be applied through conditional formatting or a table style. Check Conditional Formatting > Clear Rules, or convert the table to a range.

Can I remove borders and fills without deleting the cell contents?

Yes, use “Clear Formats” (Home > Clear > Clear Formats) which only removes formatting, not values. Alternatively, use the Borders and Fill Color dropdowns as described.

Is there a way to remove borders from a range but keep the gridlines?

Yes, removing cell borders doesn’t affect the sheet gridlines. Gridlines are a view setting—toggle them via View > Show > Gridlines.

What’s the difference between “Clear Formats” and “Clear All”?

“Clear Formats” removes only formatting (borders, fills, fonts, number formats). “Clear All” removes formatting plus the cell’s contents and comments.

How do I remove borders from a specific side of a cell?

Select the cells, open Format Cells (Ctrl+1), go to the Border tab, and click the individual border buttons (top, bottom, left, right) to toggle them off. You can also use the border drawing tool under Home > Borders > Line Color, then draw over the border to erase it.

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