Selected cells in an Excel spreadsheet can be emphasized by adding a border to make them stand out. For instance, you might wish to call attention to the result of a calculation. Borders can be formatted in a variety of ways. You can create a border comprised of solid lines or a series of dashes; it can be thin or set to varying degrees of thickness. The default border color in Excel is black, but you can change this to another color, such as orange or red. You can wrap the border around an entire cell or group of cells, or just portions of a cell, such as the top or bottom. You can also use a straight or diagonal line.
Select one cell or a group of cells to which you want to apply the border. To select one cell, simply click on the cell. To select a group of cells, click one of the cells, then hold the “Shift” key on your keyboard and use the arrow keys to expand the selection until the desired area is highlighted. Alternately, press and hold the left mouse button and drag the cursor to expand the range of selected cells.
Click the “Home” tab in the upper left corner of the spreadsheet. A drop-down menu opens. Select the “Font” group and click “Borders” to open a second drop-down menu.
Choose one of the options from the Border menu. For example, click on “Top and Bottom Border,” “Thick Bottom Border” or “All Borders.”
Change the color or thickness of the border, or create a diagonal line by choosing “More Borders” on the menu. When you click this option, the Format dialog opens. Select the “Border" tab and then the desired option.
- Excel 2010 For Dummies; Greg Harvey
- Microsoft: Apply or Remove Cell Borders on a Spreadsheet
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