The complete guide to applying borders to a selection. Learn what all of those icons actually do on the borders tab. Episode 344 shows you how.
This blog is the video podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 277 tips from the book!
This blog is the video podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 277 tips from the book!
Transcript of the video:
Hey, welcome back to the MrExcel podcast, I'm Bill Jelen.
Let's take a quick look at how to apply borders.
Today I have a worksheet here, where I've selected a range, and I'm going to go to the Format Cells dialog box, and choose the Border tab.
On the Border tab, it's important to choose the Line style and the color first, before you apply any borders.
So let's say that I wanted a double outline border in maybe blue or something like that, so we'll choose blue, OK.
Now that I've chosen the color and the line style, I can begin to apply the borders, there's three different ways to do it.
At the top there's three preset buttons, one for the Outline, which is the outline of the entire range, and then one for the Inside, which is all of the cells within the range.
So right now I've just chosen the outline, let's take a look at that, we have a double border outline around the entire range.
Now if I want to fill in all the interior gridlines, I'll go back to the Border, choose a different style, and click the Inside button, and it will fill in the grid lines inside my selection.
There's also, get rid of all of our borders, there's also Options all the way around the outside of the border, where we can choose specific borders.
So for example, if I chose a red color, and then say that I want borders on the top, that will put a border only on the top of the selection.
This horizontal bar will put a border between every cell in this election, and this will put a border along the bottom of the selection, click OK, we'll take a look at that.
The other interesting option is there's cross-through borders, these diagonal borders will actually draw lines right through the center of the selection.
Let me choose this one, and this one, and it actually does each individual cell.
Not sure exactly why you would want to do this unless you're indicating that an option isn't available, and you don't want to you strikethrough.
Now, you also note that some of the minor border options can be controlled using the borders drop-down, borders drop-down is on the Formatting toolbar, and I'll show you a cool trick.
Once this drop-down is open, you can actually click on the dots, and drag to make it be a floating palette right next to your data, so to clear all borders, you use that.
Again, most of these options are just applying borders to the outside edge of your selection.
The only one that will draw borders through the all cells in the selection is this All Borders option.
For absolute control, though, use the Format Cells on the Border tab!
Hey, thanks for stopping by, we'll see you next time for another podcast from MrExcel!
Let's take a quick look at how to apply borders.
Today I have a worksheet here, where I've selected a range, and I'm going to go to the Format Cells dialog box, and choose the Border tab.
On the Border tab, it's important to choose the Line style and the color first, before you apply any borders.
So let's say that I wanted a double outline border in maybe blue or something like that, so we'll choose blue, OK.
Now that I've chosen the color and the line style, I can begin to apply the borders, there's three different ways to do it.
At the top there's three preset buttons, one for the Outline, which is the outline of the entire range, and then one for the Inside, which is all of the cells within the range.
So right now I've just chosen the outline, let's take a look at that, we have a double border outline around the entire range.
Now if I want to fill in all the interior gridlines, I'll go back to the Border, choose a different style, and click the Inside button, and it will fill in the grid lines inside my selection.
There's also, get rid of all of our borders, there's also Options all the way around the outside of the border, where we can choose specific borders.
So for example, if I chose a red color, and then say that I want borders on the top, that will put a border only on the top of the selection.
This horizontal bar will put a border between every cell in this election, and this will put a border along the bottom of the selection, click OK, we'll take a look at that.
The other interesting option is there's cross-through borders, these diagonal borders will actually draw lines right through the center of the selection.
Let me choose this one, and this one, and it actually does each individual cell.
Not sure exactly why you would want to do this unless you're indicating that an option isn't available, and you don't want to you strikethrough.
Now, you also note that some of the minor border options can be controlled using the borders drop-down, borders drop-down is on the Formatting toolbar, and I'll show you a cool trick.
Once this drop-down is open, you can actually click on the dots, and drag to make it be a floating palette right next to your data, so to clear all borders, you use that.
Again, most of these options are just applying borders to the outside edge of your selection.
The only one that will draw borders through the all cells in the selection is this All Borders option.
For absolute control, though, use the Format Cells on the Border tab!
Hey, thanks for stopping by, we'll see you next time for another podcast from MrExcel!
