Excel: How to Hide Dashed Page Break Lines on a Sheet

To hide dashed page break lines in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, open File > Options > Advanced, find Display options for this worksheet, select the worksheet you want, and clear Show page breaks. The lines disappear from the worksheet display; this does not change how the sheet will print.

Hide page break lines in Excel for Windows

The setting is in Excel’s advanced options, rather than on the Page Layout tab. Follow these steps:

Open the worksheet where the dashed lines are visible.
Select File > Options.
In the Excel Options window, select Advanced.
Scroll to Display options for this worksheet.
Check the worksheet name in the dropdown. If necessary, choose the sheet whose lines you want to hide.
Clear Show page breaks, then select OK.

There may be more than one section labeled Display options. Use the one that specifically says for this worksheet; the nearby general display settings can affect other Excel features. The worksheet dropdown matters because the page-break display option is set separately for each sheet. If the workbook has several sheets with lines, repeat the steps for each one. Save the workbook if you want the display choice to be retained when you reopen it.

What the setting changes—and what it does not

Show page breaks controls whether Excel draws page-break indicators over the worksheet in Normal view. Clearing it is a visual change only. It does not delete a manual page break, change the print area, resize columns, alter margins, or make Excel fit more rows or columns onto a printed page. The workbook’s pagination rules remain in place.

This distinction is useful when the lines make a sheet harder to read or edit. For example, a worksheet might contain a sales table that extends across several printed pages. Hiding the indicators gives you a less cluttered grid while you work, but the same rows and columns can still fall on different pages when printed. Check File > Print if you need to confirm the actual output.

The option is not the same as hiding gridlines. Gridlines separate cells across the worksheet; page break lines mark where Excel expects printed pages to end. If the faint lines cover most of the sheet, you may be looking at gridlines instead. On the ribbon, use View > Gridlines to change their display, or use the worksheet-specific page-break option for pagination markers.

Why dashed lines appear

Excel divides a worksheet into pages for printing based on factors such as paper size, page orientation, margins, scaling, and the print area. In Normal view, it can show where those pages end as lines on the grid. Automatic page breaks are typically shown as dashed lines. They are calculated from the current print setup, so changing paper size or scaling may move them.

Lines often become noticeable after you open Print or Print Preview and return to the worksheet. Their appearance does not mean that Excel has put a border into your cells or altered the data. It is a guide to the current page layout. A wide worksheet, for instance, may show a vertical break between columns F and G because the current page width cannot accommodate all the columns at the selected scale.

Excel may also show page boundaries differently when you switch views. In Page Break Preview, page boundaries are prominent, usually blue lines, and the sheet outside the print area may appear shaded. That view is designed for adjusting pagination, not for a clean editing grid. Returning to Normal view can make the worksheet easier to work in, but it may not by itself turn off dashed indicators that are enabled in the worksheet settings.

Automatic breaks, manual breaks, and page-break view

Not every page-break marker represents the same thing. Understanding the difference helps avoid deleting a layout choice when you only wanted to hide a line:

Automatic breaks are determined by Excel from the current page setup. They can move when the print settings or worksheet contents change.
Manual breaks are inserted by a user to control where a printed page ends. In Normal view, they are commonly distinguished from automatic breaks by a solid line.
Page Break Preview boundaries are the larger page outlines displayed in that view. They are meant to help you inspect or adjust the page layout.

Clearing Show page breaks is the appropriate choice when the goal is simply to remove the indicators from the editing view. It is not a command to remove manual breaks. Conversely, deleting breaks to solve a display annoyance can change printed pages and may undo a deliberate layout decision.

To inspect the sheet in a less busy view, choose View > Normal. In Excel for Windows, the ribbon KeyTips can also be used: press Alt, then W, then L to select Normal view in the standard ribbon layout. KeyTips can vary with ribbon customization and versions. On Mac, use the View menu or the view buttons rather than assuming the Windows key sequence applies.

If you need to change printed pagination

If the problem is not the on-screen lines but where pages break on paper or in a PDF, change the page layout rather than hiding the markers. Start with Page Layout and review the settings that control the output. For example, changing the orientation from portrait to landscape can let more columns fit across a page; choosing a different paper size or adjusting margins can also move automatic breaks.

For deliberate control, use View > Page Break Preview to see the pages and adjust a break where Excel permits. You can also use the Page Layout > Breaks menu to insert or remove page breaks, or choose Reset All Page Breaks to remove manual breaks and return to automatic pagination. Treat that reset as a layout change: it can affect several printed pages, so check Print Preview afterward. If only one page should print, review the print area and scaling settings instead of assuming the dashed line itself is the cause.

A practical example: suppose columns A through H fit across one page, but column I appears on another. Hiding the page-break indicators will not bring column I onto the first page. You would need to adjust the page setup, such as choosing landscape orientation or changing scaling, and then check whether the resulting text remains readable. The right fix depends on whether you value legibility, a particular paper size, or keeping the table on one page.

Excel for Mac and Excel for the web

In Excel for Mac, the page-break display control is in Excel’s view preferences. Depending on the release, open Excel > Settings or Excel > Preferences, choose View, and clear Page breaks under the window options. The exact wording or presentation can differ slightly between Mac releases. This changes the display, not the sheet’s print pagination.

Excel for the web does not provide the same desktop Excel Options path for this worksheet setting. If you cannot find a page-break display checkbox in the browser version, open the workbook in the Excel desktop app and use the Windows or Mac steps above. Browser-based printing and page-layout controls can also differ from the desktop app, so verify the final output in the version you plan to print from.

Common problems and checks

The lines are still there: Return to File > Options > Advanced and check that the dropdown under Display options for this worksheet names the affected sheet. A different sheet may have been selected.
Only some sheets look fixed: The display setting is worksheet-specific. Repeat the change for each affected sheet rather than assuming one checkbox changes the whole workbook.
The lines are blue or the rest of the sheet is shaded: You may be in Page Break Preview. Switch to View > Normal before troubleshooting the dashed lines.
Lines appear between every cell: Those are probably gridlines, not page breaks. Toggle View > Gridlines to check.
The printout still splits unexpectedly: Hiding the indicators cannot change the output. Review the print area, orientation, margins, paper size, scaling, and manual breaks, then inspect Print Preview.

If a setting seems to change back, check whether you are working in the same workbook and sheet, and save the file after changing it. Also distinguish a display issue from a pagination issue before using Reset All Page Breaks; resetting breaks may alter the intended printed layout.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does hiding page break lines change what Excel prints?

No. It hides the on-screen indicators. Excel still uses the current print area, page setup, scaling, and breaks when it creates printed pages or a PDF.

Why do dashed lines return after I close and reopen Excel?

Check that you changed the setting for the correct worksheet and saved the workbook. The option is associated with a worksheet, so changing it on one tab does not automatically change every other tab.

How do I remove page breaks rather than hide the lines?

Use Page Layout > Breaks to remove a selected manual break or choose Reset All Page Breaks to clear manual breaks on the sheet. This changes pagination; it is different from clearing Show page breaks.

Are page break lines the same as gridlines?

No. Gridlines mark cell boundaries throughout the worksheet. Page-break indicators show where printed pages are divided. The two settings are separate, so hiding one will not necessarily hide the other.

Can I hide the lines in Excel for the web?

The desktop Show page breaks checkbox is not available through the same Options path in Excel for the web. Open the workbook in desktop Excel to change that display setting, then save the workbook.

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More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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