Copy Excel to Word Without Gridlines: Easy Methods

To copy an Excel range into Word without visible gridlines, select the cells, turn off View > Gridlines in Excel, copy the range, and paste it into Word. If the pasted result is a Word table, remove any actual cell borders separately; if you need an exact, fixed-looking copy, paste the range as a picture instead.

Why lines can appear in Word

Excel uses the word gridlines for the faint worksheet guides that separate cells on screen. They are not the same as cell borders. Gridlines are generally a viewing aid, while borders are formatting applied to cells. Excel gridlines are not printed by default, and ordinary copying of cells does not normally turn those viewing guides into cell-border formatting.

Lines in Word can nevertheless appear for several reasons. The copied cells may have actual borders; Word may apply a table style with borders; or Word may be displaying nonprinting table gridlines to help you edit a borderless table. A pasted picture can also show the lines if the source range was captured with gridlines visible. Identifying which kind of line you see makes the fix much simpler.

Lines around individual cells in a Word table: check for table borders or a table style.
Faint guides visible only while editing: they may be Word table gridlines, which do not print.
Lines inside a pasted image: recopy the range with Excel gridlines hidden or use the print-style picture option.

The quickest method for a normal paste

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, open the worksheet containing the range and select View > Gridlines to clear the checkbox. Select the cells, press Ctrl+C, switch to Word, and paste with Ctrl+V. If Excel’s guides were the source of the lines, hiding them before copying is a useful first step, especially when the destination is a picture or linked Excel object.

In Excel, open the correct worksheet. Gridline visibility is a worksheet-level setting, so check the sheet that contains the selected cells.
Choose View and clear Gridlines in the Show area.
Select the range and press Ctrl+C.
In Word, click where the content should go and press Ctrl+V.
Inspect the result. If it is a table with borders, use the border steps below; if it is a picture, check that the source was copied with gridlines hidden.

On a Mac, the ribbon layout and shortcut labels differ: copying is usually Command+C and pasting is Command+V. Find the gridline control on Excel’s View tab; its position can vary with the ribbon layout and Excel release. In Excel for the web, use the View tab’s gridline control if available. A normal paste may also depend on browser and clipboard behavior.

Remove real borders from a pasted Word table

If Word has inserted the cells as an editable table, hiding Excel gridlines may not remove lines created by borders or a Word table style. Click inside the table and select the table or the cells you want to change. On the contextual Table Design tab in Word for Windows, choose Borders > No Border. This removes the selected table’s visible borders; it does not delete the text or values.

Some Word tables without borders still show faint cell guides on screen. Click in the table, open the contextual Table Layout tab, and use View Gridlines to switch those guides off. The command changes the editing display, not the printed document. Ribbon names or placement can vary slightly by Word version, and on Mac the contextual table tabs may be arranged differently.

Before removing borders, consider whether the table needs a defined outside edge or header separators. You can apply a specific border instead of choosing No Border for the whole table. For example, a report may look cleaner with no internal lines but a bottom border beneath the column headings. Use the table’s border controls to apply only the lines the layout needs.

Use Copy as Picture for a fixed appearance

When the exact Excel appearance matters more than editing the cells in Word, copy the range as a picture. In Excel for Windows, select the range, then use Home > Copy dropdown > Copy as Picture. In the dialog, choose As shown on screen or As shown when printed, select Picture, and confirm. Paste the copied image into Word.

For a picture that excludes screen gridlines, turn them off before choosing As shown on screen. Alternatively, choose As shown when printed and check the worksheet’s print settings: Excel gridlines are not printed by default, but a worksheet can be set to print them through Page Layout > Sheet Options > Gridlines > Print. If Print is enabled, the print-style picture may include gridlines. The result is visually stable, but the cells are no longer individually editable as a Word table.

On a Mac, the Copy as Picture command and dialog may differ by Excel version. If you cannot find it, a regular copy followed by Word’s paste options may offer a picture format. Check the pasted result before relying on it, especially for a document that will be printed or shared.

Choose the right paste format

Word can receive copied Excel data in more than one form. The best choice depends on whether you need to edit the contents, preserve formatting, or keep the layout fixed. After copying, use Word’s paste options or Home > Paste dropdown to review the available formats. The exact choices depend on the source, Office version, and clipboard contents.

Editable Word table: useful when you need to adjust text, column widths, or table formatting in Word. Check its borders and style after pasting.
Keep Source Formatting: can preserve more of Excel’s appearance, though Word may still represent the result as a table. Inspect the border settings rather than assuming all visible lines are Excel gridlines.
Picture: useful for a chart-like or carefully arranged range that should not change. It is harder to edit and may become blurry if enlarged, depending on the picture format.
Embedded or linked Excel object: suitable when spreadsheet editing or a live connection is important, but it adds complexity and may not behave like ordinary Word text.

For a small data table that readers may need to edit, an editable Word table is usually the practical choice. For a compact dashboard or a range with merged cells and precise colors, a picture can preserve the layout more faithfully. A linked object is usually unnecessary if the goal is simply to show a clean snapshot.

Check Excel borders and print settings

If lines remain in the pasted table, inspect the original Excel cells for actual borders. Select the source range and open Home > Borders in the Font group. A border can be applied to the outside edge, inside cells, or selected sides. Choose No Border only if you want to remove those formatted lines from the source cells; doing so changes the workbook’s appearance too.

For a clean copy without changing the workbook’s normal on-screen display, you can remove borders from a duplicate range or use a picture. Also distinguish screen display from printing: the View > Gridlines checkbox controls worksheet visibility, while the Print setting under Page Layout > Sheet Options > Gridlines controls whether worksheet gridlines print. These are separate settings. A worksheet can show gridlines on screen but omit them from print output, or be configured to print them.

If you want only the Word version to be borderless, do not remove borders from the original Excel cells unless that change is also desired in the workbook. Instead, paste into Word and adjust the Word table, or copy as a picture with the appropriate gridline display.

Common problems and fixes

The lines appear only in Word while editing. Click inside the table and switch off Table Layout > View Gridlines. These guides are not printed. If a print preview or PDF still shows solid lines, they are likely actual borders, not editing guides.

The pasted table has solid outlines. Select the relevant Word table cells and use Table Design > Borders > No Border, or apply only the borders you want. A table style may also add lines, so try a different style or clear the border formatting.

The picture has faint cell lines. Return to Excel, turn off worksheet gridlines, and use Copy as Picture again. If using the print-style option, verify whether Excel is set to print gridlines.

The columns become too narrow or the table runs off the page. A Word page has different dimensions from an Excel worksheet. Adjust Word table column widths, use a landscape page layout if appropriate, or copy a smaller range. A picture can be resized, but enlarging it too much may reduce clarity.

The pasted content is difficult to edit. It was probably pasted as a picture or object. Undo immediately if appropriate, then paste again using an editable table option. If you have already continued editing, copying the original range again may be easier than trying to convert the picture back into cells.

Which method is best for a report?

For most reports, choose an editable Word table and remove unwanted borders in Word. This keeps the content accessible for later editing and lets Word’s page layout control the final result. Use a picture when preserving a carefully designed worksheet layout is more important than editing individual values. Use an embedded or linked workbook only when the recipient needs spreadsheet functionality or you have a clear reason to maintain a connection to the source.

Think about what will happen after pasting. A colleague may need to revise a figure, a reader may print the document, or the file may be opened on a different computer. An editable table is generally easier to revise; a picture is more predictable visually; and a link can be sensitive to file location and access. Choose based on the document’s purpose rather than simply selecting the option that looks right in the first moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Excel copy gridlines into Word?
Ordinary copying does not usually copy worksheet gridlines as cell borders. Lines in Word are more often actual Excel borders, Word table borders or styles, or nonprinting Word table guides. A picture can capture gridlines that were visible in Excel.

How do I remove lines from an Excel table pasted into Word?
Click the pasted table, select the cells or table, and choose Table Design > Borders > No Border. If the lines are faint editing guides rather than solid borders, use Table Layout > View Gridlines instead.

Will hiding Excel gridlines change the workbook?
It changes the gridline display for that worksheet, not the cell values. It is separate from the worksheet’s print-gridline setting. If you want to keep the workbook’s original display, use a duplicate sheet or adjust the pasted content in Word.

How can I paste Excel cells into Word as an image?
In Excel for Windows, select the range and choose Home > Copy dropdown > Copy as Picture, select a display option and Picture, then paste in Word. Turn off gridlines first if the picture should not show them.

Why do lines show on screen but not when I print?
They may be Word’s nonprinting table gridlines, which help show cell boundaries while editing. Switch off View Gridlines on the table’s contextual Layout tab. If lines appear in print preview, inspect the table’s actual borders.

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

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