How to Remove Page Break View in Excel: Normal View

To remove Page Break Preview in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select View > Normal. If you have already returned to Normal view but still see dashed page-break lines, turn off Show page breaks in Excel’s Advanced options for that worksheet. Switching views changes how the sheet appears on screen; it does not delete worksheet data or automatically remove manual print breaks.

Page Break Preview is useful for arranging printed pages, but its page boundaries and scaled layout can make everyday editing harder. The steps below show how to return to a standard worksheet view, hide leftover break indicators, and decide whether print settings need changing. You do not need to select cells or change the workbook before starting.

What You’ll Need

A workbook open in the desktop version of Microsoft Excel. These instructions use Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows; menus can vary slightly in other releases.
Permission to edit the workbook if you plan to change its print breaks or worksheet display settings. You can still change the view in many read-only workbooks, but you may not be able to save changes.

Step-by-Step

Open the worksheet you want to fix. If the workbook has several sheets, click the relevant sheet tab at the bottom. View mode is a workbook window setting, while the display of page-break lines can be specific to a worksheet, so identify the sheet where the lines are bothering you.
Confirm that you are in Page Break Preview. In this view, the worksheet may appear scaled down, with large page numbers such as Page 1 over the cells and prominent blue boundaries around print pages. These visual cues are different from the usual grid view. If the sheet already looks normal, skip to step 4: you may only need to hide the leftover break lines.
Switch to Normal view from the ribbon. Select the View tab, then choose Normal in the Workbook Views group. The worksheet should return to its regular grid, without the large page labels or the page-by-page layout. This is the main action needed to exit Page Break Preview.
Use the status bar as an alternative. At the bottom-right of the Excel window, find the workbook view buttons and select the Normal button. This is handy when the ribbon is collapsed or you want to switch views quickly. If the buttons are not visible, use View > Normal instead. The zoom slider is nearby, but changing zoom alone does not change the workbook view.
Check whether page-break lines remain. Normal view can still show dashed lines where printed pages would end, especially after using Print Preview or Page Break Preview. These lines are guides, not cell borders and not part of the worksheet’s contents. If they do not interfere with your work, you can leave them visible; if you want a cleaner grid, continue to the next step.
Hide the lines for the current worksheet. Select File > Options > Advanced. Scroll to Display options for this worksheet. If the workbook has more than one sheet, check the worksheet name in the dropdown for that section and choose the sheet you are changing. Clear Show page breaks, then select OK. The dashed indicators should disappear from that sheet in Normal view.
Check the result and save if appropriate. Verify that the sheet is back to its usual grid and that the page-break guides are either hidden or still visible as you prefer. Save the workbook if you changed a setting you want to keep. If you only changed the view and do not need to preserve it, saving is optional; workbook view behavior can also depend on the file and how it is opened.
Only reset breaks if you intend to change printing. If your goal is to remove manually placed print breaks—not merely get out of Page Break Preview—select Page Layout > Breaks > Reset All Page Breaks. This removes manual page-break adjustments on the active worksheet and lets Excel calculate breaks again. It is not required to return to Normal view, so do not use it just to hide the blue or dashed guides.

Common Mistakes

Resetting print breaks when you only want to change the view. Page Break Preview is a display mode. Returning to Normal does not require deleting breaks, and resetting them can undo a deliberate print layout. First switch to Normal; reset breaks only when you want Excel to recalculate the printed page divisions.
Assuming dashed lines mean you are still in Page Break Preview. Excel can show page-break indicators in Normal view. Look for large page labels and the scaled page layout to identify Page Break Preview. If those are gone, you have already left that view; clear Show page breaks if you also want to hide the dashed lines.
Changing the wrong worksheet’s setting. The Advanced options section includes a worksheet selector. If you turn off Show page breaks for one sheet, other sheets may continue to show their own guides. Select the correct sheet in the dropdown before changing the checkbox.
Confusing page breaks with cell borders or gridlines. Page-break indicators show where printed pages divide. Cell borders are formatting applied to cells, and gridlines are the light worksheet guides between cells. Hiding page breaks does not remove borders or turn gridlines on or off.
Expecting the setting to alter a printed document. Normal view and Show page breaks affect the screen, not the page content or print scaling by themselves. To adjust what prints, review the print area, paper size, margins, scaling, and page breaks separately.

Tips

Use the view that matches your task. Normal is generally easiest for entering data, using formulas, and formatting cells. Page Break Preview is useful when positioning content across printed pages. Page Layout view shows a page-oriented appearance and can help when checking headers, footers, and margins. You can switch between these views without changing cell values.
Keep print layout separate from screen layout. If a worksheet is meant to print on a particular number of pages, test its appearance using File > Print before changing breaks. The preview helps you see the effect of paper size, orientation, margins, and scaling. Returning to Normal afterward does not undo those print settings.
Remember that worksheet display preferences are per sheet. If the workbook has several tabs and the dashed guides appear on more than one, inspect each sheet. The Show page breaks option is presented for a selected worksheet, so changing it on one sheet does not necessarily change the others.
Do not use zoom as a substitute for switching views. Zoom changes how large cells look on screen. It does not remove page numbers, leave Page Break Preview, or hide page-break indicators. Use View > Normal for the view change, then adjust zoom separately if the grid still feels too large or small.
Be cautious with Reset All Page Breaks. Excel recalculates automatic breaks based on the sheet’s print setup, but manual breaks you deliberately added can be lost. If you are unsure whether a break was intentional, keep the workbook unchanged or save a separate copy before altering print layout.

Troubleshooting

Normal is selected, but dashed lines remain: This is usually expected. Open File > Options > Advanced, choose the correct sheet under Display options for this worksheet, and clear Show page breaks. Then select OK. If the option is already clear, check that you selected the sheet whose lines are visible.

The worksheet still looks like a printed page: Make sure you clicked Normal rather than Page Layout or Page Break Preview. If the ribbon is minimized, expand it or use the Normal view button on the status bar. Also check whether a zoom level makes the grid look unusually small; zoom can be adjusted from the status bar without changing the view.

You cannot find File > Options: Those are Windows desktop instructions. In Excel for Mac, use the View tab and select Normal to leave Page Break Preview. If you need to hide the remaining page-break indicators, look in Excel’s Preferences or Settings under View for a page-break display option; its location and wording can differ by Mac version. Excel for the web has a different interface and may not offer the same Page Break Preview or Advanced options. If a control is absent, open the workbook in desktop Excel to use the Windows steps.

The page breaks return after reopening: Check whether the workbook was saved after changing the relevant setting and whether you are opening the same file. If it is shared or opened in another Excel version, view behavior or display preferences may differ. Reopen the worksheet, switch to Normal, and verify the sheet-specific Show page breaks setting again.

Printed pages still break in the wrong places: Hiding the guides does not change print pagination. Review Page Layout settings such as paper size, orientation, margins, and scaling, or use Page Layout > Breaks to manage breaks. Reset All Page Breaks is appropriate only if you want to discard manual breaks and let Excel determine the page divisions again.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get out of Page Break Preview in Excel?
Select View > Normal, or select the Normal view button at the bottom-right of the Excel window. The regular worksheet grid should return immediately.

Why do I still see page breaks in Normal view?
Normal view may display dashed page-break indicators. To hide them, go to File > Options > Advanced, select the relevant sheet under Display options for this worksheet, and clear Show page breaks.

Does removing Page Break Preview delete my page breaks?
No. Switching to Normal only changes the on-screen view. Your manual and automatic print breaks remain unless you change them through the Page Layout tab or other print settings.

How do I remove a manual page break?
On the worksheet you want to change, use Page Layout > Breaks > Reset All Page Breaks to remove manual breaks and let Excel recalculate the layout. This can affect printing, so use it only when that is what you intend.

Can I do this in Excel for Mac or Excel for the web?
In Excel for Mac, choose Normal from the View tab; the remaining page-break display setting may be under Excel Preferences or Settings and can vary by release. Excel for the web has fewer view and display controls, so use desktop Excel if the needed option is unavailable.

Will changing the view affect my data or formulas?
No. Changing between Normal, Page Break Preview, and Page Layout changes how the worksheet is displayed, not the values or formulas in its cells. Print layout changes, such as resetting manual breaks, are separate.

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

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