Dear Readers,
 
If you are a Microsoft Excel user then you must have come to a situation where you want to show you data in a particular area and rest all the area you want to make it plane white (without lines or grid). Something like depicted in below image:

My Data Sheet - Formating Trick

How do we do this formatting GENERALLY?

Generally we follow the below steps to achieve this formatting:
Step 1.
Select the whole sheet by clicking on the corner of the sheet

Step 2.
Now Select “No Border” as shown in Image

Step 3. Your whole sheet looks something like this

Step 4. Now you fill white color in it.

Step 5. Format your data area in whatever format you want to. Rest all will remain as while plain background.

Now you are done with your formatting !!

Same formatting mentioned above can be achieved in a SMARTER way

A SMART way of doing the above formatting

Follow the below steps:
Step 1.
Select the whole sheet by clicking on the corner of the sheet

Step 2.
Now Select “No Border” as shown in Image

Step 3. Format your data area in whatever format you want to.
Step 4. NOW THIS IS THE SMART STEP – Rather filling White color in rest all the cells you just select the whole sheet and “Uncheck” the “Gridlines” checkbox under “View” tab in the Ribbon:

Now you are done with your formatting !!

Why Second method is Better than the First One?

There are 3 benefits of doing so:

1. Faster

This formatting can be achieved simply after or before your “Data Area” formatting. But if you are doing it by first method then you should first do the background formatting and then your data area formatting. If missed to do so then your data area formatting will be overridden by this formatting but this is not the case with the second method. That is why I call it as “SMART” method as well.

2. File Size

Size of the Workbook with the first formatting method is always more than the second method used. I have created 2 Workbook with 4 Sheets in each workbook.
In all the 4 sheets I did the same formatting as above using both the methods and you can see the file size using the Method 1 and Method 2 as show below:

Fill White Color and No Gridline

Try doing the second method for such formatting. You can find it easy and lighter 😛

Cheers !!! Got simply another BETTER way of doing things in Excel