[Excel VBA] How to Set Detailed Cell Borders (Using Edge vs. Inside)

Overview

In Excel, adding borders to cells helps clarify the structure of a table. There are many situations where you need to apply different settings to specific parts, such as the outer frame, inner lines, top, bottom, left, or right.

In this article, I will explain how to set and retrieve detailed cell border settings using VBA. I will also explain how to hide Excel’s default gridlines to make your custom borders stand out.

Sample Code

Sub SetDetailedCellBorders()

    Dim targetRange As Range
    Set targetRange = Range("E3:G6")

    ' Set the top edge border to a medium continuous line
    With targetRange.Borders(xlEdgeTop)
        .LineStyle = xlContinuous
        .Weight = xlMedium
    End With

    ' Set the bottom edge border to a medium continuous line
    With targetRange.Borders(xlEdgeBottom)
        .LineStyle = xlContinuous
        .Weight = xlMedium
    End With

    ' Set the inside horizontal borders to dotted lines
    targetRange.Borders(xlInsideHorizontal).LineStyle = xlDot

    ' Hide gridlines (Improves visibility)
    ActiveWindow.DisplayGridlines = False

End Sub

Code Explanation

.Borders(xlEdgeTop) / .Borders(xlEdgeBottom)

These commands set the borders for the top and bottom edges of the selected range.

• LineStyle: Set to xlContinuous (Solid line).
• Weight: Set to xlMedium (Medium thickness).

.Borders(xlInsideHorizontal)

This applies a style to the horizontal lines inside the cell range. Here, we used xlDot (Dotted line).

To control vertical lines inside the range, use .Borders(xlInsideVertical).

ActiveWindow.DisplayGridlines = False

This hides the faint gray gridlines that appear on the Excel sheet by default. This makes the borders you drew with VBA stand out, making the table easier to read.

List of Available Border Positions (Constants)

Constant Name	Target Area
xlEdgeTop	Top edge of the range
xlEdgeBottom	Bottom edge of the range
xlEdgeLeft	Left edge of the range
xlEdgeRight	Right edge of the range
xlInsideHorizontal	Horizontal lines inside the range
xlInsideVertical	Vertical lines inside the range

Examples of Line Styles and Weights

LineStyle Examples:

Constant	Description
xlContinuous	Solid line
xlDot	Dotted line
xlDash	Dashed line

Weight Examples:

Constant	Description
xlThin	Thin line
xlMedium	Medium line
xlThick	Thick line

Application Examples

• Formatting tables for printing.
• Visually distinguishing between input fields and labels in a form.
• Dynamically changing border styles based on specific conditions.

Summary

In this article, I introduced how to strictly control cell borders using VBA. By using the Borders property, you can flexibly control every part of the border, including the outer frame, inner lines, and individual sides.

Using borders effectively makes Excel tables clearer and easier to read. Please use this technique when creating reports or formatting forms.