Normal View (Interface)
The default view. Just the grid, no page edges, and the fastest view to work in.
The Working View
Normal view shows nothing but your data and the grid. No page margins, no headers, no distractions. This is where you build things.
- Nothing but the grid — No page information
- Fastest to redraw — Less for Excel to draw
- The default — Where every file opens
How to do it
View tab ▸ Workbook Views ▸ Normal or the leftmost view button
If you see faint dotted lines in Normal view, those are page break hints left over after a print preview.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Grid only | No margins or page edges |
| Fastest | Least for Excel to draw |
| Dotted lines | Page break hints after printing |
| Default view | Every new file starts here |
Normal vs the Others
View ▸ Normal the default working view
| View | Page info shown | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | None, or faint hints | Fastest |
| Page Layout | Full pages and margins | Slower |
| Page Break Preview | Blue break lines | Medium |
Result: Fastest
Work in Normal. Switch to the other views only when you are dealing with printing.
Do this
- Do your building in Normal view
- Turn off page break hints if they distract you
- Switch views only for print work
Avoid
- Working permanently in Page Layout view
- Being confused by the faint dotted lines
- Thinking the dotted lines are gridlines
📌 Those faint dotted lines are only a hint. Turn them off at File ▸ Options ▸ Advanced ▸ Show page breaks.
Practice
- Switch to Normal view.
- Open Print Preview and return, then look for dotted lines.
- Turn the page break hints off in Options.
Quick quiz: Faint dotted vertical lines appeared in your sheet after you looked at Print Preview. What are they?
- Gridlines that changed colour
- Page break hints showing where the print would split
- A conditional formatting border
Show answer
File ▸ Options ▸ Advanced ▸ untick Show page breaks — Excel leaves page break hints behind after any print preview.
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