How to remove box around spreadsheet

Question

How to remove box around spreadsheet

I fully understand how to maniuplate grid lines within Numbers, but how can I remove the box around every spreadsheet I have? I need to export many of them to PDF and this grey line shows up in the PDF as well as the spreadsheet itself. Example image shows the upper right-hand corner of a spreadsheet in which I've hidden some of the grid lines, but the line I'm speaking of is the slightly lighter line across the top and down the right side. This goes around the entire spreadsheet...and the PDF when I export to PDF. Thanks for any help.

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Jan 28, 2014 10:10 AM

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Answer 1

Jan 28, 2014 10:50 AM in response to Larry McJunkin

That line looks like a rectangle or some other feature. You you showing a screenshot from Numbers or a PDF?

If you posted a screenshot from Numbers then try click on the box where my arrow is then type the delete key.

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Answer 2

Jan 28, 2014 10:53 AM in response to Wayne Contello

The other possibility is that in the print dialog you are enabling the border at print time:

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Answer 3

Jan 28, 2014 1:27 PM in response to Wayne Contello

Thanks, but neither is the case. The screenshot is from an actual Numbers 3.1 file and of course prints exactly like it appears in Numbers. And, if I export to PDF, the border also prints.

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Answer 4

Jan 28, 2014 1:36 PM in response to Larry McJunkin

OK. Can you post a screenshot of the window for that document? Also, you can email me the document to look at

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Answer 5

Jan 28, 2014 1:38 PM in response to Wayne Contello

Actually, I can't as it has the names, phone numbers and email addresses for 26 people. That's why I posted only the upper right corner of it...but the single grey line outlines the entire spreadsheed. If you need an entire page I can create a new spreadsheet...but it would still be just a single line around the entire spreadsheet.

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Answer 6

Jan 28, 2014 1:40 PM in response to Larry McJunkin

Make a copy and change, or remove, the names

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Answer 7

Jan 28, 2014 1:47 PM in response to Wayne Contello

Wayne, never mind...I just figured it out. I happened to notice on the right side of the Numbers UI there was a line selected for Table Outline and when I changed that to "None" the grey line went away. I didn't think that was a default setting for a spreadsheet built within a table, but apparently it is.

I've been using MS Office for Mac for many years and every now and then I "try" to get by with iWorks. I hated the latest "dumbed down" version but it looks like with so many people complaining they're starting to add features back in. This all started when I saw the update to iWork a couple of days ago and wanted to try it again. Unfortunately, if you have to work with folks who use Office (on Windows) it's still not a great option.

Thanks for your replies, though.

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Answer 8

SGIII

Level 8

35,336 points

Jan 28, 2014 8:31 PM in response to Larry McJunkin

Hi Larry,

I didn't think that was a default setting for a spreadsheet built within a table, but apparently it is.

I'm guessing your experience is similar to mine when I first tried out Numbers after years with Excel. I just didn't get it. It was only after I realized the advantages of working with discrete tables (as opposed to Excel's one big sheet) that things got easier, much easier.

it looks like with so many people complaining they're starting to add features back in.

None of us are privy to what is going on within Apple, of course, but just a general knowledge of the complexities of software engineering and the typical lead times suggests that the major features added back in had to have been planned quite some time ago. It seems more are likely in the works.

Unfortunately, if you have to work with folks who use Office (on Windows) it's still not a great option.

This depends on what your work involves. I've had few problems in a Window-centric office. In general, if you have to do a lot of printing of precisely formatted documents, Numbers 3 in its current form is not a great choice.

But if you're interested in collaborating, the iCloud sharing has gotten pretty decent (in some ways better than the MS offering). Anyone on any OS with a modern browser can take advantage of that.

And if you want to do data entry in the field on a popular mobile device and have it sync automatically back to a computer, Numbers currently has a big leg up on the competition.

SG

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Answer 9

Jan 28, 2014 8:40 PM in response to SGIII

SGIII, I was just reading the improvements list for iWorks 3.1 and improved compatibility with Office are listed...so someone is listening.

I do come from an Office experience background, and even the last decade with a Mac I've use Office for Mac. I'm not so worried anymore about collaboration...I can make do fine with that. What bothers me the most is that I cant have content organization with iWorks and iCloud.

If I have a project named "The Big Deal" and have several Pages files for it, some Numbers files, a few Text Files, and a couple of PDFs...I'm hosed. I would need a folder named "The Big Deal" in Pages, Numbers, TextEdit, and Preview to accommodate these files. But in Google Drive or Dropbox, even using MS Office for Mac, I just have one project folder named "The Big Deal" for all relevant files.

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