cell in excel spreadsheet is gray and cant get it clear

Question

cell in excel spreadsheet is gray and cant get it clear

Lori Guyett 20

When I updated an excel spreadsheet in google sheets, one cell is gray. It is only shared with me. I can't get rid of the shading

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

John Jefferson Doyon 90,530 Independent Advisor

Hi, @Lori Guyett

To help narrow this down:

Are you seeing the gray shading in Google Sheets or after opening the spreadsheet in Excel?
Can you edit other cells in the spreadsheet, or is this particular cell the only one you cannot change?
Do you have Editor access to the shared spreadsheet, or are you limited to Viewer or Commenter access?

In the meantime, try these steps:

In Google Sheets, select the gray cell, click the “Fill color” (paint bucket) icon, and select “Reset” or white.
In Excel, select the cell, go to “Home” > “Fill Color,” and select “No Color.”
If the shading remains, check whether conditional formatting is applying it. In Excel, go to “Home” > “Conditional Formatting” > “Manage Rules.” In Google Sheets, check “Format” > “Conditional formatting.”

If you only have Viewer or Commenter access, you will need the file owner to grant you Editor access before you can change the cell formatting.

Click “Add comment” to let me know.

Thanks!

Lori Guyett 20 Reputation points

2026-10-31T00:36:48.6633333+00:00

I tried all that stuff but yes I did edit the information in all of the cells because I use that as my timesheet and I put it on Google sheet so I can access it if I'm using my laptop and working someplace else. But actually the only thing that worked was me restarting my computer. The gray cell was bordered by red and had my name off to the side when I hovered over it. So somehow it was attached to me and by restarting my computer, it broke that connection and the gray shading in the cell was gone when i went back into it, but thanks for trying to help me.
John Jefferson Doyon 90,530 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-31T00:41:09.0666667+00:00

Thanks for the update! That makes sense. The red border and your name appearing beside the cell were likely Google Sheets' collaborator or active editing indicators rather than actual cell formatting.

Glad restarting your computer cleared it up and restored the normal appearance of the cell.

Thanks for confirming the resolution!
Lori Guyett 20 Reputation points

2026-10-31T00:41:30.6866667+00:00

I tried all that but the only thing that was able to clear that cell which actually was gray and had a red border and when I hovered over it it had my name off to the side so there was a connection to me and Google Sheets, which the Excel spreadsheet was in. The only thing that cleared that was me restarting my computer and when I went back into it that connection to me was broken and the cell was no longer shaded. That Excel file was in Google Sheets because it was used for my timesheet and I could access it on My Drive if I used my laptop and was working another location.
Lori Guyett 20 Reputation points

2026-10-31T00:42:40.33+00:00

Thank you!
John Jefferson Doyon 90,530 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-31T00:44:31.11+00:00

Glad everything is working again. Have a great day!

Answer 2

Select the gray cell in Google Sheets, choose Fill color (paint bucket) → Reset, and if the gray remains, remove the conditional-formatting rule that controls that cell.

Remove the gray formatting

Select the affected cell.
Click Fill color → Reset.
If that does not work, select Format → Clear formatting.
This also removes other formatting from that cell, such as font, borders, and number formatting. ^1^

If the gray returns or cannot be cleared

The shading may be controlled by a rule rather than a normal fill:

Select the cell.
In Google Sheets, open Format → Conditional formatting.
In the side panel, look for a rule whose range includes that cell.
Edit or delete that rule.
Also check Format → Alternating colors and remove the banding if its range includes the cell.

In Excel, the corresponding command is Home → Conditional Formatting → Clear Rules → Clear Rules from Selected Cells. ^2^

If formatting commands are unavailable

Because the workbook is only shared with you, the worksheet may be protected or your access may not permit formatting. A protected sheet can specifically prevent users from changing cell and conditional formatting. ^3^

Open the original file in Excel and check Review:

If you see Unprotect Sheet, the owner must unprotect it or give you the password.
If you only have view access, ask the owner to grant edit access or remove the gray formatting.
If you can edit values but not formats, ask the owner to allow Format cells under the sheet-protection options.

As a final check, download/open the .xlsx file in the Excel desktop application. Select the cell and choose Home → Fill Color ▼ → No Fill. ^4^

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