XL: Diagonal Border Disappears with Rotated Text

In Microsoft Excel, when you use rotated text (any angle between 90 and -90 degrees) and a diagonal border in the same cell, the diagonal border may disappear.

This behavior can occur because when text is rotated in a cell, the left and right cell borders automatically adjust to the same angle as the rotated text. Therefore, the diagonal border is unnecessary.

The following example shows you how to format a cell so that the cell contents are rotated and the cell borders (left and right) are rotated at the same angle as the cell contents.

1. Create a new workbook and type the following data into Sheet1:

      A1:   B1:
      A2:   B2: sample data
   					

2. Select cell B2, and then click Cells on the Format menu.
3. In the Format Cells dialog box, click the Alignment tab, and then under Orientation, set the number of degrees to -45.
4. Click the Border tab, and then under Presets, click Outline.
5. Click OK.

The cell text and the left and right cell borders are rotated 45 degrees.

NOTE: In step 4, if you also click either diagonal border style, the diagonal border does not appear in the cell. Any time you use rotated text and apply a border to any one of the cell sides, the diagonal border does not appear.

For more information about rotated text, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type center, align, indent, or rotate data in a cell in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

For more information about how to troubleshoot rotated text, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type troubleshoot formatting cells in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.