An introduction to using conditional formatting in Excel

Formatting data in a table is a great way to stand out. With conditional formatting, you can take it a step further by automatically highlighting or changing the appearance of cells based on specific criteria. Here’s how it works and how you can use it.

What is conditional formatting and how is it useful?

Conditional formatting in Excel is a feature that allows you to automatically apply specific formatting to cells based on their contents. By defining rules, you can change the appearance of a cell—for example, the background color, font style, or border—when certain conditions are met.

For example, you can use conditional formatting to highlight cells in red if their values ​​fall below a certain number, or use a different color for values ​​above a target. It can also be used to mark overdue tasks, identify low sales or showcase top performers. Using color scales, icon sets, or data bars, conditional formatting makes patterns and trends easy to spot.

Conditional formatting is especially useful for large data sets where manually searching for important information can take a lot of time. It improves data interpretation and helps you spot trends, anomalies, and outliers more easily.

Apply conditional formatting

Whether you’re highlighting key performance indicators, identifying duplicates, or using color scales to express data trends, Excel offers several predefined rules to choose from, as shown below:

To use any of these predefined conditional formatting, follow these steps:

1. Highlight the range of cells you want to format.
2. Go to Home tap the tab Conditional formatting and select your preferred rule from the drop-down menu.
3. In the dialog box that appears, enter the criteria for formatting.
4. Use the drop-down menu to select a formatting style or select Custom format option if you want to create a unique look.
5. Click OK to apply conditional formatting to selected cells.

Excel also allows you to apply multiple rules to the same set of cells, allowing for more complex data analysis. For example, you can use a color scale to show trends while using icon sets to indicate specific thresholds.

If none of the preset rules suit your specific needs, you can create your own. Here is the procedure:

1. Select the cells you want to format and click Conditional Formatting > New Rule.
2. Under Select a rule typeselect the preferred option.
3. IN Edit the rule descriptionenter formatting criteria.
4. Click OK to format data.

Clear conditional formatting

If you find that some conditional formatting rules are outdated or no longer meet your analytical needs, it’s just as easy to delete them and return the data to its original appearance. Here’s how to do it.

1. In the Excel sheet, go to Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules.
2. Next to Show formatting rules forclick the drop-down menu to select This worksheet or a specific sheet.
3. Select the rule you want to delete and click on Delete rule button.

Alternatively, you can select a range of cells from which you want to remove conditional formatting. To do this, go to Conditional Formatting > Clear Rulesand select the option that best suits your needs.

Conditional formatting can transform your tables from simple tables to powerful visual tools. Take the time to experiment with different formatting rules and options to see what works best for your specific needs. For more inspiration and practical tips, see our guide to using conditional formatting for home, school, business or personal use.