How To Highlight in Excel Like a Pro

Do you need to make important data stand out in your Excel spreadsheet?

Microsoft Excel allows users to highlight cells, rows, and columns in various ways. So, you can easily emphasize important numbers, flag errors, or categorize information.

In this guide, you will learn different ways to highlight in Excel, ranging from simple fill color to advanced conditional formatting.

Highlighting Cells Using Fill Color

A quick way to make data stand out in Excel is to highlight cells using fill color. This method allows you to manually apply a background color to selected cells to easily identify them at a glance. Here's how to do it in two stages:

Stage 1: Selecting cells to highlight.

Before applying a highlight, you need to select the desired cells. You can highlight:

• An individual cell by clicking on it.

• A range of cells by clicking and dragging.

• An entire row or column by clicking the row number or column letter.

• Non-adjacent cells by holding Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) while selecting.

Stage 2: Applying fill color.

To highlight using fill color:

1. Go to the Home tab on the Excel ribbon.

2. Click the Fill Color icon (paint bucket symbol) in the Font group.

   

3. Choose a color from the drop-down palette.

   

Read more: How to alternate row colors in Excel.

Creating and Using Custom Cell Styles for Highlighting

If you frequently use a specific highlighting style, you can create a Custom Cell Style to save time. This method ensures consistency in formatting across large datasets. See how to create a new style below:

Stage 1: Create a custom cell style.

1. Open Excel and select a cell that you want to format.

   

2. Go to the Home tab and click Cell Styles in the Styles group.

   

3. Click New Cell Style at the bottom of the dropdown.

   

4. Enter a descriptive name in the Style Name box (e.g., “Highlight - Important”).

   

5. Click the Format button, and in the Format Cells dialog box, customize:

   • Fill (choose a background color for highlighting)

   • Font (change text color, bold, or italicize if needed)

   • Borders (add borders for better visibility)

     

6. Click OK, then OK again, to save the style.

   

Stage 2: Apply the custom cell style.

1. Select the cell(s) you want to highlight.

2. Go to the Home tab, click Cell Styles, and choose your newly created style.

   

Utilizing Conditional Formatting for Dynamic Highlighting

Conditional formatting instructs Excel to automatically highlight cells based on predefined rules. For example, you can choose to highlight all cells with values greater than 100. Here are different ways to highlight cells with conditional formatting.

Example 1: Highlight based on cell value.

If you want to highlight cells that meet a specific condition (e.g., values greater than 100):

1. Select the range of cells you want to format.

   

2. Go to the Home tab and click Conditional Formatting in the Styles group.

   

3. Choose Highlight Cells Rules, then select a rule like:

   • Greater Than… (e.g., highlight values over 100)

   • Less Than…

   • Equal To…

   • Between…

     

4. Enter the value and choose a formatting style (color, bold, etc.).

   

5. Click OK—Excel will highlight cells meeting the condition automatically.

   

Example 2: Use a formula to highlight cells.

For more advanced highlighting, you can use a formula:

1. Select the range where you want the rule applied.

2. Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > New Rule.

   

3. Select Use a formula to determine which cells to format.

4. Enter a formula (e.g., to highlight values greater than 15 in column E: =E2>15).

   

5. Click Format, choose a custom color, and click OK.

   

Result:

Example 3: Highlight duplicate values.

As an Excel user, you don't need to go through the stress of finding duplicate cells manually. To quickly find duplicates in Excel:

1. Select the range of data.

2. Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Duplicate Values.

   

3. Choose a formatting option and click OK.

   

Result:

Highlighting Specific Text Within a Cell

If you need to emphasize part of a text within a cell, you can change the font color. You can highlight key terms within long text entries.

1. Double-click the cell to enter edit mode.

2. Select the text you want to highlight.

   

3. Go to the Home tab and click the Font Color icon.

   

4. Choose a color from the palette.

   

Keyboard Shortcuts for Quick Highlighting

If you are in a hurry, you can highlight in Excel with keyboard shortcuts. Here are some shortcuts to speed up your workflow:

• Apply Fill Color: Alt + H + H (Windows)

• Remove Fill Color: Alt + H + H + N

• Open Conditional Formatting: Alt + O + D

Tips and Best Practices for Highlighting in Excel

Highlighting in Excel can enhance data visualization, but it should be done strategically to maximize its effectiveness. Here are some key tips and best practices to ensure clarity and efficiency when using highlights in your spreadsheets:

1. Use contrasting colors to ensure visibility.

2. Avoid over-highlighting, as excessive color can reduce readability.

3. Stick to a color scheme for consistency in reports.

4. Use conditional formatting for automated highlighting to reduce manual effort.

Final Thoughts

You can highlight information in Excel using basic fill color, custom styles, or advanced conditional formatting. Study and practice these techniques to start highlighting like a pro. You should also remember to follow our tips and best practices.

For more easy-to-follow Excel guides and the latest Excel Templates, visit Simple Sheets and the related articles section of this blog post.

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FAQ

1. How do I remove highlighting from a cell in Excel?

To remove highlighting, select the cell(s), go to the Home tab, click the Fill Color icon, and choose No Fill.

2. Can I highlight entire rows automatically based on a condition?

Yes, use conditional formatting with a formula-based rule. Select the range, go to Conditional Formatting, choose New Rule, and enter a formula like =$A1>100 to highlight rows where column A exceeds 100.

3. Is there a way to highlight duplicates in Excel?

Yes, go to Conditional Formatting, select Highlight Cells Rules, and choose Duplicate Values to automatically highlight repeated entries.

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