Comments on: How to change the row color based on a cell value in Excel

Learn how to quickly change the color of the entire row based on a single cell's value in your Excel worksheets. Tips and formula examples for number and text values. Continue reading →

Comments page 3. Total comments: 546

  1. thank you very much, it really helped.

  2. Hello Madam / Sir,

    I have a rota for our department. So, each name appears in different cell / different column, multiple times across the sheet.

    Please advice, How can I change the colour of the row depending on the name, which can appear in any cell across the sheet?

    Secondly, can I have a drop down cell with various names,,,, and depending on which name I select in that cell, can I ensure that the row with that name changes colour?

    Please advice

    Thanks

    1. Hello!
      For each name, you can use something like this conditional formatting formula. Set a different color for each name.

      =COUNTIF(2:2,"Mike")>0

      In the case of a cell reference in a formula:

      =COUNTIF(2:2,$A$1)>0

      I hope my advice will help you solve your task.

  3. I have excel sheet and one column I have renewal date. I want to highlight this row before one month
    So I can I use this conditional formatting
    Please revert on my email

  4. Hello,
    I can follow the tutorial above and get it to work on a single value on the same sheet, but I am trying to colour a row based on a cell value in a range of numbers on a 2nd sheet.
    ie, on sheet 1 & 2 are cells in column A numbered with a hash+number #1 , #2, #3 etc.
    If #2 is present in the range of A2:A5000 on Sheet 2, then colour the row with #2 only on Sheet 1.
    Any help would be greatly appreciated thank you

    1. Hello!
      Unfortunately, without seeing your data it hard to give you advice. Please specify what formula you used and what problem or error occurred. Give an example of the source data.
      It’ll help me understand it better and find a solution for you.

  5. How to I apply a color to a single text in a row in excel?
    For example: Miniature doll clothing, dress, size 1
    I want the no. 1 in red on various rows.
    Then, let's say the rest of my 20 rows, the size is size 2, so I want the no. 2 in green
    What formula do I use and how?
    Thanks

    1. Hello!
      I hope you have studied the recommendations in the above tutorial.
      Use conditional formatting with a formula. Set the text color to red when this condition is met:

      =NOT(ISERROR(SEARCH("1",A1,1)))

      For green, use the formula

      =NOT(ISERROR(SEARCH("2",A1,1)))

      I hope it’ll be helpful.

  6. Hello!

    Can you help ?
    I'm looking for solution coloring a cell, or cells regarding a third party cell value.
    Example:
    If cell A1 is 100% or greater, color cell A2:A4 with Green.

    Thanks in advance

    1. Hello Amir!
      The answer to your question is in the article above. Read carefully - How to change a row color based on a number in a single cell

  7. Particluars VALUE VALUE
    APPLE YES YES
    ORANGE NO NO
    GRAPE NO YES
    MANGO YES NO
    I want to change the color of these cells YES YES in green color, NO NO in red color, NO YES in orange color, YES NO in orange color. please assist.

  8. Hello Svetlana ...
    i have a problem with data in excel. How to
    change the color of the text to red when it exceeds 100 characters and those less than 100 characters remain black
    Thank you

  9. on the basis of blank cell in a column, I want the row being highlighted. plz guide

  10. Hi, Thank you for this detailed explanation, I was able to follow it easily. It seems mine isn't quite working properly though. We have a quote tracker, and we change the status to "Sold", "On Hold", or "Denied" in column P starting at row 5. When I change the status in cell P:5 to "Sold" it is supposed to change just row 5 to green but it changes all the rows down to row 500. My formula is =$P$5="Sold", turn to Green fill dark green text, applies to $A$5:$Q$500. There are 500 rows in our sheet and columns up to Q. If I change the formatting to =$P$5="Sold", turn to Green fill dark green text, applies to $A$5:$Q$5 it works correctly and only highlights row 5 when I change the status to "Sold". The problem with that is when I change the status to "Sold" in row 6 nothing happens. I hope I don't need to add a rule for each row?

    1. Hello Darren,
      If I understand your task correctly, please try the following formula:

      = $P5 = "Sold"

      You can learn more about Relative and absolute cell references in Excel conditional formatting rules in this article on our blog. Hope you’ll find this information helpful.

    2. I figured it out! My mistake was the fact I had =$P$5="Sold". The two dollar signs were the issue. It should be =$P5="Sold". Thanks for this tutorial!

  11. Hi, if I want to leave the cells with out a color until I fill in any data, how do I proceed with that?

  12. hi
    i need a formula which can copy a text which ahve already conditional formating and (text of the cell are in red color), to paste on other sheet which also paste the text in red color

  13. in a scenario where you want to give range for change of cell color wherein value of cell is more than 1 but less than 26. how to implement it on sheet containing a lot of values.
    thanks

  14. Hi Team,

    Can someone help me with VB code where only those rows should be highlighted which are in amber color under my excel sheet

  15. Hi
    i have different colours in rows A2,A3,A4 like Yellow, Blue and Green. When i format A1 as Red then A2,A3,A4 colour should be removed.
    Is this possible
    Thanks

  16. This will not work if the cell was set via conditional formatting. Do you have a workaround?

  17. I am working on a excel that has two sheets. I have data on the second sheet, specifically a list of names in a table. What I would like to happen is then I enter the name on first sheet, it highlights the name. I've tried a few conditional formatting attempts, but nothing has been working. Wondering what I'm doing wrong. Thanks!

  18. I have a table in excel with data. I want to apply conditional formatting to it as soon as any data in the table is changed.

    Please suggest a way

  19. What if, i have several values but i use one column to sort of group, then i want all the rows with the same "anchor" value to have same color format, is that possible? Example:
    box item comments
    1 peppers 12345
    1 potatoes 132465
    3 nails 32164
    5 napkins 231354
    1 tomatoes 1321
    3 tape 1231

    and lets say i want all the rows belonging to different box # to have the same color, i guess i could do it one by one but if we are talking of dozens of boxes per say, could there be a more automated way to do this instead of doing one condition format for each?

  20. tank you very much

  21. Hi,
    If I enter completed in "I" column, the entire column should need to change? What i need to do?

  22. Just to add to the above, the formulae IF(A2"",IF(B2"",B2,NOW()),"") seem to accomplish, but my excel sheet refreshes every 1 minute, and the moment it refreshes, the time stamp changes to the local computer time (which is current and not the time when the signal came actually).
    I even tried my own like =IF(F2="Buy",IF(F2="Sell",NOW(),"")), getting the time stamp, again when the excel refreshes, the time stamp changes to the current time. For e.g. if Buy or Sell came at say 10:15 hrs, after refreshing (let us say 2 minute refresh interval), the time reflected is 10:17 hrs.
    I only hope I have clearly stated my requirement.
    Cheers
    GK

  23. Greetings,

    Quite impressed with your responses especially the frequency of your responses, never seen any one taking so much time, which is much appreciated. Namaste !

    I have a stock trading work sheet, and there are two things I am trying to accomplish and stuggling a lot :
    (1) In my trading sheet, I have Buy and Sell in a certain column which is based on certain conditions (strategy). So these Buys and Sells appear whenever the conditions are met, in Real Time (Trading sheet takes data from the internet and continues to update every 1 minute, so there are many Buys and Sells spawning from time to time). What I am looking for is the exact time stamp (data not so required as I know the sheet is being updated today). Strangely upon scouring the net, every body talks about the same formulae viz. IF(A2"",IF(B2"",B2,NOW()),"") and this does'nt serve my purpose at all. If this is all confusing, let me give a clear example here :
    Columns A-E has data like High, Low, Close, Open etc etc
    Column F has a signal : Buy or Sell
    So all I want is some column after Column F which updates the time as and when a signal appears in the Column F. The reason is I want to see which are the new signals that appeared as I am handling 200 rows of scrips.
    OR
    (2) Can Column F which contains the signal, Buy or Sell be colored in such a manner it accomplishes the following :
    (a) New signal BUY as and when it appears should carry a different color, let us say DARK GREEN
    (b) Likewise New Signal SELL as and when it appears should carry a different color, let us say DARK RED
    (c) All signals after a time decay, say 1 minute (which if configurable would be awesome), should change color. So in the case of Buy (Dark Green), color can change to Light Green and in case of Sell (Dark Red), color can change to say Orange

    Would really appreciate if you can guide/assist me in accomplishing the above.

    Warm Regards
    GK

  24. how to use formula to if possible?
    if left side of / is greater than right side change color of the text
    1200/1000 all red text
    900/1000 all black text

  25. I'm trying to do the following:

    Conditional Format (Cell Background Color in different shades from red to green) a row when it contains a date based on a specific process in the first row, i.e. first communication, presentation, first meeting, second communication, second meeting, commitment.

    The excel would look sth like:

    Row 1: first communication, presentation, first meeting, second communication, second meeting
    Row 2: 9/1, 10/1, 15/1....

    Any help as to how I could set that up would be greatly appreciated

  26. Respected Sir,
    My problem is that, i want to count Conditional Formatted (Cell Background Color) Cell count..
    so plz help me anyone to count colored cell....
    Thanks in Advance.........

  27. can i exclude cells in the row from the conditional formatting?

    so if column B has a 1 it changes row to green, but i want to exclude column K, or M, so they keep their existing color...

  28. From the below example i need to mark highlight above 10 Days rows using conditional formatting. Can anybody suggest me which formula I can use here.

    Days: 12, Hours: 13, Minutes: 51, Seconds: 43
    Days: 11, Hours: 16, Minutes: 21, Seconds: 46
    Days: 11, Hours: 16, Minutes: 21, Seconds: 46
    Days: 11, Hours: 16, Minutes: 21, Seconds: 45
    Days: 11, Hours: 16, Minutes: 21, Seconds: 46
    Days: 42, Hours: 14, Minutes: 51, Seconds: 37
    Days: 6, Hours: 17, Minutes: 21, Seconds: 46
    Days: 33, Hours: 17, Minutes: 51, Seconds: 45
    Days: 33, Hours: 17, Minutes: 51, Seconds: 45

  29. Is there a way to have the cells highlight every time the number changes? For example I have a table that has item codes and in order to make it clearer when changing to a different item code it changes color. So if I have 3 rows with the Item code 608 then 5 rows of item code 609 then 2 rows of item 610 and so on, it will highlight the 608 items and the 610 items skipping the 609 items.

    608-highlighted
    609- not
    610- highlighted
    611- not
    612- highlighted
    and so forth

    1. For example, I have a column starting at A2 where I have my numbers (601,602... 900) and then all my data to the right. I want all even numbers highlighted (the whole row) and the odd numbers highlighted a different color.

      Go to the drop-down list for conditional formatting on the home tab and select "new rule".
      Select Use Formula to determine which cells to format
      Add the following formula

      =ISEVEN($A2)
      It is important not to have the second $ next to the numbers.

      Next to the Preview select "format"
      Select the Fill tab and select the color you want
      Select ok.
      Click on the drop down list from conditional formatting and select manage rules
      In the "applies to" section of the rule you just created, select the "data range" icon on the right and click and drag from the top corner to bottom opposing corner of the data you want highlighted.

      You can create a second rule with "=isodd($A2)" if you want to choose the other color.

      Hope this helps.

  30. Hi,

    I am trying to set up a formula that for when a cell changes text and matches another cell, it turns green. For example, if B2 and E2 both say 'strip', then E2 will turn green. But then if cell B2 then changes to say 'paint', and so does F2, then F2 will turn green. However, I still need to keep E2 green as it is a step by step process which tracks the progress of a part, so every step needs to be a green colour once completed.
    Cell B2 will automatically be updated from another workbook.

    If there is a way to do this without having to fill the cells in manually then please someone let me know as I have around 500 columns to fill in.

    Thanks :)

  31. how can i highlight entire row based on one cell,
    Ex: Column c Named "Raheem" and it become red and if i change the name , it want to change another colour

  32. Hi Svetlana,
    I am trying to apply conditional formatting, for example, if anyone fill red colour in cell A1 then red colour should automatically fill in cell B1.

    can you please help me on this

  33. I want to have the font colour change when I change the cell colour.

    If I make the cell red I would like the font to change to white. Is there any way to do a conditional format for this?

    1. Terri:
      There is the option to modify font color in the same window where you modify fill color. After you click the Format button in the Conditional window, then Click the "Font" tab and you will see the options. The fill and font will both change colors when the conditions occur that you have indicated in the Conditional Format dialogue.

  34. Thank you so much! This was incredibly helpful and easy to follow! Bookmarking it for future reference :)

  35. How do I use this formula to highlight the entire row based on just a date entered into a cell in a particular column?

  36. is there a way i can format rows from the value that is in one cell without giving every single row a formula?

    1. Levi:
      Yes, you can do this. Here's how.
      If you want to highlight rows based on the value in say the cells A2:G2 and column B will always hold the data we want to use to control the formatting of each row.
      First, highlight all the cells you want to be affected by this formatting rule. Let's say A2:G5.
      Second, click Conditional Formatting
      Third, click New Rule
      Fourth, in the New Formatting Rule window, click Use a Formula to Determine Which Cells to Format
      Fifth, in the rule box, enter a formula that refers to the active cell in the selection. Let's say we selected A2:G5, and cell B2 is the active cell. So, in the formula, we'll refer to cell B2, because it's in the active row. =$B2>70 Remember, column B holds the data we use to determine formatting for the row.
      We need to use an absolute reference to column B ($B), to ensure that the conditional formatting in all columns refers to the value in column B.
      If we use a relative reference (B), the formula will be adjusted in each column, and won't work properly. Each cell would refer to the cell to its right, instead of referring to the cell in column B.
      Sixth, click the Format button.
      Seventh, in the Format Cells dialog box, select the formatting options that you want.
      Lastly, click OK to close the Format Cells dialog box.
      That should have formatted the list of cells A2:G5.
      Test it to see if it works by entering values greater than 70 in cells A2:G2.
      You can extend the row highlighting by selecting the last formatted row and grabbing the little box at the bottom right of the cell and copying down.

  37. I have a cell that i need to change yellow if it is within 1% of another cell. I need that cell to turn green if it is at or above the percentage goal and red if it is 2% or lower than the goal. The goal is not always 100%. So if the goal was 90%, and the other cell ends up being 89% it should be yellow.

  38. Hi,
    Was wondering if anyone could help.
    I'm trying to find a formula that will highlight a cell if that cell = 227 and the cell below = 867 or 965.
    Thanks in advance,
    Carl

  39. This is amazing. Thank you!

  40. Hello,
    I would like to have individual cells in one column highlighted if they are equal to or greater than a percentage of the value of the cell in the previous column.
    Is this possible to do?
    Thanks in advance,
    Paul.

  41. I have 2 conditions in one column yes or no
    Yes have pink color and no have yellow so which is the formula is used here to do so i wanna to do samething in other sheet
    Automatically it converts when I write yes or no

  42. Hi,
    I want my spreadsheet to change the color of each row only when an item number I have in Row B changes to a new Item number. These item numbers are not equally spaced and have no consistent scale or system to them.

    The only identifying factor is that the number changes to a different number, sometimes 5 rows apart other time 30 rows apart. The spreadsheet is over 70,000 rows. Solutions?

  43. Hi everybody,
    I need help please, i want to apply rules in my excel sheet,when i type specific word (Friday) row and column colour should be change, please help me resolve this.

  44. I want to color rows whennI type in yes or no of a certin Item in our inventory has been cycle cou ted... please help

  45. please try to help me i have workbook in that workbook i have two sheet (Data Entry Form) & Monthly report per day in calms and in rows name time i want to change cell background color in monthly report. Just i put in data entry form name of site and in monthly sheet automatically change cell color by site.

    1. Hello,
      For me to understand the problem better, please send me a small sample workbook with your source data and the result you expect to get to support@ablebits.com. Please don't worry if you have confidential information there, we never disclose the data we get from our customers and delete it as soon as the problem is resolved.
      Please also don't forget to include the link to this comment into your email.
      I'll look into your task and try to help.

    2. i am working excel workbook.

  46. How to "Conditional format all cells by using a four-color scale".

    1. Hello, Kobus,

      I'm afraid it's impossible to use four-color scale in conditional formatting. But perhaps VBA macros can help you. You may try to find the solution in VBA sections on mrexcel.com or excelforum.com.

      Sorry we can't assist you better.

  47. Hi, I want to ask you question and need your help

    want formula to do the following: if cell G1=text and date in the selected cell J1 is before 60 days then high light the row or selected cell

    and if cell G1=text2 and date in the selected cell J1 is before 90 days then high light the row or selected cell

    and if Cell G1=anyothertext please do nothing

  48. What formula can I use to change the font color of a row to red if a cell in that row is a date prior to today? And how would I repeat that for all subsequent rows?

    Thanks!

  49. Hi,
    Why i follow you but it highlighted all of selection area, not only rows which contain the cell has specific words i defined?

  50. hi,
    in may excel sheet lots of column and row, in last column header is status that contain DIS, RFD, RFI, 2, 3, 4, NP etc. If i put up DIS IN THAT COLUMN TOTAL COLOUR OF RO changes to green. how i do these

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