Conditional Formatting in Excel - what it is and how to apply

What is conditional formatting?

Conditional formatting in Excel is a very useful feature in the analysis of data as it empowers you to give a special format to a group of cells according to a condition(s). This format may be a different fill colour or a specific type of font for the cells that meet the established criteria so you can easily identify on the screen.

Although a special format could be given manually, conditional formatting creates an automatic formatting for cells that meet the specified condition, giving the user better visualisations.

Examples of conditional formatting

How to apply conditional formatting

• First select the cells that you want to give conditional formatting

• Click the Conditional Formatting icon in the Styles box on the Home tab.

Rules for conditional formatting

Conditional formatting in Excel is always based on a condition that must be met for the specified format is given. This condition can be edited at any time. The conditions are created for conditional formats can be divided into two groups:

• Rules based on cell values: These conditions are based on the same cell value (greater than, less than, equal to, among the 10 largest, above average, etc.).

• Rules based on formulas: These conditions provide greater flexibility because you can apply a special format based on a formula where you can apply a more complex logic.

To see more of conditional formatting click here.