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Conditional Formatting

Beginner
8 min

What is Conditional Formatting?

Conditional Formatting automatically applies formatting to cells based on rules you set, helping you spot trends and outliers instantly.

Key Components:

  • Applies colors, icons, or formatting based on rules
  • Helps visualize data patterns
  • Updates automatically when data changes
  • Can highlight duplicates, top values, or custom conditions

Why it matters

Highlight Targets

Show sales above goal in green

Flag Issues

Mark overdue dates in red

Find Duplicates

Identify duplicate entries quickly

Visualize Data

Add data bars and color scales

Key Concepts

Highlight Cell Rules

Format cells greater than, less than, equal to

Example: Greater than 1000...

Top/Bottom Rules

Highlight top 10 items, above average

Example: Top 10%...

Data Bars

Add bars inside cells

Example: Bar length shows value...

Color Scales

2-3 color gradient

Example: Red to green...

How to use

1

Select cells

Choose the range you want to format

2

Go to Home tab

Click Conditional Formatting

3

Choose rule type

Select from Highlight Cells, Top/Bottom, etc.

4

Set condition

Enter value or formula

5

Choose format

Select color, bold, or icon

6

Click OK

Apply the formatting

Example

Goal: Highlight sales above ₹10,000
Rule → Greater Than
Value → 10000
Format → Green Fill
Result: All sales over 10,000 appear in green

Pro Tips

  • •Use Manage Rules: Edit or delete existing rules
  • •Apply in order: Rules run top to bottom
  • •Use formulas: Create complex conditions

Practice

Highlight all duplicate entries in a column
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