How to highlight cells with conditional formatting
Conditional formatting colours a cell when a rule is true, such as stock below its reorder level. Learn simple rules, formula rules and whole rows.
Task 1A rule on the cell's own value3 questions
Conditional formatting changes how a cell looks when a rule is true, for example a red fill when stock runs low. In Excel it is on the Home tab. In Google Sheets it is on the Format menu.
The simplest rule tests each cell's own value. Here the rule is set on B2:B5: fill the cell red when its value is less than 35.
The rule is checked again every time a value changes. Formatting changes only how a cell looks. The value in the cell, and every formula that uses it, stay the same.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Item | In stock | Reorder level |
| 2 | Copier paper | 40 | 25 |
| 3 | Envelopes | 12 | 20 |
| 4 | Ring binders | 30 | 30 |
| 5 | Marker pens | 8 | 15 |
Task 2A rule written as a formula3 questions
You pick the right answer, work out a figure and find the mistake in a table.