Easy Excel Formula to Change Cell Color Without Conditional Formatting

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If you want to change the color of a cell in Microsoft Excel based on its value without using conditional formatting, you can use a simple formula along with custom number formatting. This allows you to highlight cells that meet certain criteria, making your spreadsheet data easier to analyze at a glance. In this article, we’ll show you step-by-step how to write a formula to change cell color in Excel without relying on the conditional formatting feature.

What You’ll Need

Before we get started, make sure you have the following:

• Microsoft Excel (any recent version for Windows or Mac will work)
• A spreadsheet with data you want to format
• Basic knowledge of Excel formulas

Step 1: Set Up Your Data

First, organize the data in your Excel spreadsheet that you want to format. For this example, let’s say we have sales data in column A and want to highlight cells in column B that are above a certain value. Here’s how the data is set up:

Step 2: Write a Formula to Check the Condition

Next, we’ll write a formula in column C to check if the value in column B meets our condition for highlighting. The formula will return 1 if true or 0 if false.

In cell C2, enter the following formula:

=IF(B2>10000,1,0)

This checks if the value in B2 is greater than 10,000. If so, it returns 1. If not, it returns 0.

Let’s break this formula down:

• The IF function checks a condition and returns one value if true and another if false
• B2>10000 is the logical test being evaluated. It checks if the value in cell B2 is greater than 10,000
• The 1 is the value if true argument. It’s what the formula returns when the condition is met
• The 0 is the value if false. It’s returned when the value is less than or equal to 10,000

You can adjust the condition (>10000) and return values (1 and 0) to suit your needs. The key is that the formula must result in a number that we can reference in a custom format.

Step 3: Copy the Formula to the Rest of Column C

Now that we have the formula set up, we need to copy it down to the rest of column C so it checks each cell in column B.

You can do this quickly by double-clicking the small square in the lower-right of cell C2. This will auto-fill the formula in the rest of column C.

Make sure the formula adjusted correctly for each row. C3 should reference B3, C4 should reference B4, and so on.

Step 4: Create a Custom Number Format

Here’s where the magic happens to get the cell color change without using conditional formatting. We’ll create a custom number format that looks at the helper column and applies a fill color.

1. Select cell B2
2. Right-click and choose “Format Cells” (or use Ctrl+1 shortcut)
3. On the Number tab, select “Custom” from the Category list
4. In the Type box, enter the following code:
   [>10000]###,##0.00;[<=10000]###,##0.00
5. Select the [>10000] part and set the text color to white and cell shading to green using the paint bucket
6. Select the [<=10000] part and set a normal black text color and no fill
7. Click OK

Let’s dissect this custom number format code:

• The two conditions are enclosed in [square brackets] and separated by a semicolon
• Each condition is followed by a number format code (###,##0.00)
• The conditions are based on the 1’s and 0’s returned by the formula in column C
• [>10000] applies formatting when the value is 1 (meaning over 10,000)
• [<=10000] applies formatting when the value is 0 (meaning less than or equal to 10,000)

So with this custom format, values over 10,000 will have white text and a green background, while values 10,000 and under will have default black text and no fill color.

Feel free to adjust the colors and other formatting options to your liking. You can also modify the conditions and number format codes for different results.

Step 5: Apply the Custom Format to the Rest of Column B

Finally, we just need to apply our custom number format to the other cells in column B.

With cell B2 still selected, double-click the Format Painter brush icon in the Home ribbon (or use Ctrl+Y shortcut).

Then highlight cells B3 to B5. The custom formatting will be applied.

If you later add or change data in column B, the formula will automatically update the formatting based on your conditions. No need to reapply!

Troubleshooting Tips

If you’re not seeing the color change:

• Make sure you entered the custom number format code exactly as shown, including all commas, periods, brackets, etc.
• Verify your formula in column C is returning 1’s and 0’s as expected
• Double-check that you set the colors and shading for the two conditions in the custom format
• If you get an error message, there may be an issue with your formula or format code syntax

Remember, the formula and custom format work together. If either piece is incorrect or missing, the color change won’t occur.

How It Works

The key to changing cell color with a formula is using a custom number format. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

1. The formula in column C acts as a “helper” to check each value in B and return a 1 or 0
2. The custom number format includes conditions in [square brackets]
3. The conditions reference those 1’s and 0’s in column C
4. Each condition is followed by a number format code and color settings
5. Excel applies the formatting based on which condition is met

So in our example, values over 10,000 have white text and a green fill, while values under 10,000 have default black text and no fill color.

This works because custom number formats allow you to specify different formatting for positive, negative, and zero values. By using a formula to convert our conditions to 1’s and 0’s, we can leverage this capability to change colors based on any criteria we want.

Advantages Over Conditional Formatting

You might be wondering, why use a formula and custom formatting instead of conditional formatting to highlight cells in Excel? Here are a few advantages of this method:

• Flexibility: Custom number formats allow you to apply more specific formatting for different conditions, not just cell shading.
• Simplicity: Once set up, custom formats are applied automatically without having to manage conditional formatting rules.
• Performance: For large datasets, custom formats may be more efficient than applying multiple conditional formats.

However, conditional formatting is still better for more complex conditions and formatting options. The formula method is best suited for simpler highlighting needs.

Examples of Custom Number Format Conditions

Here are a few more examples of conditions you can use in custom number formats to change cell colors based on values:

The logic is the same as our original example. Excel evaluates the condition and applies the specified formatting if true.

Play around with these and come up with your own custom formats. The possibilities are endless!

Final Thoughts

You now know how to use a simple Excel formula to conditionally change cell colors without relying on conditional formatting. By leveraging custom number formats, you can apply cell shading and other formatting based on your spreadsheet data. This is a great way to make key data points stand out for easier analysis.

Remember, this method works best for relatively straightforward highlighting scenarios. If you need more advanced color coding, such as using multiple colors, icon sets, data bars, etc., then you’ll want to stick with traditional conditional formatting.

FAQs

Vaishvi Desai

Vaishvi Desai is the founder of Excelsamurai and a passionate Excel enthusiast with years of experience in data analysis and spreadsheet management. With a mission to help others harness the power of Excel, Vaishvi shares her expertise through concise, easy-to-follow tutorials on shortcuts, formulas, Pivot Tables, and VBA.