How To Set Preference In Excel To Highlight Selected Cell In Different Background Color

Lesson 7: Formatting Cells

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Introduction

All jail cell content uses the same formatting by default, which can make it difficult to read a workbook with a lot of data. Bones formatting can customize the wait and experience of your workbook, allowing y'all to describe attention to specific sections and making your content easier to view and understand.

Optional: Download our practice workbook.

Watch the video beneath to learn more virtually formatting cells in Excel.

To change the font size:

Select the jail cell(s) you want to modify.
On the Home tab, click the driblet-downwards arrow next to the Font Size command, then select the desired font size. In our instance, we will choose 24 to make the text larger.
The text will change to the selected font size.

You can besides utilise the Increase Font Size and Subtract Font Size commands or enter a custom font size using your keyboard.

The custom font box, increase font size button, and decrease font size button

To alter the font:

Past default, the font of each new workbook is set to Calibri. Nonetheless, Excel provides many other fonts y'all tin can utilise to customize your prison cell text. In the example below, nosotros'll format our championship cell to help distinguish it from the residue of the worksheet.

Select the cell(due south) you want to modify.
On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to the Font command, and so select the desired font. In our example, we'll choose Century Gothic.
The text volition change to the selected font.

When creating a workbook in the workplace, yous'll want to select a font that is easy to read. Along with Calibri, standard reading fonts include Cambria, Times New Roman, and Arial.

To change the font color:

Select the jail cell(due south) you desire to alter.
On the Home tab, click the drop-downwards arrow next to the Font Color command, then select the desired font color. In our example, nosotros'll cull Green.
The text volition change to the selected font color.

Select More Colors at the lesser of the bill of fare to access additional colour options. We've changed the font colour to a bright pinkish.

Selecting more colors.

To apply the Assuming, Italic, and Underline commands:

Select the cell(southward) y'all desire to change.
Click the Assuming (B), Italic (I), or Underline (U) control on the Dwelling tab. In our example, we'll make the selected cells bold.
The selected mode will be applied to the text.

Yous can besides press Ctrl+B on your keyboard to make selected text bold, Ctrl+I to use italics, and Ctrl+U to utilise an underline.

Jail cell borders and fill colors

Cell borders and fill colors allow you to create articulate and defined boundaries for different sections of your worksheet. Beneath, we'll add cell borders and fill color to our header cells to assistance distinguish them from the residue of the worksheet.

To add together a fill color:

Select the cell(southward) you want to change.
On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to the Fill Color command, then select the fill color you lot want to use. In our case, nosotros'll choose a dark gray.
The selected fill colour will announced in the selected cells. We've also changed the font color to white to brand information technology more readable with this dark fill color.

To add a border:

Select the cell(southward) y'all want to change.
On the Home tab, click the drib-down arrow next to the Borders command, then select the edge style y'all desire to use. In our example, nosotros'll cull to display All Borders.
The selected border style will announced.

You can draw borders and change the line style and colour of borders with the Draw Borders tools at the bottom of the Borders drib-downward menu.

The Draw Borders submenu

Prison cell styles

Instead of formatting cells manually, you can use Excel'south predesigned prison cell styles. Prison cell styles are a quick way to include professional formatting for different parts of your workbook, such as titles and headers.

To apply a cell way:

In our example, we'll apply a new cell way to our existing title and header cells.

Select the jail cell(south) you want to alter.
Click the Cell Styles command on the Dwelling tab, so choose the desired style from the drop-downward menu.
The selected cell style will appear.

Applying a cell style will replace any existing cell formatting except for text alignment. You lot may not want to apply jail cell styles if you've already added a lot of formatting to your workbook.

Text alignment

By default, any text entered into your worksheet will exist aligned to the bottom-left of a cell, while any numbers will be aligned to the bottom-right. Changing the alignment of your cell content allows yous to cull how the content is displayed in whatever cell, which can brand your cell content easier to read.

Click the arrows in the slideshow below to acquire more well-nigh the different text alignment options.

Left Marshal: Aligns content to the left border of the cell
Center Marshal: Aligns content an equal distance from the left and right borders of the jail cell
Right Align: Aligns content to the right border of the prison cell
Top Align: Aligns content to the summit border of the cell
Centre Align: Aligns content an equal distance from the superlative and bottom borders of the jail cell
Lesser Marshal: Aligns content to the lesser border of the cell

To change horizontal text alignment:

In our example beneath, we'll modify the alignment of our title cell to create a more polished look and further distinguish it from the rest of the worksheet.

Select the cell(south) y'all desire to modify.
Select one of the iii horizontal alignment commands on the Home tab. In our example, we'll choose Centre Align.
The text will realign.

To change vertical text alignment:

Select the cell(southward) yous want to modify.
Select one of the 3 vertical alignment commands on the Habitation tab. In our instance, we'll choose Eye Align.
The text will realign.

You lot can apply both vertical and horizontal alignment settings to whatever cell.

Format Painter

If y'all want to copy formatting from one cell to another, you can use the Format Painter command on the Domicile tab. When you lot click the Format Painter, it volition copy all of the formatting from the selected prison cell. You can and then click and elevate over whatsoever cells you lot want to paste the formatting to.

Screenshot of Format Painter command

Watch the video below to larn two unlike ways to use the Format Painter.

Claiming!

Open our practise workbook.
Click the Challenge worksheet tab in the bottom-left of the workbook.
Modify the prison cell style in cells A2:H2 to Accent iii.
Change the font size of row 1 to 36 and the font size for the rest of the rows to 18.
Bold and underline the text in row ii.
Modify the font of row 1 to a font of your choice.
Change the font of the rest of the rows to a unlike font of your option.
Change the font color of row ane to a color of your option.
Select all of the text in the worksheet, and change the horizontal alignment to heart align and the vertical alignment to middle marshal.
When y'all're finished, your worksheet should look something similar this: