Conditional Formatting in Google Sheets

Conditional Formatting in Google Sheets

Conditional formatting is a powerful feature in Google Sheets that allows you to apply different formatting styles to cells, rows, or columns based on certain conditions. For example, you can highlight cells that contain a specific word, number, or date, or change the background color of an entire row based on the value of one of its cells. Conditional formatting can help you visualize your data and identify patterns, trends, outliers, or errors more easily.

In this article, we will show you how to use conditional formatting in Google Sheets with 8 examples. We will cover the following topics:

• How to apply conditional formatting rules in Google Sheets
• How to apply conditional formatting with is empty/is not empty
• How to apply conditional formatting based on text
• How to apply conditional formatting based on number values
• How to apply conditional formatting to an entire row
• How to apply conditional formatting using a color scale
• How to apply conditional formatting based on dates
• How to apply multiple conditional formatting rules
• How to copy and paste conditional formatting to another Google Sheet

How to apply conditional formatting rules in Google Sheets

To apply conditional formatting rules in Google Sheets, follow these steps:

1. Select the cell or cells you want to apply the conditional formatting to. You can select a single cell, a range of cells, a column, a row, or the entire sheet.
2. Click Format > Conditional formatting to open the Conditional format rules sidebar on the right.
3. Under Format rules, select the condition that you want to trigger the rule from the drop-down menu under Format cells if…. You can choose from various options such as Text contains, Number is between, Date is before, or Custom formula is.
4. Under Formatting style, choose how you want the cells to look when the condition is met. You can change the text color, background color, font style, font size, or add borders.
5. Click Done to save and apply the rule.

You can also edit or delete existing rules by clicking on them in the sidebar. To view all the rules in your spreadsheet, select the entire data range (or the whole sheet) and open the Conditional format rules sidebar.

How to apply conditional formatting with is empty/is not empty

One of the simplest conditions you can use for conditional formatting is is empty or is not empty. This allows you to format cells based on whether they have any value or not. For example, you can highlight empty cells with a red color to indicate missing data, or highlight non-empty cells with a green color to show completed tasks.

To apply conditional formatting with is empty/is not empty, follow these steps:

1. Select the cell or cells you want to apply the conditional formatting to.
2. Click Format > Conditional formatting to open the Conditional format rules sidebar on the right.
3. Under Format rules, select Is empty or Is not empty from the drop-down menu under Format cells if….
4. Under Formatting style, choose how you want the cells to look when the condition is met. You can change the text color, background color, font style, font size, or add borders.
5. Click Done to save and apply the rule.

How to apply conditional formatting based on text

Another common condition you can use for conditional formatting is based on text. This allows you to format cells that contain a specific word, phrase, letter, or character. For example, you can highlight cells that contain “Yes” with a green color, or cells that contain “No” with a red color.

To apply conditional formatting based on text, follow these steps:

1. Select the cell or cells you want to apply the conditional formatting to.
2. Click Format > Conditional formatting to open the Conditional format rules sidebar on the right.
3. Under Format rules, select one of the following options from the drop-down menu under Format cells if…:
   • Text contains: This will format cells that contain the exact text you enter in the box below.
   • Text does not contain: This will format cells that do not contain the exact text you enter in the box below.
   • Text starts with: This will format cells that start with the text you enter in the box below.
   • Text ends with: This will format cells that end with the text you enter in the box below.
   • Text is exactly: This will format cells that match the exact text you enter in the box below.
4. Under Formatting style, choose how you want the cells to look when the condition is met. You can change the text color, background color, font style, font size, or add borders.
5. Click Done to save and apply the rule.

How to apply conditional formatting based on number values

Another common condition you can use for conditional formatting is based on number values. This allows you to format cells that meet certain numerical criteria, such as greater than, less than, equal to, between, or not between. For example, you can highlight cells that are above a certain threshold with a red color, or cells that are below a certain threshold with a green color.

To apply conditional formatting based on number values, follow these steps:

1. Select the cell or cells you want to apply the conditional formatting to.
2. Click Format > Conditional formatting to open the Conditional format rules sidebar on the right.
3. Under Format rules, select one of the following options from the drop-down menu under Format cells if…:
   • Number is greater than: This will format cells that are greater than the number you enter in the box below.
   • Number is greater than or equal to: This will format cells that are greater than or equal to the number you enter in the box below.
   • Number is less than: This will format cells that are less than the number you enter in the box below.
   • Number is less than or equal to: This will format cells that are less than or equal to the number you enter in the box below.
   • Number is equal to: This will format cells that are equal to the number you enter in the box below.
   • Number is not equal to: This will format cells that are not equal to the number you enter in the box below.
   • Number is between: This will format cells that are between the two numbers you enter in the boxes below.
   • Number is not between: This will format cells that are not between the two numbers you enter in the boxes below.
4. Under Formatting style, choose how you want the cells to look when the condition is met. You can change the text color, background color, font style, font size, or add borders.
5. Click Done to save and apply the rule.

How to apply conditional formatting to an entire row

Sometimes, you may want to apply conditional formatting to an entire row based on the value of one of its cells. For example, you may want to highlight an entire row with a green color if the value in column B is “Yes”, or with a red color if the value in column B is “No”.

To apply conditional formatting to an entire row, follow these steps:

1. Select the range of rows you want to apply the conditional formatting to. For example, select rows 2 to 10.
2. Click Format > Conditional formatting to open the Conditional format rules sidebar on the right.
3. Under Format rules, select one of the options from the drop-down menu under Format cells if… based on your criteria. For example, select Text is exactly and enter “Yes” in the box below.
4. Under Formatting style, choose how you want the rows to look when the condition is met. You can change the text color, background color, font style, font size, or add borders.
5. Click Done to save and apply the rule.
6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 for any other conditions you want to apply to other rows.

Note: To make sure that your rule applies to an entire row based on one cell, you need to use an absolute reference for the column and a relative reference for the row in your formula. For example, if you want to base your rule on column B, use "=$B2"insteadof"=B2".Thedollarsign($) locks the column reference, while leaving the row reference flexible.

How to apply conditional formatting using a color scale

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