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Conditional Formatting in Excel

Learn Conditional Formatting in Excel from basics in this free online training. This free Conditional Formatting course is taught hands-on by experts. Learn about Data Bars, Color Scales, Cells Containing. Best for Beginners.

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About this Free Certificate Course

Conditional Formatting is one of the simplest yet powerful features in Excel Spreadsheets. As the name suggests, you can use conditional formatting in Excel when you want to highlight cells that meet a specified condition. It gives you the ability to quickly add a visual analysis layer over your data set. You can create colour scales, show increasing/decreasing icons, and a lot more using conditional formatting in Excel.

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A free course on Conditional Formatting in Excel is a great way to learn how to apply visual cues to your data. With this course, you will learn how to use data bars, color scales, cells containing, and icon sets to more effectively visualize your data. You will also learn how to customize your conditional formatting rules to create more complex visualizations. By the end of the course, you will be able to create more informative spreadsheets and reports.

 

The course will start off by teaching you the basics of conditional formatting, including how to apply data bars and color scales to your data. You will then learn how to use the Cells Containing rule type to create visualizations based on specific values. After that, you will learn how to use icon sets to create visualizations based on multiple values. Finally, you will learn how to use more complex rule types, such as formula-based rules, to create even more dynamic visualizations.

 

By the end of the course, you will be able to create custom visualizations that are tailored to your specific data needs. You will also have a solid understanding of how to use conditional formatting to create dynamic and informative spreadsheets. The course is free and can be completed in your own time, making it a great way to learn how to use conditional formatting in Excel.

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Course Outline

Introduction to Conditional Formatting

Conditional formatting is a Microsoft Excel feature that allows users to use specific formatting to the cells based on required criteria.

Formatting in Excel

Conditional formatting is an easy technique to highlight targeted cells or range of cells, emphasize unusual values, and view data by utilizing data bars, color scales, and icon sets that correspond to particular variations in the data.

Data Bars

In conditional formatting in Excel, original data is split into a new table, and a stacked column chart then displays it.

Color Scales

In conditional formatting, a color scale assigns different colors to different ranges to differentiate between the highest and lowest values. The between values is a weighted blend of color. Color scales make it easier to visualize patterns while working with a large data set.

Cells Containing

In conditional formatting, cells containing are categorized using a simple technique. A cell with a required format is selected and checked for the same format in the other cells.

Icon sets

In conditional formatting, icon sets represent the data using arrows, shapes, checkmarks, flags, rating stars, and other objects.

More Rule Type

In conditional formatting, a range of cells is selected to apply many conditions required to categorize or order the Excel sheet. 

Formula Based

In conditional formatting, a new rule formatting window is used to select a formula to determine which cell to format. The formula is then entered in the corresponding box.

Google Sheets

Conditional formatting can be used in Google sheets to either highlight or format cells based on the values. It is used to segregate values based on the conditions

Color Scales in Google Sheets

In Google sheets, a range of cells is selected, and a custom color scale is chosen to preset a format. This differentiates the rest of the cells from those set. 

Top/Bottom Values

A top or Bottom format can be chosen from a new formatting rule dialog box in conditional formatting. One can select the number of boxes that are to be formatted. 

 

Unique and Similar Values

In conditional formatting, unique values in the column are highlighted. This is a built-in rule in conditional formatting. Duplicate values are differentiated from unique values by choosing the desired format using the duplicate values dialog window. 

Greater Than

A highlight cell is selected in the conditional formatting tab to format the values greater than a specific value. Highlight cell rules give an option to choose option Greater than.

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Excel for Formatting in Excel Course by Great Learning
This Excel course exceeded my expectations! The instructor's expertise and interactive approach made learning enjoyable and effective. I gained valuable skills in data analysis, visualization, and productivity. Highly recommended!
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The Course Structure Was Wonderful and the Teaching Method Was Helpful
The course structure and way of teaching were really impressive and awesome, which helped me develop these skills much faster.
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Nicely taught with everything that was required to learn for this.
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Great Learning is a Great Platform to Update Your Skills
Great Learning is a perfect platform to update your skills. The teachers here explain straightforwardly and deeply, which makes the Great Learning platform different from others. One more thing is good, today I studied conditional formatting in Excel, and the instructor also taught conditional formatting of Google Sheets.
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I Feel It Is One of the Best Courses for Beginners
The course content was thorough, well-structured, and covered all the key topics I was hoping to learn about. The instructor did an excellent job of explaining complex concepts in an engaging and easy-to-understand manner.
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My Learning Experience Is Excellent
The video tutorial was very good and helpful for easy learning.
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Gaining Practical Insights in Formatting
I particularly enjoyed the hands-on projects that allowed me to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world scenarios. Collaborating with peers and exchanging ideas enhanced my understanding and made the learning experience engaging. The guidance from experienced mentors also provided valuable perspectives that I will carry forward in my career.
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Very Informative and Necessary Topic Nowadays
As a user of Excel, I find conditional formatting to be an invaluable tool. It allows me to quickly and easily highlight important data points based on specific criteria. This helps me identify trends, outliers, and other key information without having to manually sift through my spreadsheets.
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Very Amazing and Easy to Follow, Quality Content
The content was amazing and very easy to understand, and it was quality content.

Conditional Formatting in Excel

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Frequently Asked Questions

How to Conditional Formatting in Excel?

To apply conditional formatting, select the cells or range of cells -> select the conditional formatting rule -> click on the conditional formatting command -> hover the mouse on the desired preset -> choose a preset style from the menu. Conditional formatting is applied to the selected range of cells. 

What are the five types of Conditional Formatting in Excel?

 

There are five types of conditional formatting in excel. They are:

  • Background color shading of cells

  • Foreground color shading of cells

  • Data bars

  • Icons have four different image types

  • Values

 

What is Conditional Formatting? Explain with example

Conditional formatting is the process of highlighting or formatting the cell or the range of cells based on specified requirements to differentiate between the values or group values fitting a category. For example, segregating students based on their overall academic performance under different GPA categories.

How do I do Dynamic Conditional Formatting in Excel?

To apply dynamic conditional formatting in excel, select the range of cells to apply the format -> choose “use a formula to determine which cell to format” -> select Conditional Formatting with “Manage Rules” to add more conditions to each cell -> select “New Rule.”

Will I get a certificate after completing this Conditional Formatting in Excel free course?

Yes, you will get a certificate of completion for Conditional Formatting in Excel after completing all the modules and cracking the assessment. The assessment tests your knowledge of the subject and badges your skills.

How much does this Conditional formatting in Excel course cost?

It is an entirely free course from Great Learning Academy. Anyone interested in learning the basics of Conditional Formatting in Excel can get started with this course.

Is there any limit on how many times I can take this free course?

Once you enroll in the Conditional Formatting in Excel course, you have lifetime access to it. So, you can log in anytime and learn it for free online.

Can I sign up for multiple courses from Great Learning Academy at the same time?

Yes, you can enroll in as many courses as you want from Great Learning Academy. There is no limit to the number of courses you can enroll in at once, but since the courses offered by Great Learning Academy are free, we suggest you learn one by one to get the best out of the subject.

Why choose Great Learning Academy for this free Conditional Formatting in Excel course?

Great Learning Academy provides this Conditional Formatting in Excel course for free online. The course is self-paced and helps you understand various topics that fall under the subject with solved problems and demonstrated examples. The course is carefully designed, keeping in mind to cater to both beginners and professionals, and is delivered by subject experts. Great Learning is a global ed-tech platform dedicated to developing competent professionals. Great Learning Academy is an initiative by Great Learning that offers in-demand free online courses to help people advance in their jobs. More than 5 million learners from 140 countries have benefited from Great Learning Academy's free online courses with certificates. It is a one-stop place for all of a learner's goals.

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Will I have lifetime access to this free Conditional Formatting in Excel course?

Yes, once you enroll in the course, you will have lifetime access, where you can log in and learn whenever you want to. 

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                                                                      Conditional Formatting in Excel

 

Conditional formatting is used to format or highlight cells or range of cells in Excel. It is easy, emphasizes the exceptional values, views data using data bars, color scales, and icon sets corresponding to particular variations in the data set. 

 

Conditional formatting changes the visuals of the cells based on the user-specified conditions. These conditions are applied to the range of cells and formatted only if the conditions are accurate; if the states do not fall under the right category, then the cell range will not be formatted. Many built-in functions can be created by the user, including by using a formula to evaluate true or false, such as:

 

Background color shading of cells

  • Foreground color shading of cells

  • Data bars

  • Icons that have four different image types

  • Values

 

Rules of Conditional Formatting

Conditional formatting rules are applied to automatically format rows and cells based on specific values that they contain. These conditionally formatted features do not change when the values in the cell change. Formulas are used to change the values in the cells based on the criteria when the cell value has to be changed. 

 

Create a Conditional Formatting Rule

  • Click on Conditional Formatting in the toolbar to view the conditional formatting window. 

  • Click on Add New Rule to create a new, blank conditional formatting rule. 

 

Setting the Conditions for the Rule

1) Select <set condition> to display the Set Condition window 

The specified condition set by the user determines whether the specified condition triggers the formatting. For example, if the condition user would want to apply a background color to all rows assigned, select the column named set to in the left pane and the mentioned criteria in the right pane. 

 

The criteria for conditional formatting will vary depending on the column type. For example, a checkbox column can use formatting based on whether the box is checked or not. For a date column, formatting is applied based on the date specified “in the past” or “in the next days” amongst the different options. 

 

A conditional formatting smartsheet looks at the numbers in the column formatted for percentage (for example, a % complete column) for the values between 0 and 1. The decimal values like 0.25 for 25%, 0.5 for 50% are used to analyze correct comparison instead of whole numbers. 

 

The rule is further customized. For example, if the user wants to mention a comments column containing the value “urgent”), select define custom criteria. 

 

Select the checkbox to apply to format when needs are NOT met to display formatting on rows that do not belong outside the condition. 

 

From the already considered example, selecting the checkbox would apply formatting to the rows NOT assigned to the mentioned condition. 

 

2) When the condition is finished setting, it is selected OK. The format rule is set to:

Click on the format to choose the formatting to apply if the specified condition is met from the Conditional Formatting dialog window. The formatting choices will appear within the dialog window. 

 

The Conditional Formatting in Excel course offered by Great Learning will help you understand the formatting techniques to create an easily understandable Excel sheet. You can segregate the values based on specific conditions, group them, and analyze them much easier using conditional formatting. This course is designed with care to cater to all the learning kinds across the globe. Enroll in Great Learning today to avail of the Conditional FormattingIn Excel certification course for free online. Happy Learning!

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