Using Conditional Formatting to Highlight Data in Google Sheets

Conditional formatting in Google Sheets is a powerful tool that lets you apply custom formatting to cells based on specific conditions. Whether you're highlighting overdue tasks, flagging high expenses, or marking duplicates, conditional formatting makes your data visually informative and easier to analyze.

🎯 What is Conditional Formatting?

Conditional formatting allows you to change the appearance of cells in your spreadsheet based on rules you define. For example, you can highlight all numbers greater than 100, mark dates in red if overdue, or use color scales to visualize data distribution.

📌 How to Apply Conditional Formatting in Google Sheets

1. Select the range of cells you want to format.
2. Click on Format > Conditional formatting.
3. In the right panel, choose your condition (e.g., "Greater than") and enter a value.
4. Pick a formatting style (e.g., background color, text color).
5. Click Done to apply.

📈 Popular Use Cases

• 🔥 Highlight sales over a certain threshold
• ⚠️ Flag overdue deadlines with red text
• 📅 Highlight weekends or holidays in a calendar
• 🔁 Detect and highlight duplicate values
• 📊 Visualize data using color scales (green to red)

🧪 Custom Formula Examples

You can also use formulas in conditional formatting. For example:

• =A1>100 — Highlights cells greater than 100
• =ISBLANK(A1) — Highlights empty cells
• =A1=MAX($A$1:$A$10) — Highlights the highest value in a range

💡 Pro Tips

• Use multiple rules to apply different formatting to the same range.
• Test formulas in a sheet first before using them in conditional formatting.
• Use color scales for better data visualization.

📄 Download Tutorial PDF

Download the full conditional formatting guide in PDF

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Tags: google sheets conditional formatting, highlight cells, visual data formatting, google sheets tutorials, productivity with sheets