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You can highlight data in cells by using Fill Color to add or change the background color or pattern of cells. Here's how: Select the cells you want to highlight.
For each theme color you want to change, click the button next to that color, and pick a color under Theme Colors. To add your own color, click More Colors, and then pick a color on the Standard tab or enter numbers on the Custom tab.
Note: On Windows 11 or newer, you may notice a color hue in the background of your Microsoft 365 application. This effect is called Mica, and is your desktop background showing through the background of the application.
Click the button next to the theme color you want to change (for example, Accent 1 or Hyperlink), and then pick a color under Theme Colors. To create your own color, click More Colors, and then pick a color on the Standard tab, or enter numbers or select a color on the Custom tab.
In the Format Cells dialog box, on the Fill tab, under Background Color, select the background color that you want to use. Do one of the following: To use a pattern with two colors, select another color in the Pattern Color box, and then select a pattern style in the Pattern Style box.
In Microsoft Excel, you can use a picture as a sheet background for display purposes only. A sheet background is not printed, and it is not retained in an individual worksheet or in an item that you save as a Web page. Because a sheet background is not printed, it cannot be used as a watermark.
Select the background or pattern color that you want to use for the shaded rows, and then click OK. At this point, the color you just selected should appear in the Preview window in the New Formatting Rule dialog box.
To change color schemes, switch to a different theme. In Excel, click Page Layout, click the Colors button, and then pick the color scheme you want or create your own theme colors.
Adding a color to alternate rows or columns (often called color banding) can make the data in your worksheet easier to scan. To format alternate rows or columns, you can quickly apply a preset table format.
Select the cells in which you want to add or change the fill color. On the Table Design tab, click the arrow next to Shading . Click the color you want from Theme Colors or Standard Colors , or click More Fill Colors .
