How to Change Text Color and Font Based on Specific Conditions
This article explains how to use Excel to automatically change text color and font based on specific conditions. For example, you can set text to red and bold if sales exceed a certain value. Conditional formatting makes it easy to apply format changes automatically based on defined rules.
Using Conditional Formatting to Change Text Color and Font
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product Name | Category | Sales | Status |
| 2 | Product A | Electronics | 50000 | |
| 3 | Product B | Furniture | 30000 | |
| 4 | Product C | Electronics | 100000 |
Steps
- Select the sales column (column C).
- Go to the “Home” tab and click “Conditional Formatting” → “New Rule.”
- Choose “Format only cells that contain.”
- Select “greater than” as the condition and enter “50000.”
- Click the “Format” button, go to the “Font” tab, set the text color to red, and enable bold font.
- Click “OK” to save the rule.
Purpose of Conditional Formatting
Conditional Formatting automatically changes the appearance of cells based on specified criteria. You can handle various conditions like greater than, less than, or containing specific text. It supports changing text color, font, background color, and more.
Outcome
Cells with sales greater than 50000, such as “Product A” and “Product C,” will have red, bold text. Sales for “Product B,” which don’t meet the condition, remain unchanged.
Using IF Function and Cell Formatting to Change Text Color
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product Name | Category | Sales | Status |
| 2 | Product A | Electronics | 50000 | =IF(C2>=50000, “Good”, “Low”) |
| 3 | Product B | Furniture | 30000 | =IF(C3>=50000, “Good”, “Low”) |
| 4 | Product C | Electronics | 100000 | =IF(C4>=50000, “Good”, “Low”) |
Steps
- Create a “Status” column (column D). In cell D2, enter: =IF(C2>=50000, “Good”, “Low”).
- Copy the formula in D2 to D3 and D4.
- Select column D, apply Conditional Formatting, and define two rules:
- Format cells equal to “Good” with green text.
- Format cells equal to “Low” with red text.
Purpose of the IF Function
The IF function returns one value if the specified condition is true and another if it is false. It enables you to display statuses or results based on conditions.
Outcome
The statuses for “Product A” and “Product C” are displayed as “Good” with green text, while “Product B” is displayed as “Low” with red text.
Conclusion
By using Excel’s Conditional Formatting and IF functions, you can change cell fonts and text colors based on specific conditions. Conditional Formatting is effective for visually emphasizing key data, and when combined with the IF function, it provides even more flexibility for managing data.