Author: Oscar Cronquist Article last updated on October 13, 2018

Here is how to highlight every other row using conditional formatting.

Conditional formatting formula:

=ISEVEN(ROW())*OR($B3:$D3<>"")

Alternative CF formula:

=EVEN(ROW())=ROW()

This formula colors every second row if any cell in the row is populated. If you know you will add more records later to the list, select and conditional format a range larger than the list. Empty rows wonยดt be formatted.

How to apply the conditional formatting formula in excel 2007:

  1. Select the range, example cell range A:C
  2. Click "Home" tab on the ribbon
  3. Click "Conditional formatting"
  4. Click "New rule..."
  5. Click "Use a formula to determine which cells to format"
  6. Click "Format values where this formula is true" window.
  7. Type =ISEVEN(ROW())*OR($B3:$D3<>"")
  8. Click Format button
  9. Click "Fill" tab
  10. Select a color
  11. Click OK!
  12. Click OK!

Explaining the contional formatting formula in cell A2

=ISEVEN(ROW())*OR($A2:$C2<>"")

Step 1 - Check if row number is even

=ISEVEN(ROW())*OR($A2:$C2<>"")

ISEVEN(ROW())

becomes

ISEVEN(2)

returns TRUE in cell A2.

Step 2 - Check if any of the cells in row are not empty

=ISEVEN(ROW())*OR($A2:$C2<>"")

OR($A2:$C2<>"")

becomes

OR({"Federer", " Roger ", 25}<>"")

becomes

OR({TRUE, TRUE, TRUE})

and returns TRUE

Step 3 - Multiply functions (AND logic)

Both functions need to return TRUE in order to return TRUE

=ISEVEN(ROW())*OR($A2:$C2<>"")

becomes

TRUE*TRUE

and returns TRUE. Row 2 is conditional formatted.

Download excel sample file for this tutorial

color-every-second-row-using-dynamic-conditional-formatting.xls
(Excel 97-2003 Workbook *.xls)
Functions used in this article

OR(logical1, logical2, โ€ฆ)
Checks whether any of the arguments are TRUE and returns TRUE or FALSE. Returns FALSE only if all arguments are FALSE

ROW(reference)
Returns the row number of a reference

ISEVEN(number)
Returns TRUE if the number is even

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