Author: Oscar Cronquist Article last updated on October 10, 2018

The conditional formatting formula applied to cell range F3:F13 highlights all cells containing text. Here is how I did it:

  1. Select cell range F3:F13
  2. Go to tab "Home" on the ribbon
  3. Press with mouse on "Conditional Formatting" button
  4. Press with mouse on "New Rule.."
  5. Select "Use a formula to determine which cells to format"
  6. Type =ISTEXT(F3) in field "Format values where this formula is true:"
  7. Then press with left mouse button on "Format..." button
  8. Go to tab "Fill"
  9. Pick a color
  10. Press with left mouse button on OK button
  11. Press with left mouse button on OK button to return to Excel.

Explaining conditional formatting formula

Why =ISTEXT(F3)? The cell range we want to highlight empty cells in is F3:F13 so the cell we must highlight first is the cell in the cell range.

Cell reference F3 is a relative cell reference and changes in the cell range we want to format, see picture below.

If ISTEXT(F3) returns TRUE the cell is highlighted and FALSE returns nothing. Check out more IS-functions in the Information category.

Get Excel *.xlsx file

Highlight text values.xlsx

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