Color scales in conditional formatting applies a color to cells in a cell range based on their values, this lets you easily spot maximum and minimum values as well as trends.

How to build

1. Select cell range.
2. Go to tab "Home" if you are not already there.
3. Press with left mouse button on the "Conditional formatting" button.
4. Press with left mouse button on or hover over "Color scales" with the mouse pointer.
5. Pick a predefined color scale or press with left mouse button on "More Rules" to define your own scale and colors.
   

How to customize Color scales

If you want to change the settings for an existing cell range follow these steps:

1. Select the cell range.
2. Go to tab "Home" on the ribbon.
3. Press with left mouse button on "Conditional formatting" button.
4. Press with left mouse button on "Manage Rules..."
   
5. Press with left mouse button on "Edit Rules..."
   

To create a new color scale and also edit settings before creation then follow these steps:

1. Select cells.
2. Go to tab "Home" on the ribbon.
3. Press with left mouse button on the "Conditional Formatting" button.
4. Press with left mouse button on "Color scales".
5. Press with left mouse button on "More Rules..."
   

The settings dialog box appears.

Here you may change the Format style to a 2-Color Scale or 3-Color Scale. The minimum and maximum drop-down lists allow you to change how min and max values are calculated:

• Lowest/Highest
• Number
• Percent
• Formula
• Percentile

Recommended reading

Built-in conditional formatting

Data Bars Color scales Icons

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Basic CF formulas

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Search using CF

Highlight records – multiple criteria [OR logic]
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Highlight lookup values

Unique distinct

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Highlight unique values and unique distinct values in a cell range
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Duplicates

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Highlight duplicates in two columns
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Highlight smallest duplicate number
Highlight more than once taken course in any given day
Highlight duplicates with same date, week or month
Highlight duplicate records
Highlight duplicate columns
Highlight duplicates in a filtered Excel Table

Compare

Highlight missing values between to columns
Compare two columns and highlight values in common
Compare two lists of data: Highlight common records
Compare tables: Highlight records not in both tables
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Compare two columns and highlight differences

Min max

Highlight smallest duplicate number
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Highlight closest number

Dates

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Highlight odd/even months
Highlight overlapping date ranges using conditional formatting
Highlight records based on overlapping date ranges and a condition
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How to highlight weekends [Conditional Formatting]
How to highlight dates based on day of week
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Misc

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Dynamic formatting
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Highlight cells based on ranges
Highlight opposite numbers
Highlight cells based on coordinates

Excel categories

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