🔹 Chapters: 00:00 - Intro to Excel Highlighting 00:47 - Manual Highlighting of Rows and Columns 01:17 - Level 1: Highlight Active Row with Conditional Formatting 02:41 - Level 2: Automate Row Highlighting with VBA Code 05:20 - Level 3: Highlight Active Column with Conditional Formatting 07:21 - Level 4: Highlight Both Active Row and Column 09:14 - Level 5: Create Crosshairs Effect with Different Colors 13:18 - Level 6: Adding an On/Off Dropdown 16:29 - Level 7: Adding an On/Off Toggle Button 20:51 - Bonus: Keeping Headers in View 22:33 - Conclusion and More Resources If you prefer to read here is the article with full written instructions: www.launchexcel.com/highlight-active-row-column-excel-7-levels *Download the Free Excel Workbook* Step 1: Sign up for free: go.launchexcel.com/email-signup-youtube Step 2: Log in here: courses.launchexcel.com/dashboard/en/login Step 3: Download: courses.launchexcel.com/school/course/workbook-downloads/lecture/5074882#headline-9a3b3ace *TIP: Stay logged in for quick access to all FREE workbook downloads.*
Why does your conditional function work on all sheets from level 1 to 7 without having to create the function from scratch again, while my Excel doesn't ?
You are so great. Making things easy to understand that even with zero knowledge will be able to follow. Really grateful for your clear, considerate, well-explained tutorial. Thank you!
@@frederica59 Thank you for your kind words! I’m so glad the tutorial made things easier-it’s all about breaking it down into simple, manageable steps. Credit to you for diving in and making progress!
It is such a high quality tutorial. I like you video very much. I think your tutorials are as good as those of Leila's. Hope to see more videos from your channel.
Victor, this is the best tutorial on any Excel subject that I have viewed. My team was inquiring to add this functionality to our workbooks! Can’t wait to start on applying this! Mahalo!
Thanks for the kind words! The VBA method here is a workaround of sorts. Microsoft is due to release a built-in version of this functionality after it comes out of beta testing. But it's still worth looking at the formulas + VBA in this video because you can customize it to your needs. And VBA remains a powerful tool in the Office ecosystem for those who know how to use it!
I left the conditional formatting in place, one for the row one for the column. I liked this method rather than the combined method, is so I could use a different format for the column and the row. That could be an alternative. This was a great insight - good job and thank you.
Thanks! I hope you enjoy the new tutorials I release. At the moment the focus is Excel VBA. In future it may be different. Good luck with your channel 😄
@@launchexcel i love vba also please continue and if possible then create a perfect playlist so that we can lear deeply as per topic. I am waiting for video. Thanks
@@exploreyourexcel yes VBA is pretty awesome! I wish it got more actively developed by Microsoft but I'm happy it continues to be supported even with newer automation tools coming out.
If you're using Excel 365 then you can use the Focus Cell, see this video: th-cam.com/video/cCgEoMyTNH0/w-d-xo.html The Focus Cell feature was fully released a few weeks ago, and makes it simpler to turn highlighting on and off without using Macros and VBA.
This would be great for my work but before i try, how will it work in a MULTI-USER environment where multiple people are using the same workbook at the same time? Will it highlight multiple rows and columns selected by every user?
Hey @zs9853, I haven't tested it in a multi-user environment. But I think it won't work. An alternative might be to make a copy of the workbook for your own personal use, and then update the shared workbook later.
@@launchexcel Thank you very much. Is there a possibility of adding another level in this video to implent multi user? where each user see just their row/col highlighted?
I hear you! Yes, I'm looking for an approach to make it easier to apply to all sheets in the workbook. At the moment, my method only works on a single sheet. If I find a good way, I'll post here.
Thanks for your comment. For the method explained, you need to set up the conditional formatting on each worksheet and copy the VBA macro to each sheet you want to use. MichaelSchultz1647 shared a tip in another comment: "I've created a worksheet with the highlighted functionality completed that I've renamed "template". I then copy this into a new workbook multiple times. Each sheet has the highlight set up."
Your video is the best, was trying to highlight rows and columns and your video was the only one that clearly explained it. Thank you very much for your work.
Loved your tutorial video but would like to know if there is any way to eliminate individual column and row highlighting when cells outside of range are selected.
Sure! I'll add that to my list of video ideas. Is there a specific range of numbers you want to spell? How big? Include negative numbers? And decimals or whole numbers?
For this same function / calculation, I have seen various videos in various accents. maybe a hundred. This tutorial is rated no 1 of out 100. Full marks 100 out of 100. have downloaded the workbook will be attempting to do this on my sheets. Your explanation is step by step, thorough, leaving out no steps so the person who's learning will not miss out on a single thing. Will be buying your course also as this shows how precise you are. Perfection. hope there is not lag on the end sheet when i finish doing this to my sheets. As there is no lag on the worksheet i have downloaded from your page, thanks a lot
Thanks for you support paramveerssachdeva! I just found an Excel add-in by JKP, who is an Excel MVP. It accomplishes the same task but in a different way, using arrow shapes drawn on the worksheet. And it works in any open workbook after you install the add-in. No need to write more code. Here's the link to JKP's Follow Cell Pointer addin: jkp-ads.com/download.asp#followcellpointer Microsoft Instructions on how to install or remove Excel add-ins: support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/add-or-remove-add-ins-in-excel-0af570c4-5cf3-4fa9-9b88-403625a0b460#OfficeVersion=Windows P.S. As always, be careful of what you download. I can recommend JKP because of his long-standing solid reputation in the Excel community. But do be careful what you install.
Thank you for your kind words! I love the building on process with levels. TBH it's a bit difficult to plan and implement but it really helps with learning. So I'll try to do more videos like this!
Awesome Video! I was wondering if there would be a way to implement this but without highlighting columns that have other type of conditional formatting so that the original format is not altered in those specific columns.
That's a great question, I think you might have to experiment with the precedence of Conditional Formatting rules. Check out this Tech Republic article as a starting point: www.techrepublic.com/article/learn-how-excel-applies-conditional-formatting-rules-to-avoid-unintended-results/
That's an interesting question. I guess there's a conditional formatting formula that handles diagonals. You might want to check out this thread for a start: www.reddit.com/r/excel/comments/wpveti/how_to_select_cells_diagonally_right_and_up/ The suggested formula for diagonal cells is this: =COLUMN()+ROW()=50+6
Great video! Tried and it worked but after returning over the weekend, it does not anymore, even if I tried to remove the rules set earlier. I’ve also saved this file as excel macro-enabled. Any help is greatly appreciated
Hi Joy! My first thought is that when you open the file, even though it’s saved as an Excel macro-enabled file, you might not have allowed macros to run. To ensure the code works, you need to enable macros. Here’s how to do it: 1. Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Macro Settings. 2. Select Enable all macros. For detailed steps, check out my article on enabling macros here: www.launchexcel.com/enable-disable-macros-excel I'd also check that the VBA code and conditional formatting rules are still in place. If issues persist, try removing and reapplying the rules. Feel free to reach out if you need more help!
Thanks for your comment 😃 I don't have a solution to make the macro apply to new workbooks quickly. Another viewer @michaelschultz1647 suggested: "Thanks. I've created a worksheet with the highlighted functionality completed that I've renamed "template". I then copy this into a new workbook multiple times. Each sheet has the highlight set up. But it would have been nice to do this in an existing workbook." That's a workaround you can try.
I was hoping to see how to do this with many existing macros in a worksheet. Good explanation and presentation. I have never understood why this simple and most desirable option was never provided by MS in the 20+ years I've been using Excel.
@@launchexcel this was a really helpful tip for me, because I use two screens and if I just highlight the row that I am wondering from, the highlight disappears when the sheet loses focus. Using your method I can keep the highlight while working in another screen. Thanks 🙏
I did watch your filter to sheets video great help for me but it gave me hard time to adding my my personal workbook because whenever i save the file it said there are documents that can be accessible by documents inspector something like that
It sounds like Excel is prompting you to review elements that could pose a privacy concern. • Go to File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document. • Run the inspection to see what Excel flags as potentially sensitive or hidden content. • Review the results and choose to remove or keep the flagged elements based on your needs. I'm not sure why it's doing this for your personal macro workbook though.
You can restrict the Conditional Formatting to a specific range of cells. In the Conditional Formatting Rules Manager, you need to find the "Applies To" range. And specify the range you want e.g A1:A10. Hope that helps 😁
@@robbe58You can download the sample workbook here. Enjoy! d1yei2z3i6k35z.cloudfront.net/2762499/65d497ba9e1d9_HighlightActiveCellpublic.xlsm.zip And if you prefer to read, here is the article with full written instructions: www.launchexcel.com/highlight-active-row-column-excel-7-levels
Thanks. I've created a worksheet with the highlighted functionality completed that I've renamed "template". I then copy this into a new workbook multiple times. Each sheet has the highlight set up. But it would have been nice to do this in an existing workbook. I'll keep watching your channel for updates and to learn new things.
Hello my name is Luis. I would like to congratulate you on such great videos. They are really informative. If I want to use the same formulas of examples 5/6 how can I do it without entering the same formulas in each worksheet?
Hi there, I love this video, very well explained. I have one question, can you this be turned into a macro that you can save in your personal macro workbook? I know the conditional formatting element can easily be recorded, but not sure about if I can add the code to the active worksheet to automatically recalculate. example what I imagine it would do. 1. Highlight your data area 2. Run the macro (having the on/off switch on your ribbon) 3. Do what you need to do, then turn it off. 4. Move to next workbook and repeat. I hope that makes sense. Thanks either way.
Thanks for your comment! yes, putting this in the personal macro workbook would make it available in any workbook. However, I just found an Excel add-in that highlights the active cell either with arrows or by selecting the active row and column. It comes from from JKP (Jan Karel Pieterse) who is an Excel MVP and is a free download. I recommend you check it out. It's called "Follow Cell Pointer" and you can download it here: jkp-ads.com/download.asp#followcellpointer And here are instructions from Microsoft for adding or removing add-ins: support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/add-or-remove-add-ins-in-excel-0af570c4-5cf3-4fa9-9b88-403625a0b460#OfficeVersion=Windows
Thanks for your comment! I don't think Google Sheets has a macro programming language like VBA. Also I don't use Google Sheets so I would have no idea how to do this.
Victor, I have already created a worksheet for every day of the week. If I group all 7 sheets, will adding the formatting formulas VBA code apply to all? Also I noticed in the Level 1 portion of the video, you instruct us to do: CTRL + SHIFT + Right Arrow + Down Arrow. If I want to highlight any cell that is active, can I just do a CTRL + A?
Hi Gordon, you'l need to put the VBA code into each worksheet object in the VB Editor: Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range) Target.Calculate End Sub This only applies to the sheet that contains the code. And in Level 1 I did CTRL + SHIFT + Right Arrow and Down Arrow to avoid selecting the header row of the table. If you want to include the header row in the highlighting, you can use CTRL + A. If you want to exclude it, use CTRL + SHIFT + Right Arrow and Down Arrow. If I didn't understand your request, please let me know 😄
It might be feasible, but somewhat tricky. Could you describe what your goal is with highlighting two rows? Is it something to do with comparing the values on different rows?
@@leau4745 What happens if you use normal cell background colors applied manually? or perhaps a column to "check off" a row, which triggers conditional formatting to highlight that row
@launchexcel when there are hundred of rows on the file, highlighting each row manually and long the reconciliation might consume long time. I'm trying to find a way by just clicking on a cell, the entire row will be automatically highlighted and remain the highlight when moving on next rows.
I just found a way to do this with Excel checkboxes. I posted a short video on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/posts/victor_excel-just-made-comparing-rows-10x-easier-activity-7272634313894936576-pXHt Let me know if this works for you?
Try this. Go to "Conditional Formatting" → "Manage Rules" and then specify where you want the rule to apply to in the column called "Applies To'. You can select applies to column A:A for the row highlight and applies to row 1:1 for the column highlight. Hope that helps.
dear Victor - thanks for your great video; allow me to have a question, the formula's =AND(row()=cell("row"),column()=cell("col")) =OR(row()=cell(“row”),column()=cell(“col”)) are not working; I get the 'Excel message': 'there's a problem with this formula' .... any suggestions? Thanks! - rg. Carel
Dear Carel, Your formulas look correct, so i'm not sure why you are getting an error message. I have two suggestions for you: 1. Go through my article step-by-step and make sure you have followed everything exactly: www.launchexcel.com/highlight-active-row-column-excel-7-levels 2. Ask Excel Rescue to give you some help. Excel Rescue is a done-for-you small tasks service for Excel, Access, and Google Sheets. A very professional team that I highly recommend. You can reach them here: go.launchexcel.com/excel-rescue-main
@@launchexcel thanks Victor for your swift reply; will I did follow the steps carefully but somehow these 2 formula's don't seem to work. Anyway, I'll try you other suggestion. Thanks again! - rg. Carel
Hi, I've had the same problem. If you have Excel in a language other than English, try writing the formula in that language. If this doesn’t help, try using a semicolon instead of a comma.
Tried doing this in more than one sheet of a workbook and it only works on the first sheet this is being done, and it is not working on the rest of the sheets. Any reason why and how it can be done for multiple sheets?
For the method explained, you need to set up the conditional formatting on each worksheet and copy the VBA macro to each sheet you want to use. How many worksheets do you want to use it for?
@@launchexcel Yes i did set up conditional formatting for each sheet individually and also gave the VBA macro for each sheet separately. Still, only the first sheet works and not the others. I'm trying for 2 more additional sheets than the first one.
@@sundarg1068 OK, if the first sheet works but not the others, it could be that you are using the same named range in the VBA code. You'll need to have a separate named range for the On/Off value, e.g. Highlight_status_1 / Highlight_status_2 / Highlight_status_3 etc. Is that what you're doing?
Hi, I am struggling to apply the conditional formatting based on other cell values. Kindly help. The case is, in one column I have qtrs. like Q-1, Q-2, Q-3 Q-4 and in other column there are branch codes and these branch codes are repetitive based on some activities. I want to highlight only those cells of branch codes column which are repetitive in that qtr. only. Suppose if I filter out Q-1, it will show only those cells which appear more than once in Q-1 only and likewise in other qtrs.
Btw, what % of your co-workers still/use row/column highlighting? (not permanent color formatting) I think it's useful for some tables with many columns.
I also noticed that when you enable this, you can no longer copy and paste between cells. I have created a control sheet and put the on / off switch on this, and put the code in a module. I then put the code for each sheet in an IF statement, so when it is set to off, I can still copy and paste. Sadly, this means amending the code on 70 sheets.
Thanks for the question. I think hovering is much harder with VBA because there's no Hover event. You might want to check out this thread for some ideas: chandoo.org/forum/threads/how-to-make-row-colour-change-on-mouse-hover.32029/
How do you do this so that the rule sticks in a pivot table? I've applied this and it works but every time the pivot table opens up or refreshes the rule "applies to" gets changed or won't stick.
Nice tutorial. I want to highlight only the current cell many times especially when doing a remote presentation. Tried a few variants of the formula but couldn't get what I want 😢
*** UPDATE: *** Want to know how to use VBA to make this method work for all worksheets in the workbook? Check out my friend Ismail's new video: th-cam.com/video/Sww04SAFiY4/w-d-xo.html
In Excel we can only have one active row (as far as I know). We can select multiple rows, but only one of them will be active. With this method we can only highlight the active row.
I can't get this to work. I have followed the instructions, but my lines will not be colored. Is there any setting that needs to be done in excel?. The usual conditional formatting works.
Hmm, that's odd. The highlighting should work if your conditional formatting works. Have you tried following the steps in the article? www.launchexcel.com/highlight-active-row-column-excel-7-levels
Hello. I have gone through all the steps thoroughly. It doesn't work for me. When I use conditional formatting, such as "rules for formatting greater than", the formatting works. @@launchexcel
@@JLMGroup-j2o try the instructions on these sites to find out what version of MS Office you have (this will tell you what version of Excel you have) support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/what-version-of-office-am-i-using-d21c5935-40b1-b117-122d-5e5f05a1a263 support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/find-details-for-other-versions-of-office-8e83dd74-3b83-4528-bda6-6ff6118f8293
Your online teaching is commendable and invaluable. However, I would like it to be created without selecting the data range. If we do it this way, we will have to repeat the process every time we open Excel. If this is saved as an Add-In, the code will work whenever we open Excel, and we won't need to repeat the process in a new file every time. I hope you will create this Add-In for us.
Thanks for this comment. Having a custom addin sounds like a great idea. Could you take a look at my fellow Excel influencer Ismail's video and tell me/him what features you'd like to see?
Why does your conditional function work on all sheets from level 1 to 7 without having to create the function from scratch again, while my Excel doesn't ?
I’m getting a Visual Basic error “variable uses an automation type not supported in Visual Basic” when I try to select worksheet in the Visual Basic editor
It looks like this could be a Mac-specific problem. Read this page on the Microsoft support site: support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/-variable-uses-an-automation-type-not-supported-error-in-visual-basic-editor-in-excel-for-mac-c3125bf3-c30b-4d62-be42-d2f1bec0e5ad Hope that helps.
Thanks for your comment and for watching my tutorial on highlighting the active row and column. I'd like to help, however I don't understand what you mean by "the Formula its self.help". Which part of the video did you get stuck at? If you can give me a video timestamp (mm:ss) it will give me more context to answer.
How about you check out JKP's addin called "Follow cell pointer". It does a similar job using arrows instead of highlighting the row and column. jkp-ads.com/download.asp#followcellpointer JKP's Excel knowledge is very deep, and he has many interesting downloads. If you end up using the addin, let us know how it goes!
yes, that's true. It's a limitation of Excel not having a *function to determine the selected range of cells* . So in conditional formatting we can only detect the Active Cell, as far as I'm aware. If anyone has a solution, feel free to post! Thx
It's extremely easily in WPS spreadsheet, one click on a icon does this. But, why is it so much difficult in Excel. Time to switch from Excel to WPS spreadsheet
Thanks for commenting! I had no idea WPS could do this in Reading Layout in just one click. After a quick search I found the official WPS video here (45 seconds) th-cam.com/video/GiBRYVArIYw/w-d-xo.html Then I discovered that the official WPS channel has fewer subs than this (small) Excel channel... so I guess Excel is just too far ahead in popularity that it's hard for WPS to get a foothold. What would you say are the biggest strengths and weaknesses of WPS vs Excel? I'm curious to learn as I know nothing about WPS, and you seem to be familiar. Again, thanks for bringing this up.
It's a detailed tutorial, just skip to the part you wants, unless you need a tutorial for that too :v Besides, this video has so much better explanation than any other videos i saw. It has level of highlights. You dont need to know all the level, just the very basic of level 2 is enough. Also, your time might be precious for you, but this youtuber's time could be even more precious than yours. World doesn't revolve around you
🔹 Chapters:
00:00 - Intro to Excel Highlighting
00:47 - Manual Highlighting of Rows and Columns
01:17 - Level 1: Highlight Active Row with Conditional Formatting
02:41 - Level 2: Automate Row Highlighting with VBA Code
05:20 - Level 3: Highlight Active Column with Conditional Formatting
07:21 - Level 4: Highlight Both Active Row and Column
09:14 - Level 5: Create Crosshairs Effect with Different Colors
13:18 - Level 6: Adding an On/Off Dropdown
16:29 - Level 7: Adding an On/Off Toggle Button
20:51 - Bonus: Keeping Headers in View
22:33 - Conclusion and More Resources
If you prefer to read here is the article with full written instructions:
www.launchexcel.com/highlight-active-row-column-excel-7-levels
*Download the Free Excel Workbook*
Step 1: Sign up for free: go.launchexcel.com/email-signup-youtube
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Thank you for this!
@@mitziecreayla622 you're most welcome 😄
Why does your conditional function work on all sheets from level 1 to 7 without having to create the function from scratch again, while my Excel doesn't ?
You are so great. Making things easy to understand that even with zero knowledge will be able to follow. Really grateful for your clear, considerate, well-explained tutorial. Thank you!
@@frederica59 Thank you for your kind words! I’m so glad the tutorial made things easier-it’s all about breaking it down into simple, manageable steps. Credit to you for diving in and making progress!
It is such a high quality tutorial. I like you video very much. I think your tutorials are as good as those of Leila's. Hope to see more videos from your channel.
More coming soon, if you have specific requests let me know 😄
Extremely helpful. The level wise instruction really helped.👍🏻
Thank you for this beautiful presentation. Even the novice is enticed into fine tuning the Excel experience.
You're very welcome!
Victor, this is the best tutorial on any Excel subject that I have viewed. My team was inquiring to add this functionality to our workbooks! Can’t wait to start on applying this! Mahalo!
Thanks for the kind words! The VBA method here is a workaround of sorts. Microsoft is due to release a built-in version of this functionality after it comes out of beta testing.
But it's still worth looking at the formulas + VBA in this video because you can customize it to your needs.
And VBA remains a powerful tool in the Office ecosystem for those who know how to use it!
It was perfect how you went straight to the point and fast without talking too much with very clear instructions.
Thanks!
I left the conditional formatting in place, one for the row one for the column. I liked this method rather than the combined method, is so I could use a different format for the column and the row. That could be an alternative. This was a great insight - good job and thank you.
Thank you for sharing this!
I love your deep tutorial videos.
Thanks! I hope you enjoy the new tutorials I release. At the moment the focus is Excel VBA. In future it may be different. Good luck with your channel 😄
@@launchexcel i love vba also please continue and if possible then create a perfect playlist so that we can lear deeply as per topic. I am waiting for video. Thanks
@@exploreyourexcel yes VBA is pretty awesome! I wish it got more actively developed by Microsoft but I'm happy it continues to be supported even with newer automation tools coming out.
Nice demo. Shows concepts that can be utilized for other solutions.
Thanks for the feedback! Yes you're right, with VBA we can reuse concepts in many other solutions. The beauty of coding 😀
Nice Video! Can you make it as an option in the custom ribbon? So that I can open any excel and click on the ribbon to toggle between on and off
That's a great suggestion. I don't currently have a solution for that, but it makes a lot of sense. Let me look into this.
Is there a way to put this in your personal macro workbook so it can us used to apply to all worksheet as desired.@@launchexcel
@@xllearnerI think it could be done, but I haven't figured out how.
Oh Dear, it is great work that makes life easier. I appreciate your presentation.
I am glad you find this makes life easier for you, and I appreciate your comment 😄
Victor, you are a GENIUS, Thank you for making such a wonderful and informative video on conditional formatting.
hi thanks for the tutorial. is there any way for the highlighting to happen automatically when i click any sheet or excel file in my computer?
If you're using Excel 365 then you can use the Focus Cell, see this video: th-cam.com/video/cCgEoMyTNH0/w-d-xo.html
The Focus Cell feature was fully released a few weeks ago, and makes it simpler to turn highlighting on and off without using Macros and VBA.
Very good explanation, thank you. Have only one remark: - if use switch with “No Format Set” it’s will remove all formats which was before
Great tip!
This would be great for my work but before i try, how will it work in a MULTI-USER environment where multiple people are using the same workbook at the same time? Will it highlight multiple rows and columns selected by every user?
Hey @zs9853, I haven't tested it in a multi-user environment. But I think it won't work. An alternative might be to make a copy of the workbook for your own personal use, and then update the shared workbook later.
@@launchexcel Thank you very much. Is there a possibility of adding another level in this video to implent multi user? where each user see just their row/col highlighted?
That's a great idea, but my Excel knowledge doesn't take me that far. If anyone reading this has any ideas, give us a shout :) @@zs9853
Can you please provide the code to apply this to all sheets in the workbook.
I hear you! Yes, I'm looking for an approach to make it easier to apply to all sheets in the workbook. At the moment, my method only works on a single sheet. If I find a good way, I'll post here.
Check out my friend Ismail's VBA method as explained in his video: th-cam.com/video/Sww04SAFiY4/w-d-xo.html to see if this helps
Cool vid! Love it!
One question, how can I apply to highlight active roll for all sheet in the workbook?
Thank you very much ☺️
Thanks for your comment. For the method explained, you need to set up the conditional formatting on each worksheet and copy the VBA macro to each sheet you want to use.
MichaelSchultz1647 shared a tip in another comment: "I've created a worksheet with the highlighted functionality completed that I've renamed "template". I then copy this into a new workbook multiple times. Each sheet has the highlight set up."
Check out a video by my friend Ismail: th-cam.com/video/Sww04SAFiY4/w-d-xo.html
Your video is the best, was trying to highlight rows and columns and your video was the only one that clearly explained it. Thank you very much for your work.
Glad it helped! Thank you for your kind comment!
Loved your tutorial video but would like to know if there is any way to eliminate individual column and row highlighting when cells outside of range are selected.
This's great! Going through levels with clear explanation. Thank you bro..can you make a video on how to create a VBA to spell numbers. Thank you
Sure! I'll add that to my list of video ideas. Is there a specific range of numbers you want to spell? How big? Include negative numbers? And decimals or whole numbers?
Thank you so much, the best and most advanced video on this function
Glad it was helpful!
For this same function / calculation, I have seen various videos in various accents. maybe a hundred.
This tutorial is rated no 1 of out 100. Full marks 100 out of 100. have downloaded the workbook will be attempting to do this on my sheets.
Your explanation is step by step, thorough, leaving out no steps so the person who's learning will not miss out on a single thing. Will be buying your course also as this shows how precise you are. Perfection.
hope there is not lag on the end sheet when i finish doing this to my sheets. As there is no lag on the worksheet i have downloaded from your page,
thanks a lot
Thanks for you support paramveerssachdeva!
I just found an Excel add-in by JKP, who is an Excel MVP. It accomplishes the same task but in a different way, using arrow shapes drawn on the worksheet. And it works in any open workbook after you install the add-in. No need to write more code.
Here's the link to JKP's Follow Cell Pointer addin:
jkp-ads.com/download.asp#followcellpointer
Microsoft Instructions on how to install or remove Excel add-ins:
support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/add-or-remove-add-ins-in-excel-0af570c4-5cf3-4fa9-9b88-403625a0b460#OfficeVersion=Windows
P.S. As always, be careful of what you download. I can recommend JKP because of his long-standing solid reputation in the Excel community. But do be careful what you install.
Awesome video. I love the clarity of the instructions and the building on process. Thank you!!!
Thank you for your kind words! I love the building on process with levels. TBH it's a bit difficult to plan and implement but it really helps with learning. So I'll try to do more videos like this!
Awesome Video! I was wondering if there would be a way to implement this but without highlighting columns that have other type of conditional formatting so that the original format is not altered in those specific columns.
That's a great question, I think you might have to experiment with the precedence of Conditional Formatting rules. Check out this Tech Republic article as a starting point: www.techrepublic.com/article/learn-how-excel-applies-conditional-formatting-rules-to-avoid-unintended-results/
Just got your channel in my Crosshair. AND I switched to ON. Thanks!
Btw, I like the yellow post it note; make it easier to follow.
Good to know the yellow post it note comments make it easier to follow.
Such a good tutorial, very easy to follow and replicate.
Hi Vic, would be able to do diagonal and anti diagonal highlights from active cell
That's an interesting question. I guess there's a conditional formatting formula that handles diagonals. You might want to check out this thread for a start: www.reddit.com/r/excel/comments/wpveti/how_to_select_cells_diagonally_right_and_up/
The suggested formula for diagonal cells is this: =COLUMN()+ROW()=50+6
Very clear..good job!!!
Thanks rbscares985!
Great video! Tried and it worked but after returning over the weekend, it does not anymore, even if I tried to remove the rules set earlier. I’ve also saved this file as excel macro-enabled. Any help is greatly appreciated
Hi Joy!
My first thought is that when you open the file, even though it’s saved as an Excel macro-enabled file, you might not have allowed macros to run. To ensure the code works, you need to enable macros. Here’s how to do it:
1. Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Macro Settings.
2. Select Enable all macros.
For detailed steps, check out my article on enabling macros here: www.launchexcel.com/enable-disable-macros-excel
I'd also check that the VBA code and conditional formatting rules are still in place. If issues persist, try removing and reapplying the rules.
Feel free to reach out if you need more help!
@@launchexcel Thank you so much for your kind response. I’m gonna try out and hopefully it works again. Thank you
Awesome tutorial for an Excel noob like me. Is there a way to make this a macro to apply to NEW workbooks super quick in the future? Thanks!
Thanks for your comment 😃 I don't have a solution to make the macro apply to new workbooks quickly. Another viewer @michaelschultz1647 suggested: "Thanks. I've created a worksheet with the highlighted functionality completed that I've renamed "template". I then copy this into a new workbook multiple times. Each sheet has the highlight set up. But it would have been nice to do this in an existing workbook." That's a workaround you can try.
@@launchexcel Oh! That's a great idea! Thanks!
You might want to try out my friend Ismail's VBA method as explained in his video: th-cam.com/video/Sww04SAFiY4/w-d-xo.html
I was hoping to see how to do this with many existing macros in a worksheet. Good explanation and presentation. I have never understood why this simple and most desirable option was never provided by MS in the 20+ years I've been using Excel.
I agree! I think this would be very helpful as an accessibility feature if built into Excel.
Clear and concise. Appreciate the inclusion of shortcuts. Thank you.
I'm glad you found it clear and concise. I love shortcuts for speeding up work in Excel. Thank you for the kind feedback!
@@launchexcel this was a really helpful tip for me, because I use two screens and if I just highlight the row that I am wondering from, the highlight disappears when the sheet loses focus. Using your method I can keep the highlight while working in another screen. Thanks 🙏
Thank you! your way to teach is the best I have ever found!1
I'm glad you think so!
I did watch your filter to sheets video great help for me but it gave me hard time to adding my my personal workbook because whenever i save the file it said there are documents that can be accessible by documents inspector something like that
It sounds like Excel is prompting you to review elements that could pose a privacy concern.
• Go to File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document.
• Run the inspection to see what Excel flags as potentially sensitive or hidden content.
• Review the results and choose to remove or keep the flagged elements based on your needs.
I'm not sure why it's doing this for your personal macro workbook though.
Thank you, very nice work.
What if we want to highlight not the entire row but only a range of cells, eg A1 to A10 ?
You can restrict the Conditional Formatting to a specific range of cells. In the Conditional Formatting Rules Manager, you need to find the "Applies To" range. And specify the range you want e.g A1:A10. Hope that helps 😁
Is there no example file for this video? Always handy to consult.
Thanks for the comment. Yes, I'll prepare one.
@@launchexcel Thank you. Give us a sign when it is available for download.
@@robbe58You can download the sample workbook here. Enjoy!
d1yei2z3i6k35z.cloudfront.net/2762499/65d497ba9e1d9_HighlightActiveCellpublic.xlsm.zip
And if you prefer to read, here is the article with full written instructions: www.launchexcel.com/highlight-active-row-column-excel-7-levels
Impressive and excellent tutorial. Thank you a bunch
Great video. How do I apply this for multiple sheets in the same workbook.
Same question. Every sheet has to be redone in a workbook.
At the moment, if you want to apply to multiple sheets, you need to redo the steps for each sheet.
Thanks. I've created a worksheet with the highlighted functionality completed that I've renamed "template". I then copy this into a new workbook multiple times. Each sheet has the highlight set up. But it would have been nice to do this in an existing workbook. I'll keep watching your channel for updates and to learn new things.
Check out my friend Ismail's VBA method as explained in his video: th-cam.com/video/Sww04SAFiY4/w-d-xo.html to see if this helps
Hello my name is Luis. I would like to congratulate you on such great videos. They are really informative. If I want to use the same formulas of examples 5/6 how can I do it without entering the same formulas in each worksheet?
Hi, thank you for a very helpful tutorial. I LOVE how you showed different skill levels to up our game
Thank you for your kind words! So glad you loved the skill levels. Keep upping your game! 🎉
Hi there, I love this video, very well explained. I have one question, can you this be turned into a macro that you can save in your personal macro workbook? I know the conditional formatting element can easily be recorded, but not sure about if I can add the code to the active worksheet to automatically recalculate.
example what I imagine it would do.
1. Highlight your data area
2. Run the macro (having the on/off switch on your ribbon)
3. Do what you need to do, then turn it off.
4. Move to next workbook and repeat.
I hope that makes sense. Thanks either way.
Thanks for your comment! yes, putting this in the personal macro workbook would make it available in any workbook.
However, I just found an Excel add-in that highlights the active cell either with arrows or by selecting the active row and column.
It comes from from JKP (Jan Karel Pieterse) who is an Excel MVP and is a free download.
I recommend you check it out. It's called "Follow Cell Pointer" and you can download it here:
jkp-ads.com/download.asp#followcellpointer
And here are instructions from Microsoft for adding or removing add-ins:
support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/add-or-remove-add-ins-in-excel-0af570c4-5cf3-4fa9-9b88-403625a0b460#OfficeVersion=Windows
Can you please make the video when do it in google sheet. Thanks a lot for this tut
Thanks for your comment! I don't think Google Sheets has a macro programming language like VBA. Also I don't use Google Sheets so I would have no idea how to do this.
Victor, I have already created a worksheet for every day of the week. If I group all 7 sheets, will adding the formatting formulas VBA code apply to all?
Also I noticed in the Level 1 portion of the video, you instruct us to do: CTRL + SHIFT + Right Arrow + Down Arrow.
If I want to highlight any cell that is active, can I just do a CTRL + A?
Hi Gordon, you'l need to put the VBA code into each worksheet object in the VB Editor:
Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)
Target.Calculate
End Sub
This only applies to the sheet that contains the code.
And in Level 1 I did CTRL + SHIFT + Right Arrow and Down Arrow to avoid selecting the header row of the table.
If you want to include the header row in the highlighting, you can use CTRL + A. If you want to exclude it, use CTRL + SHIFT + Right Arrow and Down Arrow.
If I didn't understand your request, please let me know 😄
Is it possible to highlight cells, rows or collums without using VBA?
At the moment I think VBA is the best way, but I think it soon will be possible with a new "focus" feature that Microsoft is rolling out.
Victor, when selecting a new active cell, is it possible to highlight the new row and keep the previous row highlighted?
It might be feasible, but somewhat tricky. Could you describe what your goal is with highlighting two rows? Is it something to do with comparing the values on different rows?
@launchexcel : to indicate these rows were reconciled. So they stand out from the remaining data. This is to help with inventory counting.
@@leau4745 What happens if you use normal cell background colors applied manually? or perhaps a column to "check off" a row, which triggers conditional formatting to highlight that row
@launchexcel when there are hundred of rows on the file, highlighting each row manually and long the reconciliation might consume long time. I'm trying to find a way by just clicking on a cell, the entire row will be automatically highlighted and remain the highlight when moving on next rows.
I just found a way to do this with Excel checkboxes. I posted a short video on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/posts/victor_excel-just-made-comparing-rows-10x-easier-activity-7272634313894936576-pXHt
Let me know if this works for you?
That's such a useful fact, helped me a lot!! 👏 Thanks Victor!
You’re welcome! Glad it helped!
May I know why the highlight function doesn't work after saved the file? Thank you.
Impressive and excellent tutorial. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
How can I highlight just the first cell (A) in the row and the top cell (1) in the column for an active cell? Thank you!
Try this. Go to "Conditional Formatting" → "Manage Rules" and then specify where you want the rule to apply to in the column called "Applies To'. You can select applies to column A:A for the row highlight and applies to row 1:1 for the column highlight. Hope that helps.
Pls provide all the formulas and VBA codes in the description so will be easy . Thank you
dear Victor - thanks for your great video; allow me to have a question, the formula's =AND(row()=cell("row"),column()=cell("col"))
=OR(row()=cell(“row”),column()=cell(“col”)) are not working; I get the 'Excel message': 'there's a problem with this formula' .... any suggestions? Thanks! - rg. Carel
Dear Carel,
Your formulas look correct, so i'm not sure why you are getting an error message.
I have two suggestions for you:
1. Go through my article step-by-step and make sure you have followed everything exactly:
www.launchexcel.com/highlight-active-row-column-excel-7-levels
2. Ask Excel Rescue to give you some help. Excel Rescue is a done-for-you small tasks service for Excel, Access, and Google Sheets. A very professional team that I highly recommend. You can reach them here:
go.launchexcel.com/excel-rescue-main
@@launchexcel thanks Victor for your swift reply; will I did follow the steps carefully but somehow these 2 formula's don't seem to work. Anyway, I'll try you other suggestion. Thanks again! - rg. Carel
Hi, I've had the same problem. If you have Excel in a language other than English, try writing the formula in that language. If this doesn’t help, try using a semicolon instead of a comma.
Brilliant ❣️
Thanks!
Tried doing this in more than one sheet of a workbook and it only works on the first sheet this is being done, and it is not working on the rest of the sheets. Any reason why and how it can be done for multiple sheets?
For the method explained, you need to set up the conditional formatting on each worksheet and copy the VBA macro to each sheet you want to use. How many worksheets do you want to use it for?
@@launchexcel Yes i did set up conditional formatting for each sheet individually and also gave the VBA macro for each sheet separately. Still, only the first sheet works and not the others. I'm trying for 2 more additional sheets than the first one.
@@sundarg1068 OK, if the first sheet works but not the others, it could be that you are using the same named range in the VBA code. You'll need to have a separate named range for the On/Off value, e.g. Highlight_status_1 / Highlight_status_2 / Highlight_status_3 etc. Is that what you're doing?
Check out my friend Ismail's VBA method as explained in his video: th-cam.com/video/Sww04SAFiY4/w-d-xo.html to see if this helps
thanks for showing excel-users these special actions👌
Glad you like them!
Great video. Very clear!
Glad it was helpful!
Hi, I am struggling to apply the conditional formatting based on other cell values. Kindly help.
The case is, in one column I have qtrs. like Q-1, Q-2, Q-3 Q-4 and in other column there are branch codes and these branch codes are repetitive based on some activities. I want to highlight only those cells of branch codes column which are repetitive in that qtr. only.
Suppose if I filter out Q-1, it will show only those cells which appear more than once in Q-1 only and likewise in other qtrs.
For this query, I recommend you try getting specific help from go.launchexcel.com/excel-rescue-main
Btw, what % of your co-workers still/use row/column highlighting?
(not permanent color formatting)
I think it's useful for some tables with many columns.
Thanks a lot! Great tutorial!
Glad you liked it!
I also noticed that when you enable this, you can no longer copy and paste between cells. I have created a control sheet and put the on / off switch on this, and put the code in a module. I then put the code for each sheet in an IF statement, so when it is set to off, I can still copy and paste. Sadly, this means amending the code on 70 sheets.
Thank you for sharing your solution. Would you mind pasting the code here for others to see?
@launchexcel Sorry I cannot post the code.
@@kevingreenhill9166 Ok, no worries. BTW I'm still on the look out for an easier way to make this all happen. Will keep everyone posted ...
Quit nice, can it be made so it highlights the row and column just by hovering over the cell instead clicking on a cell
Thanks for the question. I think hovering is much harder with VBA because there's no Hover event. You might want to check out this thread for some ideas: chandoo.org/forum/threads/how-to-make-row-colour-change-on-mouse-hover.32029/
How do you do this so that the rule sticks in a pivot table? I've applied this and it works but every time the pivot table opens up or refreshes the rule "applies to" gets changed or won't stick.
Nice tutorial. I want to highlight only the current cell many times especially when doing a remote presentation. Tried a few variants of the formula but couldn't get what I want 😢
If you have Excel 365, have you tried using the new Focus Cell feature? I have a video about it here: th-cam.com/video/cCgEoMyTNH0/w-d-xo.html
*** UPDATE: *** Want to know how to use VBA to make this method work for all worksheets in the workbook? Check out my friend Ismail's new video: th-cam.com/video/Sww04SAFiY4/w-d-xo.html
What if a person wants to highlight 2 active rows instead of one and 2 columns instead of one?
In Excel we can only have one active row (as far as I know).
We can select multiple rows, but only one of them will be active.
With this method we can only highlight the active row.
AMAZING!
Thanks @ravchana
Welcome back.
Good to be back 😄
I can't get this to work. I have followed the instructions, but my lines will not be colored. Is there any setting that needs to be done in excel?. The usual conditional formatting works.
Hmm, that's odd. The highlighting should work if your conditional formatting works. Have you tried following the steps in the article? www.launchexcel.com/highlight-active-row-column-excel-7-levels
Hello. I have gone through all the steps thoroughly. It doesn't work for me. When I use conditional formatting, such as "rules for formatting greater than", the formatting works. @@launchexcel
Can I check what version of Excel do you use?
Absolute. How?@@launchexcel
@@JLMGroup-j2o try the instructions on these sites to find out what version of MS Office you have (this will tell you what version of Excel you have)
support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/what-version-of-office-am-i-using-d21c5935-40b1-b117-122d-5e5f05a1a263
support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/find-details-for-other-versions-of-office-8e83dd74-3b83-4528-bda6-6ff6118f8293
Amazing how usefull it was for me :)
Glad to hear that!
Such a nice and detailed explanations of concepts. Thanks
Glad you liked it!
Awesomeness
Thanks Mark!
Your online teaching is commendable and invaluable. However, I would like it to be created without selecting the data range. If we do it this way, we will have to repeat the process every time we open Excel. If this is saved as an Add-In, the code will work whenever we open Excel, and we won't need to repeat the process in a new file every time. I hope you will create this Add-In for us.
Thanks for this comment. Having a custom addin sounds like a great idea. Could you take a look at my fellow Excel influencer Ismail's video and tell me/him what features you'd like to see?
how to apply in Google Sheet?
Why does your conditional function work on all sheets from level 1 to 7 without having to create the function from scratch again, while my Excel doesn't ?
My toggle macro not working 😢
I’m getting a Visual Basic error “variable uses an automation type not supported in Visual Basic” when I try to select worksheet in the Visual Basic editor
It looks like this could be a Mac-specific problem. Read this page on the Microsoft support site:
support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/-variable-uses-an-automation-type-not-supported-error-in-visual-basic-editor-in-excel-for-mac-c3125bf3-c30b-4d62-be42-d2f1bec0e5ad
Hope that helps.
nice tutorial! but mine doesn't work, the Formula its self.help
Thanks for your comment and for watching my tutorial on highlighting the active row and column. I'd like to help, however I don't understand what you mean by "the Formula its self.help".
Which part of the video did you get stuck at? If you can give me a video timestamp (mm:ss) it will give me more context to answer.
What I really need is a way to make all sheets I open do this by default.
How about you check out JKP's addin called "Follow cell pointer". It does a similar job using arrows instead of highlighting the row and column.
jkp-ads.com/download.asp#followcellpointer
JKP's Excel knowledge is very deep, and he has many interesting downloads.
If you end up using the addin, let us know how it goes!
Your amazing
You are too!
Sorry but i did not finde row in Excel pls help
It fails when you select multiple cells
yes, that's true. It's a limitation of Excel not having a *function to determine the selected range of cells* . So in conditional formatting we can only detect the Active Cell, as far as I'm aware. If anyone has a solution, feel free to post! Thx
it doesn't work on online excel
how to highlight active cells on online excel?
Online Excel doesn't allow VBA to run, so this method doesn't work. I don't currently know of a workaround for online Excel.
thanks
You're welcome!
Tanks
Welcome!
Victor .... In lesson 1, there is an error in the spelling of "CELL" You've typed in 3 l's instead of 2.
Thanks and well spotted! Yes, in the Level 1 comment I wrote celll("row") instead of cell("row")... you're right it should be cell with 2 Ls not 3.
It's extremely easily in WPS spreadsheet, one click on a icon does this. But, why is it so much difficult in Excel. Time to switch from Excel to WPS spreadsheet
Thanks for commenting! I had no idea WPS could do this in Reading Layout in just one click. After a quick search I found the official WPS video here (45 seconds) th-cam.com/video/GiBRYVArIYw/w-d-xo.html
Then I discovered that the official WPS channel has fewer subs than this (small) Excel channel... so I guess Excel is just too far ahead in popularity that it's hard for WPS to get a foothold.
What would you say are the biggest strengths and weaknesses of WPS vs Excel? I'm curious to learn as I know nothing about WPS, and you seem to be familiar. Again, thanks for bringing this up.
files protected
Do you mean your file is protected? And you can't use this method?
Too long for a short answer needed😢
Unfortunately, Excel doesn't have this as a one-click feature. Hence this long answer.
Noice
Tanks 😀
22 mins? I'm sorry I need a 2 min version ....my time is more precious ...I won't watch this vid.
I hear you! That's great feedback. Let me see what I can do.
😂
Took about 2 minutes just to leave this comment…
It's a detailed tutorial, just skip to the part you wants, unless you need a tutorial for that too :v
Besides, this video has so much better explanation than any other videos i saw. It has level of highlights. You dont need to know all the level, just the very basic of level 2 is enough.
Also, your time might be precious for you, but this youtuber's time could be even more precious than yours. World doesn't revolve around you