Get your color codes ready
Have your palette's codes handy. You can generate one with our palette generator.
Recent versions of Excel accept hex codes. Older ones only accept RGB. If you need to convert, use our color converter. For example, #2E9E5B equals RGB 46, 158, 91.
Fill color and font color
- Select the cells.
- On the Home tab, open Fill Color (the paint bucket) or Font Color (the letter A).
- Choose More Colors… and go to the Custom tab.
- Type your code in the Hex field or, if it isn't there, the RGB values.
- Click OK.
The color stays in the Recent Colors row so you can reuse it.
Colors in conditional formatting
Conditional formatting changes cell colors based on their values. It's very useful for spotting data at a glance.
- Color scales: go to Home, Conditional Formatting, Color Scales. It fills cells with a gradient, for example from red to green.
- Your own colors: in Conditional Formatting, choose New Rule (or Manage Rules to edit one). When you set the format, go to Fill and choose More Colors to use your code.
- Data Bars: these also let you pick the bar color.
Use a few colors with a clear meaning. For example, green for good, amber for review and red for problems.
Colors in charts
- Click the chart. The Chart Design tab appears, with a Change Colors option for applying preset palettes based on the theme.
- To change a single series, click it, open Format Data Series and, under Fill, choose More Colors.
- To highlight one data point, leave everything else gray and color only the bar that matters.
Theme colors in Excel
If you want all your charts and tables to use your palette, create theme colors.
- Go to the Page Layout tab.
- Open Colors and choose Customize Colors….
- Assign your text, background and accent colors.
- Type a name and click Save.
New charts and table styles will use those accent colors.
Tips for readable spreadsheets
- Use soft backgrounds for headers and bold colors only for highlights.
- Keep text dark on light backgrounds. Check it with our contrast checker.
- Don't use more than three or four colors with different meanings.
- Add a legend if a color has a specific meaning.
- Don't rely on color alone: combine it with icons, bold or text for people with color blindness.
- Remember that in black-and-white printing, colors turn into similar grays.