8 Formatting Tips for Microsoft Excel

In addition to learning Microsoft Excel shortcuts and formulas, another aspect of creating a successful worksheet or workbook is knowing how to format it properly. This article will cover eight useful tips that will help you format spreadsheets like a pro. 

8 Formatting Tips for Excel

The following eight tips can be used to create more effective, visually engaging Excel worksheets and workbooks:

• Change colors. When working with a dashboard or spreadsheet model, you have the option of changing the color scheme into something more unique and fitting to your project. To change the colors:

1. Go to the “Page Layout” ribbon.
2. From the “Colors” box on the lefthand side, select a color scheme.
3. In addition to Microsoft’s provided color options designed to add contrast to spreadsheets, you can also add your own color schemes to better reflect the needs of your data or your corporate style. You can also choose to define font schemes and combine them with colors to create a truly unique visual display in Excel.

• Add a screenshot. Adding a screenshot to an Excel spreadsheet is easy and can enhance its look and content. If you take a screenshot of any open program on your desktop, it can be added to a spreadsheet by completing the following steps:

1. Go to the “Insert” tab.
2. Click on the screenshot. You will see a dropdown menu that includes a thumbnail image of every open program. 
3. Choose the desired image.
4. A full-size image will appear in Excel, which can be resized as needed.

• Copy style among Excel worksheets. If your project involves working with several sets of worksheets, it’s good to incorporate the same cell style across the documents to create a cohesive feel. There’s no need to waste time recreating the style on each worksheet. Instead, you can take the style choices from one worksheet and apply them to others by completing the following steps:

1. Open both the Excel worksheet that contains the style you’d like to copy, as well as the target sheet. 
2. From the targeted sheet’s home tab, select “Cell Styles.”
3. Click on “Merge Styles.”
4. When a dialogue box appears, select the file from which you’d like to copy the style. 
5. Click two times on “OK.”

This technique is especially helpful because it allows you to save this new sheet as the default sheet. This formatting technique saves Excel users valuable time when creating official reports or presentations.

• Add graphics to charts. Graphics can be placed in any part of an Excel chart. For example, any piece of pie or bar can support a different image, such as a company’s logo (which can be added by using the “Insert” tab’s Pictures button), or a state flag. To insert an image such as a state flag into a chart:

1. Select the desired pie slice.
2. Use the “Series Options” menu and choose “Picture or texture fill” to add the desired image.

In addition, “no fill” can also be selected, which creates the visual effect of a missing piece of pie on the chart. You can also cut and paste clip art to a chart, such as dollar bills. However, keep in mind that adding too many graphics to an Excel chart can make it look busy and hard to read.

• Place a border around a cell or cells. Another helpful formatting trick in Excel is to add a border around one or multiple cells to group or separate them from the other data. This can enhance the spreadsheet’s readability and accessibility. In addition, there are various formatting options that can be applied to alter the thickness of the borders. If you’d like to create a border around one or more cells:

1. Select the cell or cells you’d like to enclose with a border.
2. From the “Home” tab, go “Font” on the ribbon.
3. Choose the icon containing a cross and a black line across the bottom of the box.
4. From the dropdown menu, pick the border type you’d like to add.
5. Additional options and styles are also available by right-clicking the selected cells and selecting “Format Cells.”
6. From there, you can choose the “Border” tab to pick the border that is perfect for your project.

• Change the names of column headers. When working in Excel, column headers are labeled A, B, C, D, etc, by default. Although there isn’t a way to change these heders, you can instead enter names into row 1 that are better suited to your project. Remember that if you already have data in the first row of the spreadsheet, you’ll need to insert a row above it. You can also add bold formatting or change the background colors to further distinguish the headers from the rest of the document.

• Add color to cells. When working in Excel, you may find a cell that contains color that you’d like to replace or remove. In instances such as this, when custom format is on, the usual methods for replacing or removing formatting will not work. Instead, to change this cell’s color:

1. Click on the affected cell or cells.
2. Type “Ctrl +1” to go to “Custom Format.”
3. From there, you will be able to make changes to the cell’s color to better reflect your design needs.

• Cleaning formats. When working with an Excel spreadsheet that others have used, such as for a group project or report, you sometimes inherit their formatting choices, for better or worse. It can take a substantial amount of time to reformat the spreadsheet manually. Instead, you can revert formatting to the “Normal” setting by completing the following steps:

1. Go to the “Home” tab.
2. Click on “Clear,” then “Select Clear Formats.”
3. These actions will leave behind the data, but strip it of any formatting additions, such as size or color alterations.

Get Started Learning Excel with Hands-On Classes

A great way to learn more about how to work with Excel is to enroll in one of Noble Desktop’s Excel courses in NYC and live online. Classes are available for those who are new to Excel, as well as learners who regularly work with this spreadsheet application and wish to brush up on their skills. In addition, there are also in-person and live online Excel courses available through Noble Desktop or one of its affiliate schools. A variety of course options are offered, ranging in duration from three hours to two days and costing between $229 and $1,099. 

Noble Desktop’s Excel Bootcamp provides a great option for those who want to master core Excel concepts, such as working with VLOOKUP and PivotTables. Students who enroll in this rigorous, 21-hour course can elect to study in person in Manhattan or learn in the live online environment. This small class comes with the option of a free retake and covers a variety of Excel concepts applicable to the business world. 

Additionally, if you want to find learning options close to home, you can use Noble’s Classes Near Me too to browse more than 290 in-person and virtual Microsoft Excel classes.