There are some options that, although simple, can be very useful, said in the case of the tutorial that we bring you today. This time we will teach you how to highlight selected row or column and active cell in Excel.
Undoubtedly, highlighting certain places in our table is highly recommended to facilitate the work. Of course, this is the example when comparing two lists in Excel and highlighting repetitions, since the ease obtained is undeniable. In turn, highlighting rows and columns is something you should also learn.
What is the utility to highlight rows and columns in Excel?
It might seem that this function has no apparent utility, however you would be wrong if you think this. The truth is that thanks to this action a few advantages are obtained and even more so if you are a person who constantly works with Excel.
In any case, if you still doubt the benefits of this action, please pay attention to the following advantages.
Quickly know where you are located
One of the most notable advantages of highlighting rows and columns is that you will be aware of where your cursor is located at all times. This is especially useful for people who constantly work with the Excel application.
It may seem silly, but the truth is that being always aware of this will save you time, in turn you will avoid confusion that could appear. A highlighted column or row makes it easier to work on it, being completely focused on it.
Good highlighting and techniques like searching data in two or more Excel sheets quickly will allow you to have a much more efficient Excel table.
Teach your work team tables easily
Another very interesting benefit of this option is that it is especially useful for presentations in class or for your work team. This is because highlighting rows and columns will make a table much easier to understand.
The foregoing will make it possible to accurately and adequately explain to your work or study colleagues how the development of a job or the accounts of a company is going. It is a way to more easily communicate all the content present in our documents or presentations.
On the other hand, if the above answers your needs, making a professional presentation with Prezi is something you should consider. Especially useful in work and academic environments.
How to highlight selected row or column and active cell in Excel
Excel does not have a native way for this interesting option, however with a little ingenuity and patience it is possible to enable it. Fortunately, Excel’s customization options are very advanced, allowing this and many other functions.
Highlight selected row or column and active cell in Excel
- The first step you should take into account is to save the document you will be working on as a macro-enabled Excel Workbook. To carry out this procedure, just try to press the Save As option and search for the type of file the option indicated above.
- The previous step is very important, since we will do this procedure precisely through the use of macros.
- The next step is to go to start, then locate Conditional Formatting and click on New Rule. There click on Use a formula that determines the cells to apply formatting.
- In the space to describe the rule you should apply the following formula = column()=cell(“ column”). Click now on format. Here you can set the cell highlight as you see fit, in our case we’ll just change the fill to yellow.
- Once you are done with customization, click OK.
- Repeat the above procedure for the row, in this case the formula is = row()=cell(“ row”), also set the format to your liking.
- Go to Conditional Formatting and Manage Rules, under show formatting rules for: select This sheet.
- Where it says applies to, change the information so that both rules (row and column) look like this: =$A:$AZ.
Applying the rule
- Press Alt+F11.
- Click on the sheet you are working on, commonly marked as Sheet 1.
- Change the option from General to Worksheet. Also make sure the tab to the right is set to SelectionChange.
- At the bottom enter the following code below Private Sub and above End Sub Application.ScreenUpdating=True and press Enter.
- Click on save.
At the end of the process you can see both rows and columns highlighted in the color of your choice.
As we pointed out before, the highlighting of a table is very useful to understand it more easily and also to share it with study or work colleagues. Given this, it is also possible to publish an interactive Excel file on a website, which will make it possible to work remotely.
