Think spreadsheets have to be boring? Guess again. When you learn how to format an Excel spreadsheet,you can bring data and insights to life.
When you focus on your Excel format, it's easier to share your data. Excel table formatting helps your audience analyze and understand a spreadsheet in less time.
In this tutorial, you'll learn Microsoft Excel spreadsheet formatting to help you style your spreadsheets. I'll use my decade of experience in accounting and finance to give you expert Excel file formats.
How to Format an Excel Spreadsheet (Watch & Learn)
We've got a helpful video walkthrough for spreadsheet formats. This screencast will teach you how to format an Excel spreadsheet with common techniques.
Read on to find out more about the Excel formatting tools that you can use to change the look and feel of a spreadsheet. We've got an illustrated guide with Excel file format options to make your data digestible.
Jump to content in this section:
- How to Format an Excel Spreadsheet (Watch & Learn)
- Why You Should Apply Excel Sheet Formats
- How to Use Excel Format Options
- How to Use Built-in Cell Styles
- How to Achieve Faster Excel Formatting in Excel with Format Painter
- How to Turn Off Gridlines in Excel
- How to Format Excel Data as a Table
- How to Use Conditional Formatting in Excel
- Basic AI Excel Sheet Format Tools
- Learn More About Microsoft Excel
- The Best Source for Excel Templates (With Unlimited Downloads)
- You Just Learned How to Format an Excel Spreadsheet
Why You Should Apply Excel Sheet Formats
If you're a creative, you might shy away from spreadsheets. Excel is for accountants, right?
Guess again. Spreadsheets are great tools for managing projects, organizing your work, and sharing information with others. And using stylish Excel file formats lets you exercise your creativity!
Formatting Excel spreadsheets isn't just about making them "pretty." It's about using the built-in styles to add meaning. A spreadsheet user should be able to glance at a cell and infer its meaning.
Above all, your Excel formats should be applied consistently. One example is using yellow shading each time you're making a calculation. This helps the user know that the cell's value will change. Let's learn more about tools for how to format Excel sheets.
How to Use Excel File Format Options
When you're thinking about styling a spreadsheet, it helps to know the tools of the trade. Let's start with the essentials of Excel format options. Here are some of the most popular Excel table formatting tweaks and how you can use them.
The tips in this section were written using Windows and Office 365. If you’ve got a different operating system or a different version of Excel, your steps may be slightly different.
1. How to Use Bold, Italic, and Underline
Bold, italic, and underline are basic Excel format options, but don't underestimate the meaning they can add.
To apply any of these effects, simply highlight the cells that you want to apply the effects to, and then click on the icons on the Font section of the Home tab.
You probably already know what these three tools do, but how should you use them for Excel file formats? Here are some ideas for how you can apply those styles:
- Bold.Draw attention to key cells using bold formatting. Apply bold to totals, key assumptions, and conclusion cells.
- Italic.I like to use this Excel format style for notes or text that I should de-emphasize.
- Underline.Add an underline to a summary cell, like a subtotal or conclusion.
In the example below, you can see a simple financial statement for a freelancer before and after I apply basic formatting. These are simple tweaks but dramatically increase the readability.
2. Apply Borders
Borders help to segment your data and wall it off from other sections of data in your spreadsheet. Excel's border tool can apply a variety of borders but can be a bit tricky to get started with.
Start by highlighting the cells that you want to apply a border to. Then, find the Borders dropdown menu and choose one of the built-in Excel format styles.
Learning how to format an Excel spreadsheet is easier with these pre-built options. As you can see from the dropdown options, there are many options for applying borders. Simply click on one of these border options to apply it to cells.
One of my favorite border styles is the Top and Double Bottom Border style. This is ideal for financial data when you've got a "grand total."
Another option is to change the weight and color of the border. With the bordered cells selected, return to the Borders dropdown menu. You can use the Line Color and Line Style settings to tweak the style of the borders.
Remember to use Excel sheet formats only for your key data. If you emphasize every cell, nothing stands out. Thick borders are ideal for setting a boundary for header columns or the subtotal at the bottom of your data.
3. Use Shading
Shading, also called fill, is the color that fills a cell. To use this, click and highlight any cells that you want to add shading to.
Then, click the arrow next to the paint bucket dropdown on the Font tab on the Home ribbon. You can pick from one of the many color thumbnails to apply it to a cell. I frequently use the More Colors option to open a full-featured color selection tool. Light shades are best for keeping the text readable.
You can highlight key data using shading. As I mentioned earlier, one idea is to use a consistent fill based on the contents of the cell, such as blue for any "input" fields where you manually type data.
Don't overdo it with shading. When you use too many Excel format options, it distracts from the content that's stored in the spreadsheet.
4. Change Alignment
Alignment refers to the way that the content in a cell is aligned to the edges. You can left align, center, or right align text. By default, content is left aligned in a cell. When you've got large data sets, you might want to alter the alignment to enhance readability.
One common change that I make is putting text on the left edge of a cell, while numeric amounts should be right-aligned. Also, column headers look great when they're centered along the top.
Change the alignment using the three alignment buttons on the Alignment tab on Excel's Home ribbon. You can also align content vertically, specifying whether the content aligns to the top, middle, or bottom of the cell.
How to Use Built-in Cell Styles
One of my favorite ways to style a spreadsheet rapidly is to use built-in Excel formats. On the Home tab, click on the Cell Styles dropdown to apply one of the built-in styles to a cell.
Use these pre-built styles to save time. There's no need to rebuild your Excel doc formats from scratch. Use these as a way to take a shortcut to Excel spreadsheet formats.
For even more pre-built Excel file formats, check out the article below. You'll see top options for Excel formats for invoices, with ready-to-use spreadsheet format examples.
How to Achieve Faster Excel Formatting in Excel With Format Painter
Who wants to recreate Excel cell styles over and over again? Instead of recreating the wheel for each cell, you can use the Format Painter to pick up formatting and apply it to other cells.
Start by clicking in the cell that has the format that you want to copy. Then, find the Format Painter tool on the Home tab on Excel's ribbon. Click on the Format Painter, and then click on the cell that you want to apply the same style to.
Don't start from scratch with your Excel file format options! Learn more and master the format painter in the tutorial below:
How to Turn Off Gridlines in Excel
As you probably already know, a spreadsheet is made up of rows and columns. Rows are ruled by horizontal lines and have numbers next to them. Columns are split with vertical lines and have letters at the top to refer to them.
Where rows and columns meet, cells are formed. Cells have names for which row and column they intersect. For example, where row 4 and column B meet is called B4.
Here's one of my top tips for how to format an Excel spreadsheet for sharing: turn off gridlines. It gives a much cleaner appearance and can be easier to read.
When you're working in Excel, gridlines are helpful. But when you want to share data, it might be best to turn them off for easier reading. Click on the View menu, and untick Gridlines.
Gridlines are imaginary and are only visible on screen. With proper borders added, it's best to turn off gridlines as a finishing step.
How to Print With Gridlines
What if you want to show gridlines throughout the spreadsheet when you print it? Instead of having to manually add borders to each and every cell, you can simply print your workbook and include those gridlines.
To turn on gridlines when printing, start by going to the File menu, and choose Print. Then, click on Page Setup to open the settings. This controls how your spreadsheet format prints.
On the Sheet tab, tick the box labeled Gridlines to include gridlines when you print your Excel workbook.
Keep in mind that this option will certainly use more ink when printing. However, it also might make it easier to read your printed spreadsheet.
How to Format Excel Data as a Table
One of my favorite ways to style a dataset quickly is to use the Format as Table dropdown option. With just a couple of clicks, you can transform a few rows and columns into a structured data table.
When you format data as a table, you unlock many helpful options. For example, you can use the Table Style Options section on the ribbon to add automatic subtotals, or use the built-in Table Styles for quick formatting.
This feature works best when you already have data in a set of rows and columns and want to apply a uniform style. It's a combination of style and functionality, as tables add other features like automatic filtering buttons.
Learn more about why tables are a great feature in the tutorial below:
How to Use Conditional Formatting in Excel
What if the format of a cell could change based on the data inside it? This feature is built into Excel, and it's called Conditional Formatting.
Imagine using Conditional Formatting to highlight the top and bottom values in your cells. It makes it easy to visually scan your data and look for key indicators. And don't think that you have to manually adjust it every time your data changes!
Conditional Formatting is best used with numeric data. To get started, simply highlight a column or row of data and make sure that you're on the Home tab on the ribbon.
There are a number of styles that you can choose from the Conditional Formatting dropdown menu. Each of these applies a different style of Excel formatting to your cells, but each will adapt based on the cells that you've highlighted.
These are just a few tips to help you get started with conditional formatting in Excel. Check out the guide below to learn more about how to apply smart styles to your cells.
Basic AI Excel Sheet Format Tools
Artificial intelligence is a part of more apps than ever. Microsoft Office, including Excel, is no exception. These tools save time during Excel table formatting. In Excel, the Copilot tool can use conversational prompts to apply Excel file format adjustments.
For an AI-powered assist, check out the new Microsoft Copilot Assistant. It can even help you intelligently apply formatting. Learn more below:
Learn More About Microsoft Excel
The possibilities in Excel are endless. This tool powers companies of all sizes and is flexible for every purpose. But it also features a learning curve that takes time to conquer.
We've got you covered. You've learned how to format Excel spreadsheets effectively. Keep going with more tutorials that help you master Excel:
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The Best Source for Excel Templates (With Unlimited Downloads)
Need a jumpstart learning how to format Excel sheets? We've got you covered with pre-built templates that have the work done for you. On Envato, you can download unlimited templates, all in one place.
You Just Learned How to Format an Excel Spreadsheet
Think spreadsheets are doomed to be black and white? Now you know that's not the case. You learned how to format Excel sheets with meaning. Each cell's style can help the viewer analyze and understand faster than plaintext alone.
Don't forget that pre-built Excel templates give you great styles with less work. You can even use these styles as inspiration for your own spreadsheets.
Now, it's your turn. Put your new Excel file format options into practice. Open a spreadsheet, add new styles, and watch it come to life!
