Excel Format Colors
Colors
Colors can be chosen or expressed using RGB and Hexadecimal codes.
Advice: Check out our HTML/CSS Colors Tutorial to learn more about colors.
Theme and Standard Colors
Excel comes with pre-installed themes and standard color schemes. By clicking on a color, you can choose it:
The “More Colors” option allows you to select custom colors by entering a RGB or HEX code.
Hexadecimal Colors
Excel can handle color values in hexadecimal.
The hexadecimal code #RRGGBB designates a color.
The hexadecimal integers RR (red), GG (green), and BB (blue) indicate the color’s intensity and range from 00 to FF.
Since the blue component is set to its maximum value (FF) and the other components are set to 00, #0000FF, for instance, is rendered as blue.
RGB Colors
RGB color values are supported by Excel.
rgb( RED, GREEN, BLUE ) specifies an RGB color value.
Each parameter uses a number between 0 and 255 to define the color’s intensity.
For instance, because the blue parameter is set to its maximum value (255) and the other values are set to 0, rgb(0,0,255) is shown as blue.
Applying colors
Text, borders, and cells can all be colored.
The “Fill color” function is used to apply colors to cells.
How to give cells color:
- Select color
- Select range
- Click the Fill Color button
The “Fill color” button remembers the color you used the last time.
The arrow-down icon (Ë…) adjacent to the Fill color command can be clicked to view other color options:
By selecting the More Colors option, you can choose between using HEX or RGB codes, theme colors, or standard colors:
Red, green, and blue are the building blocks of all colors. You can get the code in one way by entering a color. For instance, the RGB code for the same color will be provided if you enter a HEX code.
I’ll give you a few instances.
Starting with theme and standard colors:
Great!
Try to apply the following colors:
- Theme color blue (accent 5) to A3:F3.
- Theme color green (accent 6) and A5:F5.
Have you succeeded?
Let’s use HEX and RGB codes to apply colors.
Apply the #ffcb05 HEX code to A7:F7:
Step by step:
- Select A7:F7
- Open color options
- Click More colors
- Insert #ffcb05 in the HEX input field
- Hit enter
Using the HEX code yields the RGB code for the same color and indicates the color’s location on the color map, as you can see.
Apply RGB code 60, 90, 166 to A9:F9
Step by step:
- Select A9:F9
- Open color options
- Click More colors
- Insert 60, 90, 166 in
- the RGB input field
- Hit enter
You’ll see that when you enter the RGB code, the HEX code and the color’s location on the color map are also displayed.
Excellent work! You have used the standard, theme, HEX, and RGB codes to apply colors effectively.
