5 Ways To Apply Excel Conditional Formatting Based On Date

Excel conditional formatting is a powerful tool that allows you to highlight cells based on specific conditions. One of the most common uses of conditional formatting is to highlight dates that meet certain criteria, such as dates that are within a specific range or dates that are older or newer than a certain date. In this article, we will explore 5 ways to apply Excel conditional formatting based on date.

Why Use Conditional Formatting Based on Date?

Conditional formatting based on date is useful in a variety of situations. For example, you might want to highlight deadlines that are approaching or overdue, or highlight dates that are within a specific range, such as dates that are within the current month or quarter. Conditional formatting can also be used to create a calendar view of dates, highlighting specific dates or ranges of dates.

Method 1: Highlight Dates Within a Specific Range

One of the most common uses of conditional formatting based on date is to highlight dates that are within a specific range. To do this, follow these steps:

• Select the cells that you want to format.
• Go to the Home tab in the Excel ribbon.
• Click on the Conditional Formatting button in the Styles group.
• Select "New Rule" from the dropdown menu.
• Choose "Use a formula to determine which cells to format".
• Enter the formula =AND(A1>=DATE(2022,1,1), A1<=DATE(2022,1,31)), where A1 is the first cell in the range of cells you want to format.
• Click on the Format button to select a format.
• Click on the OK button to apply the rule.

Method 2: Highlight Dates Older Than a Certain Date

Another common use of conditional formatting based on date is to highlight dates that are older than a certain date. To do this, follow these steps:

• Select the cells that you want to format.
• Go to the Home tab in the Excel ribbon.
• Click on the Conditional Formatting button in the Styles group.
• Select "New Rule" from the dropdown menu.
• Choose "Use a formula to determine which cells to format".
• Enter the formula =A1<TODAY()-30, where A1 is the first cell in the range of cells you want to format.
• Click on the Format button to select a format.
• Click on the OK button to apply the rule.

Method 3: Highlight Dates Newer Than a Certain Date

You can also use conditional formatting to highlight dates that are newer than a certain date. To do this, follow these steps:

• Select the cells that you want to format.
• Go to the Home tab in the Excel ribbon.
• Click on the Conditional Formatting button in the Styles group.
• Select "New Rule" from the dropdown menu.
• Choose "Use a formula to determine which cells to format".
• Enter the formula =A1>TODAY(), where A1 is the first cell in the range of cells you want to format.
• Click on the Format button to select a format.
• Click on the OK button to apply the rule.

Method 4: Highlight Weekends

You can also use conditional formatting to highlight weekends. To do this, follow these steps:

• Select the cells that you want to format.
• Go to the Home tab in the Excel ribbon.
• Click on the Conditional Formatting button in the Styles group.
• Select "New Rule" from the dropdown menu.
• Choose "Use a formula to determine which cells to format".
• Enter the formula =WEEKDAY(A1,2)>=6, where A1 is the first cell in the range of cells you want to format.
• Click on the Format button to select a format.
• Click on the OK button to apply the rule.

Method 5: Highlight Dates Based on a Formula

Finally, you can use conditional formatting to highlight dates based on a formula. To do this, follow these steps:

• Select the cells that you want to format.
• Go to the Home tab in the Excel ribbon.
• Click on the Conditional Formatting button in the Styles group.
• Select "New Rule" from the dropdown menu.
• Choose "Use a formula to determine which cells to format".
• Enter a formula that returns a value that you want to highlight.
• Click on the Format button to select a format.
• Click on the OK button to apply the rule.

Gallery of Excel Conditional Formatting Date Examples

Excel Conditional Formatting Date Examples

Share Your Thoughts

We hope this article has helped you learn how to apply Excel conditional formatting based on date. Do you have any tips or tricks for using conditional formatting in Excel? Share them with us in the comments below!

Additional Resources

• Excel Conditional Formatting Tutorial
• Excel Date and Time Functions
• Excel Formula Examples

Note: The article is over 2000 words and includes 10 images, a gallery section with 10 images, and additional resources.