Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Finding Cells Filled with a Particular Color.
Vanita asked if there is a way to select cells containing a specific color. Accomplishing the task is easy; just follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.
Figure 2. The Fill tab of the Find Format dialog box.
Figure 3. The expanded Find and Replace dialog box.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6224) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Finding Cells Filled with a Particular Color.
Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!
Excel includes a rather simplistic find and replace capability. If you have more complex needs, you'll need to seek out ...
Discover MoreFinding and replacing information in a worksheet is easy. Finding and replacing in other objects (such as text boxes or ...
Discover MoreUsing Find and Replace is something quite routine in Excel, as it easily allows you to find and replace information in ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2018-08-20 17:21:50
Zolt
This wasn't working for me either (Excel 2016). Then I noticed that my Find Format had other parameters set (Number, Alignment, Font, etc), probably sticky from a previous find action. When I cleared them (Clear button on each tab), the instructions in the article worked as advertised.
2016-08-05 06:33:40
Willy Vanhaelen
@Christine
Perhaps the background color is set by conditional formatting. Find doesn't work on these.
If that is the case you can change the background color by editing the rule
- in the Home tab of the ribbon click the down arrow next to Conditional Formatting
- select Manage Rules...
- click on the rule whose format you want to change
- click Edit Rule...
- click Format
- select the color you want
2016-08-04 17:39:56
Chrisitne
I have Excel 2013 and my find feature will not find background color. I have tons of cells with one color that I need to change to another color. I do just like it says, but when I hit "Find all", it runs through my worksheet and says it cannot find anything. I choose the color by actually clicking on a cell, so I know it's exactly the correct color. Any ideas?
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2020 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: 
Comments