Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 19, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
If you have a series of values in a range of cells, you might want to use different formatting to differentiate the odd numbers from the even numbers. The way you do this is through the use of the Conditional Formatting feature in Excel. Follow these steps:
Figure 1. The New Formatting Rule dialog box.
With this conditional formatting applied, if the cell is odd it will be one color and if even it will be another. If the cell contains text, the cell will be uncolored, meaning it will have the color of the cell before you added the conditional formatting. The conditional formatting overrides any formatting you put on the cell, so even if you try to change the cell color via the tools on the ribbons, the conditional formatting takes precedence.
The MOD function isn't the only thing you can use in your formula. If you want to determine whether the cell contains an odd value (step 6), you could use the following:
=ISODD(A1)
Similarly, if you want to determine if the cell contains an even value (step 11), you could use the following:
=ISEVEN(A1)
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6260) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Shading Based on Odds and Evens.
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