Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Colors and Fonts for Worksheet Tabs.

Colors and Fonts for Worksheet Tabs

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 9, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


Excel is quite configurable in how information appears on your screen. At some time, you may want to change the appearance of the worksheet tabs at the bottom of your workbook. Unfortunately, Excel allows very little customization of the way worksheet tabs are presented.

If you want to change the font used in a worksheet tab, you need to change the fonts used by Windows (not Excel) to displays information. You can use the Windows Control Panel to modify the appearance of information within your system. Understand, however, that such changes affect all programs running on your system, not just Excel.

If you want to change the color used to display a worksheet tab, you can follow these steps:

  1. Right-click on the worksheet tab you want to change. Excel displays a Context menu.
  2. Choose Tab Color from the Context menu. Excel displays a palette of available colors.
  3. Select a color to use for the tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9702) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Colors and Fonts for Worksheet Tabs.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Wrong Characters Printed in Equations

Ever have the problem of your document printing different characters than what appears on the screen? There are several ...

Discover More

Printing a Single Column in Multiple Columns

Ever printed out a worksheet only to find that you have text only at the left side of each page? You can use more of each ...

Discover More

Excel Crashes when Running Macros

It can be frustrating when macros don't run as you expect. When it occurs, however, tracking down the cause can be even ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Creating a Worksheet Copy by Default

Excel makes it relatively easy to copy worksheets to a different workbook. That doesn't mean it couldn't be made simpler ...

Discover More

Retrieving Worksheet Names

Want to grab the names of all the worksheets in a workbook? Here's how you can stuff all those names into the cells of a ...

Discover More

Comparing Formulas on Two Worksheets

As you develop worksheets, it is not unusual to end up with two that are essentially the same. At some point you may want ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is six minus 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.