Dynamically Changing Worksheet Tab Color

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 1, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365


Andrew knows how to change the color of worksheet tabs manually. However, he would like a way to change the tab color based upon a value in a cell on the worksheet.

To do this, you'll need to use a macro. The key is that you want to change the Color property of the Tab object, in this manner:

ActiveSheet.Tab.Color = vbRed

The logic you use to get to the point of making such a color assignment depends on what you want to do and when you want to do it. Assuming that you want to change the tab color based on what is in cell A1, you could use a macro like the following:

Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
    If Target.Address = "$A$1" Then
        MyVal = Range("A1").Text

        With ActiveSheet.Tab
            Select Case MyVal
                Case "0"
                    .Color = vbBlack
                Case "1"
                    .Color = vbRed
                Case "2"
                    .Color = vbGreen
                Case "3"
                    .Color = vbYellow
                Case "4"
                    .Color = vbBlue
                Case "5"
                    .Color = vbMagenta
                Case "6"
                    .Color = vbCyan
                Case "7"
                    .Color = vbWhite
                Case Else
                    .ColorIndex = xlColorIndexNone
            End Select
        End With
    End If
End Sub

You need to add the macro to the code for the worksheet whose tab you want to modify. (Right-click the sheet's tab and choose View Code from the Context menu. Paste the code into that code window.) The macro grabs whatever is in cell A1 and then uses a Select Case structure to change the color of the tab. The logic changes the color if A1 contains 0 through 7. If there is anything else there (or nothing at all), then the ColorIndex property is used to set the tab color back to its default.

The macro could be modified so that it checks for a change in a cell other than A1; just modify the first line that checks the .Address property of the Target object. It could also be changed so that what it tests for is a text string (such as "Black", "Red", etc.) or some keyword (such as "Low" or "High"). You could also use different color designations with the Color property, such as the RGB function:

                .Color = RGB(255, 0, 0)

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (13138) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365.

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

Adding Table Columns to Columns with Merged Cells

Word's table editor allows you to modify the structure of tables in a wide variety of ways. If you want to add columns to ...

Discover More

Selecting a Sentence

Need to select an entire sentence? It's easy by making one small adjustment to how you click the mouse.

Discover More

Copying a Chart and Related Shapes to a Word Document

Excel and Word are intended to work together, but sometimes it can seem that getting them to do so isn't that intuitive. ...

Discover More

Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Quickly Inserting a New Worksheet

Want a quick way to insert a worksheet? There's nothing faster than using the handy shortcut.

Discover More

Returning a Worksheet Name

Need to know the name of the current worksheet? You can use the CELL function as the basis for finding this information ...

Discover More

Jumping to a Specific Worksheet

Want to make fast work of moving from one worksheet to another? Here's how to do the task when you have a lot of ...

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 8 - 4?

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.