Microsoft Office · Intermediate level

Intermediate level · Module 2: Excel for Everyday Office Data · Lesson 4 of 4

Conditional Formatting and Report Charts

Highlight what matters and present data clearly for managers.

In this lesson you will

  • Apply conditional formatting rules
  • Create and format charts for a report

Key concepts

conditional formattingdata barschart elementscopy chart to Word/PowerPoint

The lesson

Conditional formatting changes a cell's appearance based on its value, drawing the eye to what matters: overdue payments in red, low stock in orange, data bars showing sales size.

Use it sparingly and consistently. If everything is highlighted, nothing stands out; and colour should not be the only signal, because some readers cannot distinguish red from green.

Charts for reports should be simple and labelled. Copy them into Word or PowerPoint as linked objects when the data will change.

Step by step

  1. Highlight overdue payments with a rule based on the due date.
  2. Add data bars to the sales column.
  3. Create a clean monthly chart.
  4. Write one sentence explaining what the chart shows.

Practice activity

Highlight overdue payments in red, add data bars to sales, and create a clean monthly chart for a report.

Expected result: A highlighted sheet and a report-ready chart.

Check your understanding

  1. What happens to a linked chart in Word when the Excel data changes?

    Show answer

    It can be updated to reflect the new data.

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