Changing the Color of Cell Entries

Changing the Color of Cell Entries

You already know how to change the font, font style, and font size. This section shows you how to change the font color. By default, the font color is Automatic, which is black. The Font Color command lets you change font color in two ways:

• Choose a color on the Font tab in the Format Cells dialog box.

• Click a color in the Font Color palette on the Formatting toolbar.

A good example of when you would want to change font color is when you add dark cell shading that causes the text to disappear. Consider using the Font Color command to select a light color for the text. Another example is when you are using one font color for one set of numbers such as the first-quarter figures and want to use a different font color for numbers in the second quarter.

If you have a color printer, you can get some beautiful and professional-looking results by changing the font colors to draw attention to important data.

In the upcoming To Do exercise, you change the font color for the title and date on the Summary sheet in the Sales workbook. Open the Sales 1st Qtr workbook if it isn't open already.

To Do: Change Font Color

1. Select cell A1. This step selects the title you want to format.

2. Click the Format menu and choose Cells. The Format Cells dialog box opens.

   

   A fast way to change the font color is to click the Font Color down arrow on the Formatting toolbar and choose any color you want from the Font Color palette.

   
   

3. Click the Font tab. The Font options move to the front.

   

   You can change the font color by using the shortcut menu; select the cell, click the right mouse button on the cell to display the shortcut menu, and then choose Format Cells.

   
   

4. Click the Color down arrow. You should see a palette of colors, as shown in Figure 10.1.

   Figure 10.1. Font color options in the Format Cells dialog box.

   

5. Click the Blue color patch.

6. Click OK. Excel applies the color to your selected text.

7. Click any cell to deselect the range.

   

   If the font color isn't what you expected, you can either pick a new color or return to the default Automatic (black) color. Select the cells that contain the font color and click the Font Color down arrow on the Formatting toolbar. On the Font Color palette, choose a new color or Automatic.

   
   

The toolbar makes it a snap to change the color of cell entries. The Font Color button tool on the Formatting toolbar provides a medley of color choices.

To change the color of text, select the text you want to change. Then click the Font Color button on the Formatting toolbar. A palette of many colors appears, as shown in Figure 10.2. Next click any color patch you want. Excel applies the color to the selected text.

Figure 10.2. Font color palette on the Formatting toolbar.