Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Cycling through Colors.

Cycling through Colors

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated May 28, 2021)

Excel provides a tool you can use to cycle through the available font colors. The tool is not available by default, but must be added by following these steps:

  1. Choose Customize from the Tools menu. Excel displays the Customize dialog box.
  2. Make sure the Commands tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)

    3. Figure 1. The Commands tab of the Customize dialog box.

  3. In the list of Categories, choose Format.
  4. In the list of Commands, select Cycle Font Color.
  5. Drag the Cycle Font Color to the place on your toolbar where you want the tool to appear.
  6. Click on Close.

Now, whenever you click on the Cycle Font Color tool, the font color in the selected cells will change. Click again, and the color changes again. Keep clicking, and eventually the font colors repeat.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2962) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Cycling through Colors.

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. ...

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