Fill Color Doesn't Display

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 26, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Rick wrote about a problem he was having when viewing cells that have a fill color. It seems that the color doesn't show up on the display, but it does show up when he prints the worksheet.

This problem is most likely related to the settings in Windows, not in Excel. Follow these general steps:

  1. Display the Control Panel.
  2. Double-click the Accessibility Options applet. Windows displays the Accessibility Options dialog box.
  3. Make sure the Display tab is visible. (See Figure 1.)

    4. Figure 1. The Display tab of the Accessibility Options dialog box.

  4. Clear the Use High Contrast check box.
  5. Click OK.

The fill colors should now be visible in the worksheet. They were "hidden" to make viewing data easier for those with certain types of visual limitations. This problem is detailed in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/833258

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3300) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

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

Activating the Formula Bar with the Keyboard

Hate to take your hands off the keyboard while working on a worksheet? Here's one way to activate the Formula Bar without ...

Discover More

Searching for Non-Black Text

Searching for text having (or not having) specific formatting is generally pretty easy. It is more difficult to search ...

Discover More

Changing Explorer Navigation Controls

Every time Windows updates the operating system, it seems that they leave out or remove something that somebody loved in ...

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 (menu)

Starting in Safe Mode

By using a command-line switch, Excel can be started in safe mode. This means that the program is loaded with bare-bones ...

Discover More

Changing Horizontal Orientation

One of the international features of Excel is the ability to switch the orientation of how information is presented. This ...

Discover More

Understanding R1C1 References

Referring to cells is typically done using a letter and a number, which represent the column and row. That's not the only ...

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.

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

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 two minus 0?

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 menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon 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.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.