Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 26, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Whenever you select a range of cells to enter data, the active cell is white and all the other cells in the range are a contrasting color. As you enter data and then press the Enter key, that cell becomes the contrasting color and the next cell becomes the active cell and is white. You may wonder how to change the contrasting color to make the selected range stand out more.
The colors used by Excel when you select items are controlled not by Excel, but by Windows. You can change the selection color, but you should understand that when you do so it may affect other programs besides just Excel. The exact steps you follow depend on your version of Windows. If you are using Windows XP, follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Advanced Appearance dialog box.
If you are using Vista, follow these steps instead:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8261) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
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2021-02-03 12:55:15
Pat
Do you have an answer for Win 10 excel 365? They don't seem to take into consideration people with vision issues.
2016-08-21 18:56:14
nancy golden
My work computer has now been updated to windows 8.1 (soon to be updated again). We run office 2016.
The problem in this article is EXACTLY what I'm looking to solve. Unfortunately, I can't find any context menu. The closest ones I find don't give you the options you showed.
Any ideas? I need to be able to easily look at a spreadsheet and locate the cells that have been "found"...but they're virtually impossible to see.
Thanks.
2016-04-24 12:13:58
JMJ
Thank you for maintaining your so useful tips for those who still use XP!
(I know it's bad, but I just can't refrain :-)
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