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: Moving Cell Borders when Sorting.
Frank has a simple two-column table that contains random dates in the first column and the letters A through E in the second column. He formats the cell containing the letter C so it has a background color and a border around the cell. When Frank sorts the table according to what is in the first column, Excel moves the background color with the C cell, but it doesn't move the border. Frank wonders if there is a way to move both the color and border of a cell when sorting.
The solution is to change how you are doing your formatting. Excel provides two types of formatting that can be applied to cells—regular formatting and conditional formatting. If you apply regular formatting, then what moves when you sort can seem rather arbitrary. If you apply conditional formatting, then all the formatting applied by the condition (or conditions) will move with the cell when you sort.
So the answer to the question is to change how you do your formatting in this instance. Just apply a conditional format that modifies the border of the cell, and then you can sort in peace. (The condition you set could easily be one that is always True, and thus the formatting always applied.)
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8881) 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: Moving Cell Borders when Sorting.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
When entering information into a worksheet, you may want it to always be in a correctly sorted order. Excel allows you to ...
Discover MoreGot a huge amount of data you need to sort in a worksheet, but Excel doesn't seem to be sorting it correctly? Here's some ...
Discover MoreExcel allows you to sort but up to three columns, but you may want to sort by more than that. This tip provides ways you ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2016-09-27 08:45:53
Rob
Hi, I have followed the instructions for tip 8881 i.e.
Conditional format
New rule
"Use formula to determine which cells to format" and select range (=$A$1<>$H$1)
Format for outside border and save
The borders appear but when I do a sort the borders disappear. What am I doing wrong? Can you assist please? I have had a look through your excel tips but cannot find anything to help.
2016-09-01 22:17:40
allen@sharonparq.com
James: Yes, that capability is now gone and has been for almost a decade. Sorry!
-Allen
2016-09-01 14:57:15
James LaValley
Allen,
I remember back in the day when you could add animated borders around words in Word. Either flashing or ants running around the word. Is that still possible today...and is it possible in Excel? I want to do it in a spreadsheet I am sending electronically so the recipient will see the animation and cannot figure out how to do it. So I went to Word and I don't see it there anymore. Any thoughts?
James
2015-07-21 05:50:56
Dawn
This does not tell me how to do it once I have selected Conditional Formatting
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2021 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
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: 
Comments