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How to change a specified cell value or color when checkbox is checked in Excel?

Author Siluvia Last modified

This article is talking about changing the value or color of a specified cell by a checkbox. For example, when a certain checkbox is checked, the value or background color of a specified cell will be changed automatically. Please follow the below methods step by step to deal with it.

Change a specified cell value when checkbox is checked with formula
Change a specified cell value when checkbox is checked with VBA code
Change a specified cell color when checkbox is checked with VBA code

Change a specified cell value when checkbox is checked with formula

Supposing you need cell A1 to be populated with value “test” when the check box 1 is checked. And blank the cell when unchecking the check box. Please do as follows.

You need to link the checkbox to a certain cell firstly, and then apply formula to achieve it.

1. To link the checkbox to a certain cell, please select it, then enter= cell reference into the Formula Bar and press the Enter key. Here I link the checkbox 1 to cell C2 with entering =C2 into the Formula Bar after selecting the checkbox.

enter a formula into the Formula Bar after selecting the checkbox

For ActiveX Control check box, please right click it and select Properties from the right-clicking menu. And in the Properties dialog box, enter the linked cell into the LinkedCell field, and then close the dialog box. See screenshot:

select Properties and set options

2. Select the cell you need to change its value (here I select A1), then enter formula =IF(C2,"Test","") into the Formula Bar, and press the Enter key. See screenshot:

Select the cell to change its value and enter a formula

Note: In the formula, C2 is the linked cell of the check box 1, “Test” is the value you need to display in cell A1 when the check box is checked.

You can see the results as below screenshots shown after checking or unchecking the corresponding check box.

the value is changed based on the checkbox is checked or unchecked

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Change a specified cell value when checkbox is checked with VBA code

You can also change a specified cell value when checkbox is checked with VBA code. Please do as follows.

1. Right click the Sheet Tab with the cell value you need to change based on checkbox, then click View Code from the right-clicking menu.

2. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, please copy and paste the below VBA code into the Code window.

VBA code: Change a specified cell value when checkbox is checked

Private Sub CheckBox1_Click()
Dim xRng As Range
Dim xCell As Range, xStr As String
Set xRng = Selection
If CheckBox1.Value = True Then
    xStr = InputBox("Please enter a value：", "Kutools for Excel")
    xRng.Value = xStr
    If xStr = "" Then CheckBox1.Value = False
Else
    xRng.Value = ""
End If
End Sub

click View Code and insert the code into the sheet module

Note: In the code, ChekBox1 is the name of the Check Box (ActiveX Controls). You can change it as you need.

3. Press the Alt + Q keys simultaneously to close the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.

4. Select a blank cell (A1) you want to change its value based on the checkbox, and check the checkbox1 in your worksheet. Now a Kutools for Excel dialog box pops up, please enter the value you want to be populated in the selected blank cell, and then click the OK button. See screenshot:

enter the value you want to be populated in the selected blank cell

Then the specified value is displayed into the selected cell immediately. And when unchecking the checkbox, the cell will be blank.

the specified value is displayed if check the checkbox, otherwise, blank shown

Note: This code will remind you enter the text value circularly when you check the check box each time.

Change a specified cell color when checkbox is checked with VBA code

This section will show you how to change a specified cell color when checkbox is checked with VBA code.

1. Right click the Sheet Tab with the cell color you need to change based on checkbox, then click View Code from the right-clicking menu.

2. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, please copy and paste the below VBA code into the Code window.

VBA code: Change a specified cell color when checkbox is checked

Sub CheckBox1_Click()
Dim xRng As Range
Set xRng = Selection
If CheckBox1.Value = True Then
    xRng.Interior.Color = vbRed
Else
    xRng.Interior.Color = xlNone
End If
End Sub

click View Code and inser the code into the sheet module

Note: In the code, ChekBox1 is the name of the Check Box (ActiveX Controls). You can change it as you need.

3. Select a cell you need to change its background color, then check the checkbox. You can see the fill color of the selected cell is changed to red. And the selected cell will be filled with no background color after unchecking the checkbox. See screenshots:

fill color of the selected cell is change if check the chekbox, otherwise, no fill color

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