How to shade every other column in Microsoft Excel?

Shading columns or rows in Excel can significantly improve the readability of your data. While you might typically shade each column or row manually, this approach can be time-consuming, especially with larger worksheets. This article will introduce efficient methods to quickly shade every other column in Microsoft Excel, streamlining your formatting process and enhancing the visual appeal of your spreadsheets.

• Shade every other column in Excel with the Conditional Formatting command
• Quickly shade every other column in Excel with Kutools for Excel

Shade every other column in Excel with Conditional Formatting command

Using the Conditional Formatting command can shade every other row or column in a selection of Microsoft Excel.

Step 1: Select the range in which you will shade every other column.

Step 2: After clicking the Home > Conditional Formatting > New rules…, it shows the New Formatting Rule dialog box.

Step 3: In the New Formatting Rule dialog box, Select the Use a formula to determine which cells to format item in the Select a Rule Type section.

Step 4: Enter the formula below in the Format values where this formula is true: box.

=MOD(COLUMN(),2)

Step 5: After clicking the Format button in the New Formatting Rule dialog box, it displays the Format Cells dialog box.

Step 6: In the Format Cells dialog box, select one background color, and click the OK button to save settings. 

Then every other column in the selection is shaded with the selected background color.

Quickly shade every other column in Excel with Kutools for Excel

If you have Kutools for Excel installed, its Alternate Row/Column Shading tool can help you shade every other column or row quickly and conveniently.

Step 1: Select the range in which you will shade every other column.

Step 2: Click the Kutools > Format > Alternate Row/Column Shading.

Step 3: In the Alternate Row/Column Shading dialog box, check the Columns option, enter 1 in Shade Every box, and Click OK.

Then every other column in the selection is shaded with preset color.

Relative articles:

• Shade alternate row
• Quickly shade alternating filtered rows