What Is A Format Painter In Excel?
A Format Painter in Excel is a powerful tool that allows users to quickly apply formatting from one cell or range of cells to another. It can be found in the Home tab under the Clipboard group. With just a few clicks, the Format Painter simplifies maintaining a consistent appearance throughout a spreadsheet by copying the formatting, such as font styles, sizes, colors, borders, and cell shading.
This function is particularly useful when working with large data sets that require the same formatting across multiple cells or when applying complex formatting patterns. Users can effortlessly replicate that styling elsewhere in their workbook by selecting a cell with the desired format and then clicking the Format Painter button. This efficient feature saves time and ensures uniformity and professionalism in Excel documents.
The following example explains the formatting from one range to another.
Select the range with the desired formatting, click on the Format Painter option, and choose the range where we wish to apply the formatting.
Next, the selected range will be formatted to match the original style. This method saves time by transferring formatting across ranges.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- Format Painter is a powerful tool in Excel that allows users to easily copy and apply formatting from one cell or range of cells to another.
- It is important to remember that the feature will apply all the properties and formatting of one cell to the new location. Consequently, we do not have the option to select which format to use.
- Once we have formatted the new location, the formatting option for the painter will no longer be available.
- To format multiple locations, we must double-click on the “Format Painter” option, as this will keep the function active until we choose to deactivate it by pressing the “ESC” key.
How To Use Format Painter In Excel?
- First, use Format Painter to select the cell or range of cells with the desired formatting.
- Next, click the Format Painter button in the Home tab of the Excel ribbon.
- Once activated, the cursor will change into a paintbrush icon.
- Click on the cell or range of cells where we want to apply the formatting, and Excel will automatically replicate both the formatting style and any applied conditional formatting rules.
- Additionally, we can double-click the Format Painter button to apply formatting to multiple non-contiguous ranges of cells.
Excel VBA – All in One Courses Bundle (35+ Hours of Video Tutorials)
If you want to learn Excel and VBA professionally, then Excel VBA All in One Courses Bundle (35+ hours) is the perfect solution. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, this bundle covers it all – from Basic Excel to Advanced Excel, Macros, Power Query, and VBA.
Examples
Example #1 – Formatting The Cells In Excel
This method will copy the formatting from one range to another.
Step 1: Firstly, we must select the range with the desired formatting.
Step 2: Next, go to the Home tab. Within this tab, we will find the Format Painter option.
Step 3: Click the Format Painter option and select the range where we want to apply the formatting. Once the formatting is applied, the range will be formatted to match the original.
Following these steps, we can easily copy the formatting from one range to another.
Example #2 – Formatting The Conditional Formatted Data
In this method, we can utilize the Format Painter tool to apply conditional formatting from one range of cells to another.
Here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Select the desired range of data and click on the Format Painter option under the Home tab.
Step 2: Click the Format Painter option and choose the range where we wish to apply the formatting. Next, the range will be formatted to mirror the original style.
The steps remain the same, with the only difference being that we also copy the conditional formatting of the cells in this particular example.
Example #3 – Formatting The Shape Of Object
In this method, we will learn how to format an object.
Step 1: To begin, we need to insert the desired shape; in this case, we have entered Rectangle rounded corners. To insert a shape, go to the Insert tab and select the shape that is required for our purpose.
Step 2: Next, we need to select the shape with the desired formatting.
Step 3: Click the Format Painter option to do the formatting.
Step 4: Now, we can choose the shape in Excel that requires formatting. Doing so will automatically copy all the formatting properties onto the selected shape.
By following these steps, we can format objects, improving our work’s overall appearance and presentation.
Example #4- Format Painter On A Complete Worksheet
In this example, we will focus on formatting the entire workbook rather than just a single cell or range.
Step 1: To begin, we must select the fully formatted workbook or one with the necessary properties; the following is the formatted worksheet.
Below is the original worksheet.
Step 2: Once done, click the Format Painter option.
Step 3: Next, choose the worksheet that requires formatting. The formatting will be automatically applied to the selected worksheet.
Following these steps, we can format the entire workbook.
Important Things To Note
- The formatting of an entire worksheet using the “Format Painter” is crucial to ensure that both sheets contain the same data in the same locations.
- If the first row has ten headers and another sheet only has 9, all ten headers will be formatted.
- We will have one additional formatted header but no corresponding data.
- The “Format Painter” can also be accessed through the paste special excel options.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Format Painter tool in Excel is an invaluable feature that allows users to quickly apply formatting from one cell or range of cells to another. With just a few clicks, the Format Painter tool saves time and ensures consistency across a spreadsheet. This tool is particularly useful when working with large datasets or maintaining a uniform appearance throughout a workbook.
The following example illustrates how to transfer formatting from one range to another.
To begin, select the range that has the desired formatting.
Next, click on the Format Painter option. Then, choose the range where we want to apply the formatting.
Now, the selected range will be formatted to match the original style.
1. Firstly, double-clicking on Format Painter allows us to apply formatting repeatedly without selecting it again.
2. Moreover, if we need to apply formatting across multiple non-adjacent ranges, hold down the Ctrl key while selecting with our mouse pointer.
3. Lastly, remember that Format Painter only applies cosmetic changes such as font styles, colors, borders, and number formats. Still, there are no actual values or formulas within cells, so exercise caution when applying them.
1. Firstly, the Format Painter can only be used within the same workbook. If we have multiple workbooks open, we cannot use Format Painter to copy formatting between them.
2. Additionally, the tool can only copy font style, border settings, and cell fill color. It cannot copy formulas, data validation rules, conditional formatting rules, or any other non-formatting features applied to the source cells.
3. Moreover, if we want to copy the format to multiple cells or ranges simultaneously, double-click the Format Painter icon instead of just single-clicking it.
Download Template
This article must help understand Format Painter in Excel formulas and examples. We can download the template here to use it instantly.
Recommended Articles
Guide to Format Painter In Excel. Here we learn how to use format painter in excel with step by step examples & downloadable excel template. You can learn more from the following articles –
Leave a Reply