What Are Icon Sets In Excel?
The Icon Sets in Excel are the sets of the different types of icons, shapes, indicators, and directions, which are used for visualizing the selected values by giving them different meanings to them.
The Icon Sets are categorized under the Home menu ribbon’s conditional formatting drop-down list.
For example, the image depicts the department’s rating, and we will show the result of the given values using the Direction Icon Sets.
The steps to use icon sets in excel are as follows:
- Select the cell containing values.
- Next, click the Home tab, and select Conditional Formatting from the Styles group.
- Select Icon Sets from the list and select the 3 Arrows option from the Directional section from the drop-right list.
Likewise, we can add icons using icon sets in excel.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- The icon sets in excel are formatting tools that add various Icons to cells, such as arrows, shapes, check marks, flags, rating starts, etc., to visualize the cell values in a range that are compared to each other.
- The Icon Sets are mostly used to indicate the values graphically.
- There we four different categories.
- The directions are used for ups and downs in data; for any indications, use Shapes and Indicators and rate anything, prefer Ratings.
- While using Excel Icon Sets, apply exact formatting rules, or Excel will generate an error dialog box.
Explanation And Uses
The Icon Sets in Excel are a form of conditional formatting in which each value has an icon to show its value or range of values.
The uses of Icon Sets are;
- Select the cells for which we want to use an Icon Set
Select the cells to which we want to apply the Icon set. If we already have information in a spreadsheet, we can click and drag to select the cells we want to use or click on the column or row headers to select an entire column or row.
- Find the Icon Sets option in the Conditional Formatting menu
To find the “Conditional Formatting” menu, look within the “Style” section on the “Home” tab in Excel. Select “Conditional Formatting” to access a dropdown menu. The “Icon Sets” is between the “Color Scales” and “New Rule” options.
- Choose the Icon Set that works best for the information
There are options like arrows, traffic lights, and indicators. The Icon Set works best with the data depending on values organized and assessed in the spreadsheet. When the information about ratings or opinions is stored, the stars may be a better choice for icons.
- Alter the rules for Conditional Formatting
We can alter the rules for Conditional Formatting by using the Icon Sets option and choosing from the More Rules… option at the bottom of the menu. A New Formatting Rule window then opens, where we can detail the values, types, and icons for conditional formatting.
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Types Of Icon Sets In Excel
Type #1 – Directional
Shows Direction as;
- 3 Arrows (Colored)
- 3 Triangles (Colored)
- 4 Arrows (Colored)
- 5 Arrows (Colored)
All sections show Choose a set of items representing the value in the selected cell.
Type #2 – Shapes
Shows Shapes as;
- 3 Traffic Lights (Unrimmed)
- 3 Signs
- Red to Black
- 3 Traffic Lights (Rimmed)
- 4 Traffic Lights
All sections show Choose a set of items representing the value in the selected cell.
Type #3 – Indicators
Shows Indicators as;
- 3 Symbols (Circled)
- 3 Flags
- 3 Symbols (Uncircled)
All sections show Choose a set of items representing the value in the selected cell.
Type #4 – Ratings
Shows Ratings as;
- 3 Stars
- Quarters
- 5 Boxes
- 4 Ratings
- 5 Ratings
All sections show Choose a set of items representing the value in the selected cell.
How To Use Icon Sets In Excel?
Example #1 – Using Directional Icon Sets
The succeeding example depicts the department’s rating, and we will show the result of the given values using the Direction Icon Sets.
In the table,
- Column A contains the Department.
- Column B contains the Rating.
The steps to show the value by the Icon Sets in Excel are as follows:
Step 1: Select the cell containing values.
Step 2: Go to the Home tab, and select Conditional Formatting from the Styles group.
Step 3: Select Icon Sets from the drop-down list.
Step 4: Select the 3 Arrows(Colored) option from the Directional section from the drop-right list.
Step 5: Select the 3 Triangles option from the Directional section from the drop-right list.
Step 6: Select the 4 Arrows (Colored) option from the Directional section from the drop-right list.
Step 7: Select the 5 Arrows (Colored) option from the Directional section from the drop-right list.
Likewise, we can add icons sets in excel.
Example #2 – Using Shapes Icon Sets
The succeeding example depicts the age of the people, and we will show the result of the given values using the Shapes Icon Sets.
In the table,
- Column A contains the Name.
- Column B contains the Age.
The steps to show the value by the Icon Sets in Excel are as follows:
Step 1: Select the cell containing values.
Step 2: Go to the Home tab, and select Conditional Formatting from the Styles group.
Step 3: Select Icon Sets from the drop-down list.
Step 4: Select the 3 Traffic Lights (Unrimmed) option from the Shapes section from the drop-right list.
Step 5: Select the 3 Signs option from the Shapes section from the drop-right list.
Step 6: Select the Red To Black option from the Shapes section from the drop-right list.
Step 7: Select the 3 Traffic Lights (Rimmed) option from the Shapes section from the drop-right list.
Step 8: Select the 4 Traffic Lights option from the Shapes section from the drop-right list.
Likewise, we can add icons sets in excel.
Example #3 – Using Indicators Icon Sets
The succeeding example depicts the sales of the items, and we will show the result of the given values using the Shapes Icon Sets.
In the table,
- Column A contains the Items.
- Column B contains the Sales.
The steps to show the value by the Icon Sets in Excel are as follows:
Step 1: Select the cell containing values.
Step 2: Go to the Home tab, and select Conditional Formatting from the Styles group.
Step 3: Select Icon Sets from the drop-down list.
Step 4: Select the 3 Symbols (Circled) option from the Indicators section from the drop-right list.
Step 5: Select the 3 Flags option from the Indicators section from the drop-right list.
Step 6: Select the 3 Symbols (Uncircled) option from the Indicators section from the drop-right list.
Likewise, we can add icons sets in excel.
Example #4 – Using Ratings Icon Sets
The succeeding example depicts the price of the fruits, and we will show the result of the given values using the Shapes Icon Sets.
In the table,
- Column A contains the Fruits.
- Column B contains the Price.
The steps to show the value by the Icon Sets in Excel are as follows:
Step 1: Select the cell containing values.
Step 2: Go to the Home tab, and select Conditional Formatting from the Styles group.
Step 3: Select Icon Sets from the drop-down list.
Step 4: Select the 3 Stars option from the Ratings section from the drop-right list.
Step 5: Select the 5 Quarters option from the Ratings section from the drop-right list.
Step 6: Select the 5 Boxes option from the Ratings section from the drop-right list.
Step 7: Select the 4 Ratings option from the Ratings section from the drop-right list.
Step 8: Select the 5 Ratings option from the Ratings section from the drop-right list.
Likewise, we can add icons using icon sets in excel.
Important Things To Note
- There are five icons set category in more than three rules.
- The directional icon sets show growth or decline between two periods.
- The Icon Sets in Excel are only applied correctly with conditional formatting.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Icon Sets in Excel are used in certain situations, such as;
• Show Conditions- The Icon Sets can efficiently and easily show the status of the value.
• Indicate Progress- The Icon Sets can show the status of the completed tasks.
• Display Ranges- The Icon Sets can manage scores related values.
• Signal Status- The Icon Sets can differentiate between positive and negative values.
To add Custom Icon Sets in Excel, there are two methods;
1) Add Custom Icon Sets using the Symbol menu.
Create a table for the conditions, then in the reference table, insert the desired Icons. For this, click the Insert tab- Symbols group- Symbol button. In the Symbol dialog box, select the Windings font, pick the symbol we want, and click Insert. Use the character code to display, present near the bottom of the Symbol dialog box.
2) Add Custom Icon Sets using the Virtual Keyboard.
Open the Virtual Keyboard on the taskbar. If the keyboard Icon is not there, right click on the bar and then click Show Touch Keyboard Button. Select the cell where we want to insert the icon, and then click on the icon.
One can activate the Icon Sets in Excel using the following steps:
1) Choose the cell which will contain the data.
2) Go to the Home tab and click it.
3) Select Conditional Formatting from the menu.
4) Select Icon Sets from the drop-down menu.
5) Select Type of Icon we want to insert from the drop-right menu.
Download Template
This article must help understand Icon Sets in Excel with its types and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.
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