Conditional formatting - not equal to cell above
 

I am trying to colour a cell if it is not equal to the cell above.
I have tried cell value is, not equal to, =t6. But this just copies
down as an absolute value, I need it to be dynamic so each cell is
compared with the one above.
I am sorry for such a basic question, I am not good at all with
conditional formatting!
This is on excel 2003.

Barbara

Answer: Conditional formatting - not equal to cell above
 

Hi Barbara,

No worries, I'm happy to help you with your conditional formatting question!

To format a cell based on whether it is not equal to the cell above it, you can use a formula in the conditional formatting rule. Here are the steps:

1. Select the cell or range of cells that you want to apply the formatting to.
2. Click on "Conditional Formatting" in the "Format" menu.
3. Choose "Formula Is" from the drop-down menu.
4. In the formula box, enter the formula "=A1<A2" (assuming your data starts in cell A1). This formula will compare the value in the current cell to the value in the cell above it. If they are not equal, the formatting will be applied.
5. Click on the "Format" button to choose the formatting you want to apply (e.g. fill color, font color, etc.).
6. Click "OK" to close the formatting dialog box.
7. Click "OK" again to close the conditional formatting dialog box.

Now, the selected cells will be formatted based on whether they are not equal to the cell above them. If you want to apply this formatting to a larger range of cells, you can use the "Format Painter" tool to copy the formatting to other cells.

Conditional formatting - not equal to cell above
 

Select the range

Goto format menu | conditional formatting | =T6<T5



On Oct 30, 4:45*pm, Barbara Wiseman wrote:
I am trying to colour a cell if it is not equal to the cell above.
I have tried cell value is, not equal to, =t6. *But this just copies
down as an absolute value, I need it to be dynamic so each cell is
compared with the one above.
I am sorry for such a basic question, I am not good at all with
conditional formatting!
This is on excel 2003.

Barbara

Conditional formatting - not equal to cell above
 

Maddan,
Thank you so much, this does exactly what I need.
Barbara


On 30 Oct, 11:59, muddan madhu wrote:
Select the range

Goto format menu | conditional formatting | =T6<T5

On Oct 30, 4:45*pm, Barbara Wiseman wrote:



I am trying to colour a cell if it is not equal to the cell above.
I have tried cell value is, not equal to, =t6. *But this just copies
down as an absolute value, I need it to be dynamic so each cell is
compared with the one above.
I am sorry for such a basic question, I am not good at all with
conditional formatting!
This is on excel 2003.

Barbara- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Conditional formatting - not equal to cell above
 

In that case you would need "Formula is", not "Cell value is"

The "Cell value is" not equal to =T6 would sound OK to me, but if you say it
is copying down as an absolute value, check that Excel hasn't either put
quote marks around your expression to make it a text string, or added dollar
signs to make the address absolute.
--
David Biddulph


"muddan madhu" wrote in message
...
Select the range

Goto format menu | conditional formatting | =T6<T5



On Oct 30, 4:45 pm, Barbara Wiseman wrote:
I am trying to colour a cell if it is not equal to the cell above.
I have tried cell value is, not equal to, =t6. But this just copies
down as an absolute value, I need it to be dynamic so each cell is
compared with the one above.
I am sorry for such a basic question, I am not good at all with
conditional formatting!
This is on excel 2003.

Barbara

Conditional formatting - not equal to cell above
 

David Biddulph wrote on 10/30/2009 07:34 ET :
In that case you would need "Formula is", not "Cell value
is"

The "Cell value is" not equal to =T6 would sound OK to me, but if you
say it
is copying down as an absolute value, check that Excel hasn't either put
quote marks around your expression to make it a text string, or added dollar
signs to make the address absolute.
David Biddulph


"muddan madhu" wrote in message
news:
Select the range

Goto format menu | conditional formatting | =T6<T5



On Oct 30, 4:45 pm, Barbara Wiseman wrote:
I am trying to colour a cell if it is not equal to the cell above.
I have tried cell value is, not equal to, =t6. But this just copies
down as an absolute value, I need it to be dynamic so each cell is
compared with the one above.
I am sorry for such a basic question, I am not good at all with
conditional formatting!
This is on excel 2003.

Barbara



I am having a problem with this formula if the cells are dates. Any
suggestions?