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How to highlight blank cells in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Conditional formattingExcel & Google Sheets
=ISBLANK(A2)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Name | Score |
| Alice | 88 |
| 72 | |
| Carlos | |
| Diana | 95 |
=ISBLANK(A2)→FALSE
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Step by step
- 1Select the range you want to check for blanks, e.g. A2:D100.
- 2Open Conditional Formatting (Home tab → Conditional Formatting → New Rule in Excel; Format → Conditional formatting in Sheets).
- 3Choose 'Use a formula to determine which cells to format' (Excel) or 'Custom formula is' (Sheets) and enter =ISBLANK(A2), then pick a fill color and confirm.
Tips
- Lock the column but not the row (e.g. =$A2) when highlighting entire rows based on a blank in a specific column.
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Frequently asked
Why does ISBLANK miss cells that look empty?
A cell containing a space character or an empty string from a formula (="") is not truly blank, so ISBLANK returns FALSE. Use =LEN(TRIM(A2))=0 to catch those cases too.
More on Conditional formatting
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How to highlight duplicate values
Highlight duplicate cells automatically with Conditional Formatting using a COUNTIF rule — no formulas to copy manually.
How-toHow to highlight cells greater than a value
Use Conditional Formatting with a simple greater-than rule to automatically color cells that exceed a threshold value.
How-toHow to highlight the highest value in a range
Color the maximum value in a range automatically using a Conditional Formatting rule based on the MAX function.
How-toHow to highlight the lowest value in a range
Color the minimum value in a range using a Conditional Formatting rule built on the MIN function.
How-toHow to highlight cells that contain specific text
Use conditional formatting with SEARCH or ISNUMBER(SEARCH()) to highlight any cell containing a specific word or phrase automatically.
How-toHow to shade every other row
Use conditional formatting with MOD and ROW to automatically apply alternating row colors for a banded, readable table layout.