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How to highlight the top 10 percent in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Conditional formattingExcel & Google Sheets
=A2>=PERCENTILE($A$2:$A$6,0.9)Try it with your data
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Step by step
- 1Select your data range, e.g. A2:A100.
- 2Open Conditional Formatting and choose 'Use a formula'.
- 3Enter =A2>=PERCENTILE($A$2:$A$100,0.9) — the 0.9 represents the 90th percentile (top 10%). Lock the PERCENTILE range with $ signs so it doesn't shift. Choose a highlight color and save.
Tips
- In Excel you can also use the built-in 'Top/Bottom Rules → Top 10%' option under Conditional Formatting without writing a formula at all.
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Frequently asked
How do I highlight the top 10 values instead of the top 10 percent?
Use =A2>=LARGE($A$2:$A$100,10) to highlight any value that is at least as large as the 10th-largest value in the range.
More on Conditional formatting
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Highlight duplicate cells automatically with Conditional Formatting using a COUNTIF rule — no formulas to copy manually.
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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 blank cells
Use conditional formatting with ISBLANK to automatically highlight empty cells in your spreadsheet for easy visual identification.
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.