Skip to content
Free Excel Tutorials
  • Home
  • Excel For Beginners
  • Excel Intermediate
  • Advanced Excel For Experts

Data Analysis

  • How To Create Frequency Distribution in Excel
  • Filter Data Based on Date in Excel
  • Add Outline to Data in Excel
  • How to conditionally sum numeric data in an Excel table using SUMIFS
  • Move chart to a separate worksheet in Excel

References

  • Basic INDEX MATCH approximate in Excel
  • Perform case-sensitive Lookup in Excel
  • How to use Excel ROW Function
  • How to use Excel TRANSPOSE Function
  • How to use Excel INDIRECT Function

Data Validations

  • Excel Data validation date in specific year
  • Excel Data validation don’t exceed total
  • Excel Data validation must not contain
  • Prevent invalid data entering in specific cells
  • Excel Data validation whole percentage only

Conditional formatting column is blank in Excel

by

This tutorial shows how to Conditionally format column is blank in Excel using the example below;

Formula

=OR(A1="",B1="", C1="")

Explanation

To highlight values in one column when values in one or more other columns are blank, you can use the OR function and a basic logical expression to test for blank or empty values. In the example shown, conditional formatting has been applied to the range E5:E14 with this formula:

=OR(B5="",C5="", D5="")

If B5 or C5 or D5 is blank, the formula returns TRUE and triggers the rule.

Worked Example:   Highlight bottom values in Excel

Note: conditional formatting formulas should be entered relative to the “active cell” in the selection, which is assumed to be E5 in this case.

How this formula works

When conditional formatting is applied with a formula, the formula is evaluated relative to the active cell in the selection at the time the rule is created. In this case, the active cell when the rule is created is assumed to be cell E5, with the range E5:E14 selected.

Worked Example:   Get first non-blank value in a list in Excel

As the formula is evaluated, formula references change so that the rule is testing for blank values in the correct row for each of the 10 cells in the range:

=OR(B5="",C5="", D5="") // E5
=OR(B6="",C6="", D6="") // E6
=OR(B7="",C7="", D7="") // E7
etc.

If any cell in a corresponding row in column B, C, or D is blank, OR function returns TRUE and the rule is triggered and the green fill is applied. When all tests return FALSE, the OR function returns FALSE and no conditional formatting is applied.

Worked Example:   Highlight every other row in Excel

With ISBLANK

of testing for an empty string (=””) directly you can use the ISBLANK function in an equivalent formula like this:

=OR(ISBLANK(B5),ISBLANK(C5),ISBLANK(D5))

AND, OR, NOT

Other logical tests can be constructed using combinations of AND, OR, and NOT. For example, to test for a blank cell in column B and column D, you could use a formula like this:

=AND(B5="",D5="")

This will trigger conditional formatting only when the column B and D are blank.

Post navigation

Previous Post:

VLOOKUP without #N/A error in Excel

Next Post:

How to Create Gantt Chart in Excel

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Learn Basic Excel

Ribbon
Workbook
Worksheets
Format Cells
Find & Select
Sort & Filter
Templates
Print
Share
Protect
Keyboard Shortcuts

Categories

  • Charts
  • Data Analysis
  • Data Validation
  • Excel Functions
    • Cube Functions
    • Database Functions
    • Date and Time Functions
    • Engineering Functions
    • Financial Functions
    • Information Functions
    • Logical Functions
    • Lookup and Reference Functions
    • Math and Trig Functions
    • Statistical Functions
    • Text Functions
    • Web Functions
  • Excel VBA
  • Excel Video Tutorials
  • Formatting
  • Grouping
  • Others

Logical Functions

  • OR function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
  • SWITCH function example in Excel
  • IFNA function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
  • How to use Excel OR Function
  • Invoice status with nested if in Excel

Date Time

  • TIMEVALUE function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
  • Convert date to text in Excel
  • Calculate date overlap in days in Excel
  • Count times in a specific range in Excel
  • Display Days until expiration date in Excel

Grouping

  • Group numbers with VLOOKUP in Excel
  • How to randomly assign data to groups in Excel
  • Map inputs to arbitrary values in Excel
  • Group numbers at uneven intervals in Excel
  • Group times into unequal buckets in Excel

General

  • Delete Blank Rows at Once in Excel
  • How to increase by percentage in Excel
  • List sheet names with formula in Excel
  • How to Insert Cells, Row and Rows in Excel
  • List worksheet index numbers in Excel
© 2023 xlsoffice . All Right Reserved. | Teal Smiles | Abbreviations And Their Meaning