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Tip of the Day | Saturday May 23rd, 2026

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Color Every nth Row or Column in Selection...

This tool fills every nth row or column in your selected range with a specified color, a technique also known as color banding or alternate shading. It visually separates rows or columns, improving the readability of large data tables.
Unlike Excel's built-in Table Styles, which applies alternating row colors only within a structured table, this tool works on any selected range and offers more flexibility.
You can apply the coloring to rows or columns, choose the color, and set the interval (for example, every second, third, fifth, or tenth row or column).
There are two methods available:
  • Standard Coloring: Colors the selected rows or columns with the option to skip hidden ones.
  • Conditional Formatting (Advanced): Automatically updates the colors when you insert or remove rows or columns. This method removes any existing conditional formatting rules in your selection. To remove the coloring, you can delete the rule (by default, the first) from Excel's Home > Conditional Formatting menu.
    By default, you can launch this tool using the Control+Alt+C shortcut.

    Screenshots

    Example screenshot: Example alternate row coloring
    Example alternate row coloring

    Starting this tool


    Columns & Rows  ›  Color Every nth Row or Column in Selection...

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