You just finished your employment status report, double-checked the data for accuracy, and polished up the fonts and text alignment on your worksheet. So you kick back, put your feet up, and marvel at your handiwork. You've got it made in the shade, right?

Not quite. To maximize the readability of those endless rows of data, try shading alternate rows with different colors or patterns. That will put the finishing touch on your stellar efforts.

There are two approaches to shading (also called banding) alternate rows: automatic formatting and conditional formatting.

Using automatic formatting

The simplest approach is to choose one of the following pre-defined autoformats:

• List1 shades every other row by using the Gray-25% fill color.
• List2 shades every other two rows by using the Light Green fill color.

Use this approach after you complete your worksheet. If you update, filter, or sort the data later, you will need to re-apply the autoformat.

Shade alternate rows by applying an autoformat

1. Select the range you want to format.
2. On the Format menu, click AutoFormat.
3. Click the preview image of the List1 or List2 autoformat.
4. If you don't want to apply all aspects of the autoformat, click the Options tab, and then clear the check boxes for the types of formatting you don't want.

For more information on autoformatting, see Apply or remove automatic formatting on a range of cells.

Using conditional formatting

If you want more flexibility, you can apply conditional formatting to a range of data. By creating a custom formula that combines the MOD and ROW functions, you can specify which rows to shade, how many rows to alternate, and which color or pattern you want to use.

This approach is dynamic. If you update, filter, or sort the data, the formula preserves the alternating format you chose for that range.

For more information on conditional formatting, see the following topics:

• How to use conditional formatting to shade every other row
• Add, change, or remove conditional formats
• MOD function
• ROW function
• Use color banding to locate the active cell