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Often you may want to alternate column colors in Excel.
For example, you might want to alternate the column colors in a sheet so that every other column has the same color:
The following example shows how to do so.
Example: How to Alternate Column Colors in Excel
Suppose we would like to alternate the background colors used in columns A through H in our Excel sheet.
To do so, we need to first highlight each of these columns:
Next, click the Conditional Formatting dropdown menu on the Home tab and then click New Rule:
In the new window that appears, click Use a formula to determine which cells to format, then type =MOD(COLUMN(),2)=0 in the box, then click the Format button and choose a fill color to use.
Once we press OK, the columns will alternate between a background color of light green and no background color:
Note: We chose to use a light green fill for the conditional formatting in this example, but you can choose any color and style you’d like for the conditional formatting.