How can I use conditional formatting to highlight Yes/No values in Google Sheets?

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Conditional formatting in Google Sheets allows you to automatically apply formatting to cells based on certain conditions. To highlight Yes/No values, you can create a conditional formatting rule that checks if the cell contains “Yes” or “No” and then applies a specific formatting, such as a colored background or font style. This can help you quickly identify and visualize the data in your sheet and make it easier to analyze.

You can use the custom formula function in Google Sheets to apply conditional formatting to cells based on whether they contain “Yes” or “No” in them.

The following example shows how to use the custom formula function in practice.

Example: Conditional Formatting if Another Cell Contains Text in Google Sheets

Suppose we have the following dataset in Google Sheets that shows whether or not various basketball players are All-Stars:

Suppose we would like to use conditional formatting to apply a green background to each cell with a value of “Yes” and a red background to each cell with a value of “No” in in the All-Star column.

To do so, we can highlight the cells in the range B2:B13, then click the Format tab, then click Conditional formatting:

In the Conditional format rules panel that appears on the right side of the screen, click the Format cells if dropdown, then choose Custom formula is, then type in the following formula:

=B2="Yes"

Then click Done.

Then click Add another rule:

Then click the Format cells if dropdown again, choose Custom formula is, then type in the following formula:

=B2="No"

Google Sheets conditional formatting for yes/no values

From the output we can see:

  • Each cell with a value of “Yes” in the All-Star column has a green background
  • Each cell with a value of “No” in the All-Star column has a red background

Note: If any cell in the All-Star column had a value other than “Yes” or “No”, it would simply keep a white background color.

Additional Resources

The following tutorials explain how to perform other common tasks in Google Sheets:

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