Excel Tips from Analytics- Format Painter

Format Painter feature in Excel is super easy to use. It is helpful when you want to copy formatting from one place to another. Format Painter picks up all the formatting from your first group (whether it’s data format, color or border) and applies it to the second.

  1. Select the worksheet cell, table or data range that has the formatting that you want to copy. In this example, we will apply the formatting in column C to column D.
  2. Go to Home tab, and click the Format Painter icon. When you move over the pointer, you will notice that the pointer changes to a paintbrush.

  3. Select the cell, table, or data range that you want to format. You’re done! The formatting has been copied over to the new location.
  4. If you want to stop formatting, either click the Format Painter icon again or press ESC key in your keyboard to deactivate it.

Two other tips:  

  1. If you want to copy a format to multiple areas, follow steps 1 – 3, except in step 2, double-click on the Format Painter icon.
  2. Format Painter feature is also available in Outlook, PowerPoint, Word and Publisher. Give it a try!

Jiazhi Ma

Information, Analytics and Systems, Oakland