Can Microsoft add conditional formatting to tables in Microsoft Word?

Question

After a ton of reading, it appears conditional formatting in a word document doesn't really exist.

I want to be able to create a table that has drop down menus and will automatically fill the cell based off the selected value from the drop down without using macros.

I figured out how to add drop downs to table cells. But it appears that automatically filling the cell with a selected color is impossible. It is possible on Excel. But not word. Can this feature please be added to word? I'm trying to create a form template for my team members and would like their use of this template to be as easy as possible.

Answer 1

Hi Luke C, I'm Femi and I'd be happy to help you with your question.

You can use conditional formatting. Kindly follow the steps below and let me know if it works: Open the Word document and select the table cells that you want to format. On the "Home" tab, click on the "Conditional Formatting" button in the "Styles" group. From the drop-down menu, select "Highlight Cells Rules" and then "Equal To...". In the "Equal To" dialog box, enter the value that you want to use as the basis for the formatting. Choose the color you want to apply to the cells when the value is matched, and click "OK". The selected cells will now be formatted with the chosen color whenever the value entered into them matches the specified value.

Best Regards, Femi

Answer 2

Maybe I'm missing something. I cannot find a "conditional formatting" button in the styles group.

It also doesn't show up if I type it into the search box at the top.

Answer 3

Word does NOT have conditional formatting like Excel.

The simplest way to have conditional formatting in a Table is to insert an Excel part in your document and use Excel for this.

Otherwise you will be using IF Fields. In these fields you need to completely recreate your content formatted the different ways as alternatives.

Dealing with Fields in Microsoft Word

This is labor-intensive and a pain to maintain.

Answer 4

It is possible to do the formatting as shown in the following screen shot, but it requires the use of some VBA coding.

While it can be coded to occur when a different number is selected from the Combobox Content Controls containing the available numbers for Severity and Likelihood, the performance hit of setting it up that way can be unacceptable and it may be better to have the coding run when all of the selections have been made.

Answer 5

See also:

• How to conditionally format a cell in a table in MS Word based on a percentage range
• Changing background colour in table based on value.
• Conditional Formatting/Hidden Text VBA for Word2016
• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/search/search?SearchTerm=conditional%20format&tab=&status=all&advFil=&IsSuggestedTerm=false&isFilterExpanded=undefined&CurrentScope.ForumName=msoffice&CurrentScope.Filter=msoffice_word&ContentTypeScope=&page=1&sort=Relevance&dir=Desc