Adding a progress bar in Excel is a simple way to visually track progress. You can create one using Conditional Formatting without needing formulas or extra tools. Just like other conditional formatting features, progress bars are highly customizable. You can:

• Display separate bars for negative and positive values.
• Adjust the minimum and maximum values.
• Customize colors, directions, and more.

In this article, we'll explore all these options step by step.

How to add Progress bar in your cells.

1. Select the cells: Highlight the cells where you want the progress bars to appear.
2. Open Conditional Formatting: Go to the Home tab and click Conditional Formatting.
3. Choose Data Bars: Select Data Bars and pick a color style you like.
4. That's all 😃

Select one column or many columns?

Adding a progress bar in Excel is simple and quick. However, the bar size depends on the selected range. The progress bar adjusts based on the minimum and maximum values of your selection

• For example, in the previous animation, the bar filled the entire cell. This happened because 82 was the maximum value in the selection.
• In the next example, the range B5:F10 was selected.
  • The maximum value is 106, found in cell F7. This made the progress bar in F7 fill the entire cell.
  • However, the bar in cell B10 did not fully fill. This is because 82 is not the maximum value in this new selection.

💡Always check your selection to ensure the progress bars display correctly💡

Customizing Your Progress Bar

You can easily customize your progress bar in Excel by changing options.

1. Select your data: Highlight the cells with the progress bar.
2. Go to the Home tab on the ribbon
3. Select Conditional Formatting
4. Click on Manage Rules
5. DON'T miss any rules by selecting the dropdown list 'This Worksheet'
6. Double-click on the rule you want to update
7. Once in the Rules Manager, you can apply the following customizations:

• Change the minimum and maximum values: Select 'number' and set a value for your selection, like 150 here.
• Customize the color: Change the fill color or adjust the border to match your style.
• Change the direction of the bar: Set the bar to go right-to-left for a different look.
• Hide the number in the cells: Select “Show Bar Only” to hide the numbers and display only the bar.

If your column has negative numbers, you can customize the bars for positive and negative numbers separately. Click the 'Negative Value and Axis' button in the Rule Editor.

Related Articles

• Icons with Conditional Formatting in Excel
• Conditional Formatting – Color scale