I've read all of the posts here - questions and answers - about changing the
color of a macro activation button (command button), but none of them seem to
apply to Excel 2007. I don't have a control toolbox, I have a developer tab
with a controls group. Using this I can create/insert a command button and
assign it to a macro. This causes no problem. I have a need, however, to
change the color of several buttons to make some of them more prominent. I
can find no properties for BackColor of the command button. In spite of what
has been posted here, I CAN change the color of a button I place in a user
form - via the BackColor property, but I CANNOT find a similar property for
the command buttons I've created. Is this by chance one of those features
that has been changed/eliminated/enhanced by Microsoft between Excel 2003 and
Excel 2007? If I create a command button in 2003, I can find the field that
will edit the color of the button. If, however, I try to open my 2007 file
in 2003, I no longer have a backcolor property to edit. I'd really like to be
able to change the color of some of these buttons. I currently have two
buttons - both uninspiring gray - but my boss has asked to have 16 more
buttons created in this sheet. You can see the need for making the primary
buttons stand out. Can anyone help me with this in Excel 2007?

I am running Excel 2007.

When you add a command button to a worksheet (assuming you have Design Mode
on), you should be able to change the BackColor by right-clicking on the
button and selecting "Properties" from the menu that appears. When the
Properties window pops up, BackColor should be one of the properties listed
on the left. When you click on the value to the right, you should get one of
those downward pointing triangles. Click it and you should have several
options to choose from, both pre-fab and custom, for the button color.

"fisch4bill" wrote:

> I've read all of the posts here - questions and answers - about changing the
> color of a macro activation button (command button), but none of them seem to
> apply to Excel 2007. I don't have a control toolbox, I have a developer tab
> with a controls group. Using this I can create/insert a command button and
> assign it to a macro. This causes no problem. I have a need, however, to
> change the color of several buttons to make some of them more prominent. I
> can find no properties for BackColor of the command button. In spite of what
> has been posted here, I CAN change the color of a button I place in a user
> form - via the BackColor property, but I CANNOT find a similar property for
> the command buttons I've created. Is this by chance one of those features
> that has been changed/eliminated/enhanced by Microsoft between Excel 2003 and
> Excel 2007? If I create a command button in 2003, I can find the field that
> will edit the color of the button. If, however, I try to open my 2007 file
> in 2003, I no longer have a backcolor property to edit. I'd really like to be
> able to change the color of some of these buttons. I currently have two
> buttons - both uninspiring gray - but my boss has asked to have 16 more
> buttons created in this sheet. You can see the need for making the primary
> buttons stand out. Can anyone help me with this in Excel 2007?

Thanks Luke,
I misunderstood the difference between a command button and a forms control
button, apparently. I thought the forms button were just those included in a
user form. When I choose the proper button, I get the appropriate options. Go
figure. I still have some difficulty in getting the command button
functionality to migrate from one sheet to the next, but after some
experimentation, I've learned how to use a shape, choose the colors I want,
and to transfer the functionality from an existing sheet to a newly created
one. Again thank you for clearing this up for me. I can accomplish my task
now.

"Luke" wrote:

> I am running Excel 2007.
>
> When you add a command button to a worksheet (assuming you have Design Mode
> on), you should be able to change the BackColor by right-clicking on the
> button and selecting "Properties" from the menu that appears. When the
> Properties window pops up, BackColor should be one of the properties listed
> on the left. When you click on the value to the right, you should get one of
> those downward pointing triangles. Click it and you should have several
> options to choose from, both pre-fab and custom, for the button color.
>
> "fisch4bill" wrote:
>
> > I've read all of the posts here - questions and answers - about changing the
> > color of a macro activation button (command button), but none of them seem to
> > apply to Excel 2007. I don't have a control toolbox, I have a developer tab
> > with a controls group. Using this I can create/insert a command button and
> > assign it to a macro. This causes no problem. I have a need, however, to
> > change the color of several buttons to make some of them more prominent. I
> > can find no properties for BackColor of the command button. In spite of what
> > has been posted here, I CAN change the color of a button I place in a user
> > form - via the BackColor property, but I CANNOT find a similar property for
> > the command buttons I've created. Is this by chance one of those features
> > that has been changed/eliminated/enhanced by Microsoft between Excel 2003 and
> > Excel 2007? If I create a command button in 2003, I can find the field that
> > will edit the color of the button. If, however, I try to open my 2007 file
> > in 2003, I no longer have a backcolor property to edit. I'd really like to be
> > able to change the color of some of these buttons. I currently have two
> > buttons - both uninspiring gray - but my boss has asked to have 16 more
> > buttons created in this sheet. You can see the need for making the primary
> > buttons stand out. Can anyone help me with this in Excel 2007?