Unwanting Autoformat Cell Colors

  • Thread starter Thread starter jodie.kok
  • Start date Start date
J

jodie.kok

I created an Excel spreadsheet with no use of predefined chart formats
or any other automatic formatting. When I enter new data, I want the
background of the new cells to remain unfilled. After I've done some
other work, I go back and change the color to indicate to myself that
I am done with that data. Unfortunately, after a while of working with
my spreadsheet, cells started automatically picking up the colors of
adjacent cells as soon as I enter data. I've tried changing the
"AutoFormat" to "None" for the whole table, but this deletes all the
cell backgrounds that I have filled in purposely. Does anyone know why
this started happening and if there's a way to make it stop without
having to retype all 5 worksheets?

P.S.: I created the spreadsheet in Excel 2003, but it has been opened
and saved in Excel 2007, as well. Maybe that's where the problem was
introduced?
 
If you're talking about Excel 2007 tables, they are designed to use the
formatting of the column to the left when you add a new column to the table
or to use the formatting of the row above when you add a new row. Excel 2003
and prior did not have tables. If you don't want a table, select a cell in
the table, then Table Tools/Design/Tools/Convert to Range. If there is any
formatting in the table, it will be preserved after the table is converted
to a range.

Tyro
 
Thanks, Tyro. Unfortunately, I'm using 2003 primarily, and when I open
the spreadsheet in 2007, the Table Tools menu/toolbar is not visible.
I tried converting an area into a table and then into a range, but
that added a great deal of unwanted formatting - every other cell
being a different color and such.
 
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