Copying the format of a cell is an extremely easy manipulation to perform thanks to the Excel Brush tool.
What is the Brush tool in Excel
To copy the format of a cell you must use the brush in the ribbon.
Its use is extremely simple
- Select the cell containing the format to copy
- Click on the brush
- Select the cell where you want to apply the format
As you see, background color, border style, The border color were reproduced. But this tool also allows you to copy the number format, date format, ....
Tip for keeping the copy always active
However, there is one thing that is annoying about this tool. After each application of a format, copy mode is automatically deactivated. But there THERE IS A TIP 😉
To have the “copy format” mode always active, just double click on the brush in the ribbon. Watch the demo in this video.
- 🎥 Find all these tips in this TikTok video and subscribe to my channel
Apply formatting to a range of data
Formatting can also be copied over a range of data, and not just on a single cell.
- Select a cell range, even if the formatting is different between cells
- Activate “Recopy format” mode
- Select the cells where you copy the initial format
Copy a conditional formatting rule
Less known, it is the possibility for the brush (to copy the formatting) to copy the rules of conditional formatting. In a workbook, we wrote 3 rules to display different colors depending on the status of the tasks.
At this point, only cell B2 can apply conditional formatting. But thanks to the brush it is easy to apply it to other cells
As you see, depending on the value in the cells, the conditional formatting color applies to different cells.
