How to Color Code Due Dates in Excel?

Color coding due dates in Excel is effectively done using the built-in Conditional Formatting feature. This allows you to automatically change the appearance of cells based on the date they contain, relative to the current date.

Understanding Conditional Formatting for Dates

Conditional Formatting applies rules to your data. When a cell's value meets a specified condition (like a date being past due or within a certain range), Excel automatically applies a chosen format (like fill color, font color, or bold text). For due dates, you typically compare the date in the cell to today's date using the TODAY() function, which always returns the current date.

Here's how to set up rules to visually track deadlines:

Highlight Dates Due Within 7 Days (As Per Reference)

Based on the provided reference, you can set up a rule to highlight tasks due within the next seven days, including today, in yellow.

Steps:

1. Select the range of cells containing your due dates.
2. Go to the Home tab on the Excel ribbon.
3. In the "Styles" group, click Conditional Formatting.
4. Choose Highlight Cells Rules, then select More Rules... (or sometimes Between... depending on your Excel version).
5. In the "New Formatting Rule" dialog box, select a rule type. Choose "Format only cells that contain".
6. Under "Format only cells with:", select "Cell Value" from the first dropdown.
7. Select "between" from the second dropdown.
8. This will present two input fields, representing the lower and upper bounds of the date range.
   • In the first field (the left date field as mentioned in the reference), type the function =TODAY(). This sets the start of your range as today.
   • In the second field (the right date field), type the formula =TODAY()+7. This sets the end of your range as seven days from today.
9. Click the Format... button.
10. Go to the Fill tab (or Font tab, depending on desired formatting).
11. Select a yellow color. (As mentioned in the reference, I select the yellow formatting option, and click OK).
12. Click OK in the Format Cells dialog box.
13. Click OK in the New Formatting Rule dialog box.

Result: As described in the reference, Tasks that are due within seven days are formatted in yellow. Any date in your selected range that falls between today's date and today plus seven days will now automatically appear with a yellow background.

Other Common Due Date Formatting Rules

You can add multiple rules to highlight dates differently based on their urgency:

1. Highlight Overdue Dates (e.g., in Red)

Dates that are before today's date mean the task is overdue.

• Select your date range.
• Go to Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > A Date Occurring....
• Select "Yesterday" or "Last 7 Days" or "Last Month" etc., or go to More Rules... and set the condition to "Cell Value" "less than" =TODAY().
• Choose a formatting option (like Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text) or click Custom Format to choose your own color (e.g., red).

2. Highlight Dates Due Today (e.g., in Orange)

Highlight tasks that are due on the current date.

• Select your date range.
• Go to Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > A Date Occurring....
• Select "Today".
• Choose a formatting option or Custom Format to select orange.

Managing Multiple Rules

When you have multiple rules, the order can matter. For example, an overdue date might also be due within the next 7 days if your 'Overdue' rule is set too broadly. You can manage rule order and stop if true:

• Go to Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules....
• Select the worksheet or selection you want to manage rules for.
• Use the up/down arrows to change the order of rules. Rules at the top are evaluated first.
• You can check the "Stop If True" box for a rule if you don't want subsequent rules to be applied to that cell if the current rule is met.

Table of Common Date Rules

Condition	Rule Type (Highlight Cells Rules)	Formula (More Rules)	Example Use Case	Formatting Example
Overdue	A Date Occurring... > Yesterday	Cell Value < =TODAY()	Tasks missed deadlines	Red Fill
Due Today	A Date Occurring... > Today	Cell Value = =TODAY()	Tasks due right now	Orange Fill
Due Tomorrow	A Date Occurring... > Tomorrow	Cell Value = =TODAY()+1	Tasks due next day	Light Orange Fill
Due within 7 days	A Date Occurring... > Next 7 Days	Cell Value between =TODAY() and =TODAY()+7	Tasks upcoming soon	Yellow Fill

Using Conditional Formatting allows you to create a dynamic task list where due dates are automatically highlighted, making it easy to see what needs your attention.