1. Select D2 (or D2:D9 or D2:<somewhere further down>)
  2. Choose Format ► Conditional Formatting
  3. Format cells if... Custom formula is...
            =C2="yes"
  4. Formatting style - choose a green Fill and click Done.
  5. Add new rule then repeat from step 3 with `=C2="no" and a red Fill.

            

Answer from user4039065 on Stack Overflow
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Statology
statology.org › home › google sheets: conditional formatting if another cell contains text
Google Sheets: Conditional Formatting if Another Cell Contains Text
October 18, 2022 - You can use the custom formula function in Google Sheets to apply conditional formatting to cells based on whether or not another cell contains specific text.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/sheets › conditional formatting if cell = text in another cell
r/sheets on Reddit: Conditional Formatting if cell = text in another cell
January 28, 2024 -

Hi! I was left in charge of creating a sheet for a schedule and there is a list of names in a column. I wanted to add conditional formatting where each cell in the schedule is checked and if the text in the cell is the same as a name and then changes color.

For example, at 7:30 on Wednesday if the cell contains Greg it turns green. I'm willing to add all the conditional formatting for each name but it's for some reason, all my formulas don't work or they only work for the first cell. I can share the sheet. Thanks! (edited: solved. Thanks to everyone who tried to help sheets-ignorant me. Especially to u/agirlhasnoname11248!!)

Discussions

Conditional formatting, highlight row if cell contains substring - Google Docs Editors Community
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May 29, 2019
Conditional formatting based on another cell in the row
in your conditional format rule you need to add a $ in the address for F. YOu should write the custom formula as if the only row you are considering is the top row in the applies to range. I also came up with a slightly different formula you might find easier, which accounts for both upper and lower case F: More on reddit.com
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June 29, 2023
Google Sheets Conditional Formatting based on Text and another cell - Web Applications Stack Exchange
I'd like to color code a sheet based on two criteria: If the cell in the range contains specific text "A1" and if another cell, $X$7, contains an X or is not blank. I can't seem to get AND or IF or... More on webapps.stackexchange.com
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May 14, 2020
Conditional Format(If cell contains this text or this, then input the following values - Google Docs Editors Community
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February 18, 2020
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Excel Insider
excelinsider.com › home › our blog › google sheets intermediate tutorials › google sheets conditional formatting if another cell contains text
Google Sheets Conditional Formatting If Another Cell Contains Text - Excel Insider
May 31, 2025 - This makes it easy to scan your sheet and identify ongoing work at a glance. ... If you want to highlight cells in the Status column based on whether the related Task contains a specific word like “Email,” you can use conditional formatting with a custom formula.
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Spreadsheet Point
spreadsheetpoint.com › home › google sheets tips › google sheets conditional formatting based on another cell
Google Sheets Conditional Formatting Based on Another Cell
February 20, 2023 - Like in the following example: Google Sheets conditional formatting based on another column can be set by clicking on the column header and then heading to Format > Conditional formatting.
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Google Support
support.google.com › docs › answer › 78413
Use conditional formatting rules in Google Sheets - Computer - Google Docs Editors Help
Wildcard characters can be used with the "Text contains" or "Text does not contain" fields while formatting. To match any single character, use a question mark (?). For example, a text rule containing "a?c" would format cells with "abc," but not "ac" or "abbc."
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SimpleSheets
simplesheets.co › blog › learn-about=google-sheets-conditional-formatting-based-on-another-cell
Learn About Google Sheets Conditional Formatting Based on Another Cell
February 17, 2023 - In the "Format Cells if" drop-down, select "Custom Formula is." In the Formula/Value bar, enter the formula: =AND(B2>60, C2>60, D2>60), and click "Done." Google Sheets will show the names in a different color, like this: Read Also: How to Remove ...
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Google Support
support.google.com › docs › thread › 7025381 › conditional-formatting-highlight-row-if-cell-contains-substring
Conditional formatting, highlight row if cell contains substring - Google Docs Editors Community
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Coursera
coursera.org › coursera articles › data › data analytics › how to use conditional formatting in google sheets
How to Use Conditional Formatting in Google Sheets | Coursera
January 13, 2026 - If you would like to add another rule to your data range, select + Add another rule and repeat the process. If you’d like to delete the conditional formatting, click the trash bin beside the rule. You can use 19 different rules within single-color conditional formatting. If you’re wondering which one to choose, consider what each one does: Is empty: The cell contains nothing. Is not empty: The cell contains something. Text contains: The cell contains text with a specified element (e.g., text contains “sold”).
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/googlesheets › conditional formatting based on another cell in the row
r/googlesheets on Reddit: Conditional formatting based on another cell in the row
June 29, 2023 -

I am a complete beginner so bear with me, hopefully this makes sense.

I have a book list, relevant columns are Column A (Title), Column B (Author), and Column F (Status). In Column F, I put a "F" if I have finished reading the book.

What I want to do, is make it so that Columns A and B have a specific background color, if Column F for that row has "F" written in it. So I can easily see which books are read and which aren't.

By googling randomly, I was able to come up with this solution that works for ONE row (in this example, it's row 2): Conditional Formatting, Custom Formula is =search("f",F2)

When I apply this to A2:B2, A2 and B2 are colored when F2 contains F.

What I can't figure out is how to apply this to all rows. I'm thinking there must be a way to change the F2 in my formula to something that means "whatever F cell coincides with this row" and then I could just apply that formula to all A and B cells.

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Arab Psychology
scales.arabpsychology.com › home › how to do conditional formatting in google sheets if another cell contains text?
How To Do Conditional Formatting In Google Sheets If Another Cell Contains Text?
November 22, 2025 - To do this, select the cell where you want the conditional formatting to be applied and click on Format in the menu bar. Then, click on Conditional formatting and enter the cell reference that contains the text you want to use for the condition.
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Statology
statology.org › home › google sheets: conditional formatting based on multiple text values
Google Sheets: Conditional Formatting Based on Multiple Text Values
July 6, 2023 - Google Sheets: Conditional Formatting Between Two Values Google Sheets: Use “Not Equal” in Conditional Formatting Google Sheets: Conditional Formatting if Another Cell Contains Text
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Ablebits
ablebits.com › ablebits blog › google sheets tips › complete guide to google sheets conditional formatting: rules, formulas, use cases
Complete guide to Google Sheets conditional formatting: rules, formulas, use cases
November 5, 2024 - However, I've come up with another formula for you to try in conditional formatting: =AND($H3<>"",MATCH($H3,INDIRECT("IPList!A:A"),0)) Please let me know if it works. ... Hi, I would like to ask 1 question. when doing a conditional formating, for the format rules, can i use text that contains "a range" for example, my data range is D2:D50, and i want to highlight cells that has duplicates/ names that are found in range D60:D70.
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HubSpot
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Zapier
zapier.com › productivity › app tutorials
How to use conditional formatting in Google Sheets | Zapier
June 23, 2024 - Select column B, and click Format > Conditional formatting. Under Format cells if, select Text contains.
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Google Support
support.google.com › docs › thread › 29099318 › conditional-format-if-cell-contains-this-text-or-this-then-input-the-following-values
Conditional Format(If cell contains this text or this, then input the following values - Google Docs Editors Community
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LiveFlow
liveflow.com › product-guides › conditional-formatting-based-on-another-cell-value-in-google-sheets-explained
Conditional Formatting Based on Another Cell Value in Google Sheets: Explained | LiveFlow
Enter the following formula in a text box “=$C4>=$E$20”. ... Click “Done” at the bottom right. ... (i) if the range selection is correct as the coloring and style rule is applied to the selected range entirely; ... (iii) whether the formula is valid and is input correctly. The formula needs to start with the “=” sign. You must check if the reference type, whether relevant, partial absolute, or absolute, is appropriate. In the example, you want to test each cell (from C4 to C18) in Column C, so you need to lock the column of the tested cells by adding “$” next to the “C” in the formula.
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Automate Excel
automateexcel.com › home › conditional formatting if cell contains any text – excel & google sheets
Conditional Formatting If Cell Contains Any Text – Excel & Google Sheets - Automate Excel
April 10, 2023 - Select Use a formula to determine which cells to format, and enter the following formula (with the ISTEXT Function): ... Click on the Format button and select your desired formatting.