Microsoft Excel Tutorial: Can you mix formatting in an Excel cell that contains a formula?

How to Work Around Excel’s Formatting Limitations

Ever wondered if you could apply different formatting to parts of a cell populated by a formula in Excel? In today’s video, we dive into this intriguing question posed by Paul, a viewer who couldn’t find a solution to this common Excel conundrum. While Excel doesn’t allow partial formatting of a formula’s result, I’ve discovered a clever workaround using the **Paste Linked Picture** feature. Watch as I demonstrate this creative hack step-by-step!

We start with a fundamental Excel tip: editing and formatting individual characters in a cell. From using **F2**, the **Home** key, and **Shift**, to applying bold or changing font colors, these techniques are handy for working with non-formula cells. But what happens when the data comes from a formula? This is where Paul’s question takes center stage—he’s looking to create a report with bold labels and non-bold results, but can’t format the text in a formula-driven cell.

My initial response was to confirm that Excel doesn’t support this feature. But then it struck me: there’s almost always a workaround! By converting the formula’s result to a linked picture, we can achieve the desired look while maintaining the dynamic nature of the data. I’ll show you how to align the linked picture, remove grid lines, and match fill colors for a seamless appearance.

This video isn’t just about solving Paul’s problem—it’s a reminder of the creativity Excel inspires. We explore how tools like linked pictures can go beyond their intended use to overcome Excel’s quirks. Whether you’re handling audit reports or building complex dashboards, this trick can add a polished, professional touch to your work.

Thanks to Paul for sparking this idea and to all of you for watching! If you’ve got a tough Excel question or a formatting challenge, drop it in the comments. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you won’t miss the next creative Excel tip. See you next time on MrExcel!

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Table of Contents
(0:00) Welcome
(0:11) Formatting Part of a Cell
(0:47) Question: Format Part of a Cell Coming from an Excel Formula
(1:46) Absolutely no way to do this
(2:20) Solving with a Linked Picture
(3:00) Tweaking linked picture formatting
(4:25) Wrap-up & Members invite

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