This article explains five different ways to use conditional formatting in Excel. Instructions apply to Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010; Excel for Mac, Excel for Microsoft 365, and Excel Online.
Excel conditional formatting for past/future/today dates
To make conditional formatting easier, Excel supports preset options that cover common situations, such as:
For dates, the preset options simplify the process of checking your data for dates close to the current date, such as yesterday, tomorrow, last week, or next month.
However, if you want to check for dates that fall outside of the listed options, you can customize the conditional formatting by adding your own formula using one or more of Excel's date functions.
