If B5 or C5 or D5 is blank, the formula returns TRUE and triggers the rule. Note: conditional formatting formulas should be entered relative to the “active cell” in the selection, which is assumed to be E5 in this case. As the formula is evaluated, formula references change so that the rule is testing for blank values in the correct row for each of the 10 cells in the range: If any cell in a corresponding row in column B, C, or D is blank, OR function returns TRUE and the rule is triggered and the green fill is applied. When all tests return FALSE, the OR function returns FALSE and no conditional formatting is applied.
With ISBLANK
of testing for an empty string (="") directly you can use the ISBLANK function in an equivalent formula like this:
AND, OR, NOT
Other logical tests can be constructed using combinations of AND, OR, and NOT. For example, to test for a blank cell in column B and column D, you could use a formula like this: This will trigger conditional formatting only when the column B and D are blank. For more information on building formula criteria, see 50+ formula criteria examples.
Dave Bruns
Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.
