Having a reference for Excel’s color options can significantly speed up formatting tasks. This guide provides a rundown of common color names, their RGB and HEX values, and a visual preview. Use this information to quickly select the precise colors for your Excel projects, whether you’re customizing charts, cells, or conditional formatting.
Using VBA to List Colors
If you need a dynamic list of colors directly within Excel, VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) offers a powerful solution. This method automatically generates a table of color names, RGB values, and visual representations, ensuring the list stays updated.
Step 1: Open the VBA editor.
In Excel, press Alt + F11 to open the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor.
Step 2: Insert a new module.
In the VBA editor, go to Insert > Module.
Step 3: Enter the VBA Code.
Copy and paste the following VBA code into the new module:
Sub ListColors()
Dim i As Integer
Dim cell As Range
Dim colorIndex As Integer
Dim startRow As Integer
startRow = 2 ' Starting row for the list
' Add headers
Cells(startRow - 1, 1).Value = "Color Index"
Cells(startRow - 2, 2).Value = "Color Preview"
Cells(startRow - 1, 3).Value = "RGB Value"
For i = 1 To 56 ' Excel Standard Color Palette
Set cell = Cells(startRow + i - 1, 1)
cell.Value = i
'Set cell to display Color
Set cell = Cells(startRow + i - 1, 2)
cell.Interior.ColorIndex = i
'Get and show the RGB value
Set cell = Cells(startRow + i - 1, 3)
cell.Value = GetRGB(i)
Next i
End Sub
Function GetRGB(colorIndex As Integer) As String
Dim RGB As Long
RGB = Application.Evaluate("INDEX(GET.CELL(63," & Cells(1, 1).Address(External:=True) & "), " & colorIndex & ")")
GetRGB = HexToRGB(Hex(RGB))
End Function
Function HexToRGB(hexColor As String) As String
Dim R As Long
Dim G As Long
Dim B As Long
R = Val("&H" & Mid(hexColor, 5, 2))
G = Val("&H" & Mid(hexColor, 3, 2))
B = Val("&H" & Left(hexColor, 2))
HexToRGB = "R:" & R & ", G:" & G & ", B:" & B
End Function
Step 4: Run the macro.
In the VBA editor, press F5 or go to Run > Run Sub/UserForm to execute the macro. This will generate the color list in your Excel sheet, starting from cell A2.
Manual Color Reference
While less dynamic, manually referencing color values directly within Excel is a straightforward approach, especially when you need a specific set of colors.
Step 1: Create a table in Excel.
Step 2: Populate the table with color information.
In the first column, list the common color names (e.g., Red, Blue, Green). In the second and third columns, enter the corresponding RGB and HEX values for each color. For the RGB value, you’ll need to note the red, green, and blue components.
Step 3: Preview the color.
In the fourth column, select each cell and apply the corresponding background color using the Fill Color option under the Home tab. This provides a visual reference.
Having a quick guide to Excel’s color palette can save time and ensure consistency in your spreadsheets.