Color-coding worksheet tabs is one of the easiest ways to organize a busy workbook. You might make every month’s sheet blue, summary sheets green and raw data gray, so you can find the right tab at a glance. Excel for Mac has the same tab color options as Windows, and you can reach them three different ways.
This guide covers each method, how to color several tabs at once, how to use custom colors, and how to remove a color.
How to Change the Worksheet Tab Color in Excel on Mac
Step 1: Open the workbook
Open the workbook in Excel for Mac. The sheet tabs are along the bottom of the window.
Step 2: Control-click the tab
Hold Control and click the tab you want to color, or right-click it if you use a mouse. On a trackpad, a two-finger click works too.
Step 3: Choose Tab Color
Point to Tab Color in the menu that appears. A palette of theme and standard colors opens.
Step 4: Pick a color
Click a color. The tab updates immediately. When that sheet is the active one, the color appears as a thin bar along the tab. Click another sheet and you’ll see the full color.
Other Ways to Change the Tab Color on Mac
- Ribbon: click the sheet, then go to Home > Format > Tab Color.
- Menu bar: go to Format > Sheet > Tab Color at the top of the screen.
Microsoft’s guide to adding a background color to a sheet tab shows the same options for Windows, Mac and the web.
Color Several Tabs at Once
You can color many tabs in one step by grouping them first:
- Click the first tab.
- Hold Shift and click the last tab to select a run of sheets, or hold Command and click individual tabs to pick sheets that aren’t next to each other.
- Control-click any selected tab, choose Tab Color and pick a color. Every selected tab changes.
- Click a tab outside the group, or Control-click and choose Ungroup Sheets, to stop editing them together.
Remember to ungroup before typing. While sheets are grouped, anything you enter on one sheet is copied to all of them, and the title bar shows Group as a reminder.
Use a Custom Color
Choose More Colors at the bottom of the Tab Color palette. The macOS color picker opens, where you can use the color wheel, sliders, or enter an exact hex code from the RGB Sliders view to match a company brand color.
Remove a Tab Color
Control-click the tab, choose Tab Color and select No Color. Group several tabs first to clear them all at once.
Ideas for Color-Coding Your Tabs
- One color per quarter or year in a financial workbook.
- Green for finished sheets and red or orange for sheets that still need work.
- A neutral gray for raw data and calculation sheets, and a bright color for dashboards and summaries.
- A distinct color for any sheet others shouldn’t edit.
Combine colors with clear names and a logical order. You can rename a tab by double-clicking it.
Troubleshooting
- Tab Color is greyed out. The workbook structure is protected. Go to Review > Protect Workbook and unprotect it, entering the password if there is one.
- I can’t see the color on the current sheet. Active tabs only show a colored bar. Click a different sheet to see the full color.
- Data appeared on several sheets. You typed while sheets were grouped. Press Command + Z to undo, then ungroup.
- The tabs are hidden. Go to Excel > Settings > View and turn on Sheet tabs, or drag the horizontal scroll bar to the right to make room.
- Colors look different in Excel for Windows. Theme colors change with the workbook theme. Pick a standard color or a custom color if it needs to look the same everywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change multiple tab colors at once?
Yes. Select several tabs with Shift or Command, then choose Tab Color once.
Do tab colors print?
No. Tab colors only appear on screen and don’t affect printed pages.
Do tab colors make the file bigger or slower?
No. The effect on file size and performance is negligible.
Can I change tab colors in Excel for the web?
Yes. Right-click the tab, choose Tab Color and pick a color.
Will the colors stay if I open the file on Windows?
Yes. Tab colors are saved in the workbook and show in every version of Excel.
Wrapping Up
Control-click a sheet tab, choose Tab Color and pick a color, or use Home > Format > Tab Color. Group tabs with Shift or Command to color several at once, and choose No Color to remove it. For more Mac tips, see how to customize the ribbon in Excel for Mac and how to delete a sheet in Excel on Mac.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.