How to Highlight Alternating Rows in Excel

Using Excel Table Style
1. Open the Excel worksheet with the data you want to highlight.
2. Click the 'Home' tab on the ribbon, then click 'Format as Table.' Excel asks you where the data for your table is. Click 'OK' to accept the range Excel highlighted, or enter the range manually. Click back to 'Home' if the 'Design' tab opens. Click 'Format as Table' again.
3. Select the alternate shading that you want. You can select from the 'Light,' 'Medium' or 'Dark' shading groups. Your table should now have alternating rows highlighted.
Using Conditional Formatting
4. Open the Excel worksheet with the data you want to highlight.
5. Select the range you want to have alternating rows. To select the entire sheet, click the little triangle to the left of 'column A' and above 'row 1.' To select some rows instead of the whole sheet, place your cursor over the first row number you want to select until you see a black arrow. Click and drag down until you have selected all the rows you want.
6. Click the 'Home' tab on the ribbon, then click 'Conditional Formatting.' Select 'New Rule' from the bottom of the menu.
7. Select the last rule in the top window, 'Use a formula to determine which cells to format.' You should see an empty line pop up in the middle of the pane.
8. Enter the following under 'Format values where this formula is true':=MOD(ROW(),2)=0
9. Click 'Format.'
10. Select the 'Fill' tab and choose a color from the color grid. Click 'OK.' Your color appears in the preview pane where you typed the rule.
11. Click 'OK.'