How to Make Negative Numbers Red in Excel

1. Highlight the cells containing your data. Note that Excel allows you to apply special formatting for different types of numerical data, such as percentages and currency values. If your data contains numbers formatted as different types, for example, both percentages and currencies, make sure the cells you highlight contain numbers formatted as the same type. If all your numbers are formatted the same way, you can highlight all the cells on a worksheet with one command: press and hold the 'Ctrl' key on Windows (or the 'Command' key on a Mac), and then press the 'A' key.
2. Right-click a highlighted cell. In the menu that pops-up, click 'Format Cells' to open a formatting window.
3. Select the 'Number' tab in the 'Format Cells' window, then select 'Number' in the category box. If you have applied a specific format to your cells, such as Currency, Accounting, Percentage, Fraction, Scientific or Special, select that category instead of 'Number.'
4. Click on the red numbers in the 'Negative Numbers' box, then click 'OK.' All negative numbers in your selected cells will now display in red.