How to Filter by Color in Excel

To filter by color in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, turn on filters for your data, open the filter arrow in the colored column, choose Filter by Color, and select the fill color, font color, or conditional-formatting icon to show. The other rows are hidden, not deleted, so you can focus on matching records and clear the filter when you are done.

What You’ll Need

A worksheet with a single header row and a consistent data range or Excel table. Each column should have a clear heading.
Cells in the column you want to filter that use the colors you intend to select. These can be manually applied cell fills or font colors, or colors produced by conditional formatting.
Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows for the menu names below. Excel for Mac and Excel for the web have similar filter controls, though their ribbon layout can differ slightly.

You do not need a formula, add-in, or special data type. If your range does not have headers, add them first; Excel uses the header row to place the filter arrows and identify the column.

Step-by-Step

Check the layout before filtering. Make sure each column has a heading, such as Status, Owner, or Due Date, and that every record occupies one row. Remove completely blank rows or columns from inside the data block if they split the range. If your data is already an Excel table, its header row normally has filter arrows, so you can skip the next step if those arrows are visible.
Select a cell in the data. Click any cell inside the range you want to filter. You usually do not need to drag-select every row and column: Excel detects a continuous block of data around the active cell. If the worksheet contains several adjacent blocks, or blank rows divide the data, select the precise range instead so Excel does not include the wrong cells or leave records out.
Turn on the filter arrows. On the ribbon, choose Data > Filter. You can also use Home > Sort & Filter > Filter. In Windows, Ctrl+Shift+L toggles AutoFilter for the selected data. On Mac, use the ribbon route if that shortcut does not work in your Excel setup; Excel for the web also offers the Filter command on the Data tab. Small drop-down arrows should appear beside the headers.
Open the arrow for the colored column. Click the arrow in the header of the column that contains the color you want to filter. For example, if task status is shown with colored fills in the Status column, use the arrow for Status rather than an arrow in another column. The color filter is applied to one column at a time.
Open the color choices. In the drop-down menu, point to or select Filter by Color. Excel shows the available color choices for that column. Depending on what the cells contain, the submenu can offer Filter by Cell Color, Filter by Font Color, or Filter by Cell Icon. If the color comes from conditional formatting, select the displayed color or icon that matches what you see in the worksheet.
Choose the color to display. Click the exact fill, font color, or icon you want to keep visible. Excel hides rows whose cells in that column do not match the selection. For example, selecting a red cell fill displays records with red fills in that column and hides the other records. Check the visible rows against the worksheet to confirm you picked the intended shade and column.
Add another condition if needed. You can open a different column’s filter arrow and choose a value or another filter. Conditions applied in separate columns work together: a row must satisfy each active filter to remain visible. For instance, filter a Status column by yellow fill, then filter an Assigned To column by one person’s name to see only yellow-marked records assigned to that person.
Clear the color filter when finished. Open the same column’s arrow and choose Clear Filter From followed by the column name, or use the clear-filter command available in the Data tab. Clearing that column’s filter restores its hidden records while leaving filters on other columns in place. To remove all filter criteria, use Data > Clear. To turn off the arrows entirely, choose Data > Filter again; turning AutoFilter off is different from clearing a filter.

Filtering does not recolor cells, change their values, or permanently remove rows. It changes which records are shown. If you copy or summarize the results, check whether the destination should contain only the visible filtered records.

Common Mistakes

Opening the wrong column menu: Excel filters based on the cells in the column whose arrow you opened. A red fill elsewhere in the same row will not make the row appear if the selected column’s cell is not red.
Choosing a similar-looking shade: Excel treats different colors as different formatting. A light red and a darker red may be separate choices even if they look close on your screen. Use the exact color entry shown in the menu.
Expecting a row to match any colored cell: A color filter is not a whole-row search. It checks the selected column only. If a row has a red cell in one column and you filter a different column by red, the row may not appear.
Assuming hidden rows were deleted: Filtered-out rows are still in the worksheet. Do not delete visible records or paste over data unless you mean to change the underlying workbook.
Confusing sorting with filtering: Sorting by color rearranges rows; filtering by color hides rows that do not match. Choose the Filter by Color option when you want a smaller visible set without changing row order.
Using color as the only record of meaning: Color may be difficult to interpret for some readers and can be lost when data is exported. Keep a text value such as Urgent or Complete in the row as well as its color cue.

Tips

Use a table for recurring work. Select your data and choose Insert > Table, making sure My table has headers is selected when appropriate. Tables provide filter arrows and expand as you add records, making it easier to filter a growing list.
Use clear, consistent colors. Apply the same fill or font color to the same category throughout the column. Avoid relying on several nearly identical shades if people need to choose them from a filter menu.
Use conditional formatting when color represents a rule. For example, conditional formatting can highlight overdue dates based on their values. A color filter can then show the cells displaying a particular conditional-formatting color or icon. If the rule changes after filtering, reapply the filter from Data > Reapply so the visible results reflect the current formatting.
Keep track of active filters. A filter arrow may show a funnel icon when criteria are active. If expected rows are missing, inspect every column with an active filter; a second filter can be excluding otherwise matching rows.
Make a copy before a large cleanup. Filtering itself does not alter the records, but actions such as deleting visible rows or editing a filtered selection can. A duplicate worksheet or saved workbook gives you a safe reference.
Check the view before printing or sharing. Filters generally affect which rows appear on screen and in a printed range. Clear the filter or explain the filtered view before sending a workbook if readers might assume they are seeing every record.

Troubleshooting

Filter by Color is missing. Confirm that filter arrows are enabled and that you opened the arrow for the column with colored cells. The color option appears when Excel detects a usable color or icon in that column. If colors were just added, close and reopen the menu. If the cells are not actually formatted, apply a fill or font color first.

The color is visible, but no rows match. Check whether the color is a fill, a font color, or a conditional-formatting icon; choose the corresponding filter type. Then inspect a matching cell’s actual formatting. A theme color, tint, or very similar shade may not be the same color as the one selected. Clear the filter and try the precise color shown in the menu.

Some expected rows are still hidden. Look for funnel icons in other column headers and clear or adjust those filters. Also check that the records belong to the filtered range. Blank rows can split a dataset, and records added below a range may not be included if the data is not an Excel table. Extend the range or convert it to a table, then apply the filter again.

Results do not update after formatting changes. A filter based on conditional formatting may need to be refreshed after the cell values or formatting rules change. Choose Data > Reapply. If the outcome remains unexpected, clear the filter, verify that the conditional-formatting rule applies to the intended cells, and select the color again.

The arrows or menu look different. Excel for Mac and Excel for the web can arrange ribbon commands differently from Windows. Find the Filter command on the Data tab, then use the arrow on the relevant column. If a workbook is protected, or you have view-only access, some changes may be unavailable; ask for edit access or remove sheet protection if you are authorized to do so.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I filter by cell color and font color?
Yes. Open the column’s filter arrow and choose the matching option under Filter by Color. The menu offers cell fill or font color when that formatting is present in the column.

Can I filter by a color created with conditional formatting?
Usually, yes. Open the filter menu for the formatted column and choose the displayed color or cell icon. If values or rules change later, use Data > Reapply to refresh the filter results.

Can I show two colors from the same column at once?
The standard color-filter menu selects one color or icon at a time for a column. To keep multiple colors, use a helper column with text categories such as Red group and Yellow group, then filter that column by the values you need.

Can I filter by color across the whole worksheet?
No. The filter acts on the selected column, not every cell in each row. If the color is used in different columns, filter each relevant column separately or add a consistent category column to make the records easier to filter.

Does filtering by color change the order of my rows?
No. Filtering hides rows that do not match and leaves the remaining rows in their existing order. Use the separate sort-by-color command if your goal is to rearrange rows by color.

How do I show all the rows again?
Open the filtered column’s arrow and choose Clear Filter From that column. If several columns are filtered, clear each one or choose Data > Clear to remove all active criteria without deleting any data.

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