Formatting with the Format Painter

You can use the Format Painter to apply the format of a cell to one or more other cells, without copying the cell's content. The Format Painter has two modes. In single-use mode you can apply the format of a cell to another cell or to a group of adjacent cells. In multiple-use mode, you can apply the format of a cell to multiple non-adjacent cells or to multiple, non-adjacent, groups of cells.

You can access the Format Painter in the Edit Toolbar, in the Format Toolbar, or by selecting Format > Format Painter.

In the toolbars, single-click Format Painter to enable single-use mode, or double-click to enable multiple-use mode.

Note: You cannot enable multiple-use mode from the Format menu.

To apply the format of one cell to others:

  1. In Design mode, click the cell which has the format you want to apply.
  2. Click, or double-click, Format Painter in the Edit Toolbar or in the Format Toolbar.
  3. Click in the cell to which to apply the format.
    If you use multiple-use mode, click in further cells as required. To exit multiple-use mode, press the Esc key.
Parent topic: Formatting cells