Obscure Life Hack: Filtering Large Excel Spreadsheets By Colour by alonicus

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bbh · @alonicus · 2025-08-07T11:10:12+00:00

$0.94

Obscure Life Hack: Filtering Large Excel Spreadsheets By Colour

This is a weird thing I just discovered, so I thought I'd post it just in case it helps someone else.

If you use Microsoft Excel, it's possible to filter rows by colour. But it turns out there's a limitation; any kind of filtering only works for up to 10,000 rows if the cells in them have unique values.

So in this case, I wanted to filter for cells highlighted in orange.

![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmSYp5RBLWFKYHByFk4d2SyND64DQj2By7ZUoXdXDvKbqB/image.png)

As you can see by the row numbers on the left, we're down at about row 18,000. I've also got the screen split and locked after row 5, so that the headers are always visible.

But as you can see, when I select to filter by cell color, orange doesn't appear as an option.

Now for the solution.....

![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmfKLURt67FZ66o37LkmVqNv1KwfQPv5YkzXtzroLK92aa/image.png)

Yep, you need to make the top cell in the selection match the colour you want to filter by.

Like this....

![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmZBfdrmb87xSue6pArQPfRARChTfLm6ey8B96h1fuB9xa/image.png)

Then, when you go to filter, orange mysteriously appears as an option. Ta-da !

![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmT4ZTGrX6MayfneMjeTaF6Dp5ELf3hwBxTRFChcJRnjVY/image.png)

When you've finished doing whatever you're doing, don't forget to change the top cell back to whatever colour it was before.

But I'm starting to transition to Libre Office as I de-Microsoft my business (and my life), so I've no idea if the same thing will happen over there, and if it does whether the solution is the same.....

Posted using [The BBH Project](https://www.thebbhproject.com/@alonicus/obscure-life-hack-filtering-large-excel-spreadsheets-by-colour)

👍 arcange, eds-vote, sbi5, eddie-earner, dailydab, oblivioncubed, thecrazygm, pixelfan, dab-vote, eolianpariah2, darth-azrael, pixresteemer, spinvest, killerwot, hoosie, zakludick, isnochys, walterjay, lacking, edycu007, steemitboard, sbi-tokens, achimmertens, darth-cryptic, coolguy123, ifarmgirl, thedailysneak, glimpsytips.dex, hellsveiah, sneakyninja, retrodroid, felt.buzz, princessluv, clubvote, laruche, jilt, tunes.alfa, ravensavage, successchar, underground, noloafing, michael561, egistar, bulliontools, emsenn0, silverstackeruk, joeyarnoldvn

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@hivebuzz · 2025-08-07T13:21:45+00:00

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@princessluv · 2025-08-07T12:56:27+00:00

$0.06

Wow, never knew that, even after all the lectures in IT class. This makes filtering huge sheets so much easier. Thanks for this, sadly not an intern in the company that required me to do this but when i get anything related I'll be sure to use this one

👍 alonicus

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@alonicus · 2025-08-07T13:09:48+00:00

$0.02

I'm starting to think that Excel has all these little glitches that no-one talks about, with fixes that aren't in the documentation. I guess that's just what happens when a piece of software kicks around for years and is continually tinkered with. It's still not a bad program, but I still miss Excel 2003 from back in the days when Visual Basic and macros weren't hidden behind a mountain of obscure security settings.

👍 thecrazygm, princessluv

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@princessluv · 2025-08-07T13:18:39+00:00

$0.07

😂😂😂😂 I've used the old versions before I see what you mean

👍 alonicus

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@thecrazygm · 2025-08-07T19:00:18+00:00

$0.07

I think Office 97' was the last version I actually used. 🤣

👍 alonicus

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1 reply

@zakludick · 2025-08-09T13:13:27+00:00

$0.09

Cool... what are the items on that list????

👍 alonicus

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@alonicus · 2025-08-10T11:06:18+00:00

They're a small selection of the things my business sells. 

I've just started adding Artizan and Crusader miniatures, mostly because I've got a regular customer who likes the colonial period. They're both small companies that make really nice white metal 28mm scale figures, but with pretty big ranges. I'm adding them one part at a time to see what sells. Colonial stuff works really well with Steampunk skirmish games like IHMN2.

!BBH
!LOLZ

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@lolzbot · 2025-08-10T11:06:57+00:00

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@zakludick · 2025-08-10T20:33:57+00:00

Oh! I see! Very cool!

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