Cell Fills (Color, Patterns, & Gradients)

By Chris Newman • Updated: 02/28/14 • 3 min read

What This VBA Code Does

This will give you a sample of the different types of cell fills you can have in Excel

Sub Modify_Cell_Fill()

'PURPOSE: Show Various Ways to Modify Cell Fill
'SOURCE: www.TheSpreadsheetGuru.com

    'Change Fill Color
        Range("A1").Interior.Color = RGB(141, 180, 227)
    
    'Add Pattern (See xlPattern constants for choices)
        Range("B1").Interior.Pattern = xlDown
        Range("B1").Interior.PatternColor = RGB(141, 180, 227)
        
    'Add Gradients
        With Range("C1").Interior
            .Pattern = xlPatternLinearGradient
            .Gradient.Degree = 180
            
            'Adjust Color Stops
                'Clear Default Color Stops
                    .Gradient.ColorStops.Clear
                
                'Add A Color Stop
                    With .Gradient.ColorStops.Add(0)
                        .Color = RGB(255, 255, 255)
                    End With
                
                'Add Another Color Stop
                    With .Gradient.ColorStops.Add(1)
                        .Color = RGB(141, 180, 227)
                    End With
        End With

End Sub

xlPattern Constants

Name	Value	Description
xlPatternChecker	9	Checkerboard Pattern
xlPatternCrissCross	16	Criss-Cross Line Pattern
xlPatternDown	-4121	Dark Diagonal Line Pattern ( \ )
xlPatternGrid	15	Grid Pattern
xlPatternHorizontal	-4128	Horizontal Line Pattern
xlPatternLightDown	13	Lighter Diagonal Line Pattern ( \ )
xlPatternLightHorizontal	11	Lighter Horizontal Line Pattern
xlPatternLightUp	14	Lighter Diagonal Line Pattern ( / )
xlPatternLightVertical	12	Lighter Vertical Bar Pattern
xlPatternNone	-4142	No Pattern
xlPatternSolid	1	Solid Color Fill
xlPatternUp	-4162	Dark Diagonal Line Pattern ( / )
xlPatternVertical	-4166	Darker Vertical Bar Pattern

Using VBA Code Found On The Internet

Now that you’ve found some VBA code that could potentially solve your Excel automation problem, what do you do with it? If you don’t necessarily want to learn how to code VBA and are just looking for the fastest way to implement this code into your spreadsheet, I wrote an article (with video) that explains how to get the VBA code you’ve found running on your spreadsheet.

Getting Started Automating Excel

Are you new to VBA and not sure where to begin? Check out my quickstart guide to learning VBA. This article won’t overwhelm you with fancy coding jargon, as it provides you with a simplistic and straightforward approach to the basic things I wish I knew when trying to teach myself how to automate tasks in Excel with VBA Macros.

Also, if you haven’t checked out Excel’s latest automation feature called Power Query, I have put together a beginner’s guide for automating with Excel’s Power Query feature as well! This little-known built-in Excel feature allows you to merge and clean data automatically with little to no coding!

How Do I Modify This To Fit My Specific Needs?

Chances are this post did not give you the exact answer you were looking for. We all have different situations and it’s impossible to account for every particular need one might have. That’s why I want to share with you: My Guide to Getting the Solution to your Problems FAST! In this article, I explain the best strategies I have come up with over the years to get quick answers to complex problems in Excel, PowerPoint, VBA, you name it!

I highly recommend that you check this guide out before asking me or anyone else in the comments section to solve your specific problem. I can guarantee that 9 times out of 10, one of my strategies will get you the answer(s) you are needing faster than it will take me to get back to you with a possible solution. I try my best to help everyone out, but sometimes I don’t have time to fit everyone’s questions in (there never seem to be quite enough hours in the day!).

I wish you the best of luck and I hope this tutorial gets you heading in the right direction!

Hidden Hacks For VBA Macro Coding

After 10+ years of creating macros and developing add-ins, I've compiled all the hacks I wish I had known years ago!

Learn These Hacks Now For Free!

Keep Learning

Explore more →

VBA Code To Change All Shape & Chart Placement Properties

What This VBA Macro Does I deal with shapes and charts on a daily basis and one of my (many)...

Display Object Library Reference GUID Information

What This VBA Code Does This VBA code will display the GUID information for all activated references in the VBA...

Will VBA Die in 2022? Is It Worth Learning? [Inside Scoop]

VBA is a coding language used by millions of people across the world to automate tasks in Microsoft Office products....

Chris Newman

Chris is a finance professional and Excel MVP recognized by Microsoft since 2016. With his expertise, he founded TheSpreadsheetGuru blog to help fellow Excel users, where he shares his vast creative solutions & expertise. In addition, he has developed over 7 widely-used Excel Add-ins that have been embraced by individuals and companies worldwide.