NVDA and conditional formatting
cearbhall o'meadhra
Hi, all you dedicated NVDA users,
I have been struggling over the past few days to get conditional formatting working with NVDA in Excel 365 and Windows 11
The task is to highlight each of 611 pairs of rows which are duplicates in a financial report.
I opened “conditional Formatting” on the hoem row in Excel. I chose to use a formula to define the rows to be highlighted in a range of 12000 rows. Using ChatGPT, I understood that the best way to edit the formula was to build it in Notepad and paste the whole formua into the edit window rather than cope with the difficult editor that Excel provides.
I found it difficult to select a preferred colour in the “Fill” section of the format window. NVDA did echo the correct choice before I exited the Fill tag.
After finishing with the conditional formatting step, I could not get NVDA to tell me if a highlight colour had been successfully created!
Has anyone any tips as to how to manage this process efficiently using NVDA?
All the best,
Cearbhall
M: +353 (0) 833323487; E: cearbhall...@blbc.ie
Mister Kayne
Hi Cearbhall,
It is definitely a challenge to manage color-based formatting with a screen reader, as Excel doesn't always make that layer accessible by default. Here are a few tips that might help you verify your work and simplify the process:
1. How to verify the highlight:
NVDA usually keeps color reporting turned off to reduce "noise." To check if your formatting worked:
• Quick Check: Press NVDA + Shift + F on a cell. NVDA should report the formatting, including the background fill color.
• Continuous Reporting: Go to NVDA Settings > Document Formatting and check the box for Colour. Once enabled, NVDA will announce the background color as you arrow through your 12,000 rows.
2. Easier Formula Entry:
You are spot on using Notepad. When you paste into the Excel edit box, press F2. This toggles Excel from "Point Mode" to "Edit Mode," allowing you to use arrow keys to navigate the formula text without accidentally changing the cell references.
3. Navigating the "Fill" Tab:
When choosing a color, try to use the Standard Colors row. NVDA tends to name these more reliably (e.g., "Standard Red") than the complex "Theme Colors."
4. A "Non-Visual" Alternative:
For a report of this size, I often find a Helper Column more reliable than color. You could use a formula like =IF(COUNTIF($A$1:$A$12000, A1)>1, "Duplicate", "") in a new column. You can then simply use the Auto-Filter (Ctrl + Shift + L) to show only the rows that say "Duplicate." This removes the need to detect colors entirely.
I hope this helps you get those financial records sorted!
--
Sean Randall
This sounds suspisciously like another LLM-generated answer. I’d be grateful to the list owners if they could clarify the position on using these without any commentary or input from the actual user posting them.
In terms of my own real experience with Excel, I find conditional formatting less useful than filters also. I can turn NVDA’s presentation of font colours or formatting on, but having to hear it or check it each time renders navigating the data slow to the point of uselessness. If setting formats up for others, I use NVDA+F to check the font result.
I had considered trying out the earcons addon, which lets one assign sounds or changes in speech prosody to various formats, but it’s not supported in the beta yet so I’m unsure as to the longevity of that as an experimental option.
Sean.
--
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Mister Kayne
Hi Sean,
Your suspicion is right, but before sending that response, I did validate the instructions for accuracy. One must always vet the information themselves before sharing it—which is actually a topic I’ve discussed and written about recently on my website. Since you aren't a subscriber, you likely didn't receive that update in your inbox, but the principle stands.
Regarding the technical side, you certainly understand that a color filter is primarily a visual reference in a workbook, don't you? While it has its place, there are better ways to overcome the inherent limitations of navigating by color with a screen reader. I think the formula-based filter approach I shared is a more robust way to handle 12,000 rows without the "noise" of constant formatting announcements.
I agree with you on the efficiency front; hearing NVDA announce every font change or background color can make data navigation slow to the point of being useless.
In the end, whether we use AI-assisted drafts or not, the goal is to provide the community with vetted, functional solutions that save us all a bit of time.
From: nvda-...@nvaccess.org <nvda-...@nvaccess.org>
On Behalf Of Sean Randall
Sent: Saturday, May 2, 2026 7:35 PM
To: nvda-...@nvaccess.org
Subject: RE: [NVDA] NVDA and conditional formatting
This sounds suspisciously like another LLM-generated answer. I’d be grateful to the list owners if they could clarify the position on using these without any commentary or input from the actual user posting them.
Sean Randall
What was the rationale for checking the font at the review cursor rather than the caret in your instructions?
From: nvda-...@nvaccess.org <nvda-...@nvaccess.org> On Behalf Of Mister Kayne
Sent: Saturday, 02 May 2026 15:48
To: nvda-...@nvaccess.org
Subject: RE: [NVDA] NVDA and conditional formatting
Hi Sean,
Your suspicion is right, but before sending that response, I did validate the instructions for accuracy. One must always vet the information themselves before sharing it—which is actually a topic I’ve discussed and written about recently on my website. Since you aren't a subscriber, you likely didn't receive that update in your inbox, but the principle stands.
Regarding the technical side, you certainly understand that a color filter is primarily a visual reference in a workbook, don't you? While it has its place, there are better ways to overcome the inherent limitations of navigating by color with a screen reader. I think the formula-based filter approach I shared is a more robust way to handle 12,000 rows without the "noise" of constant formatting announcements.
I agree with you on the efficiency front; hearing NVDA announce every font change or background color can make data navigation slow to the point of being useless.
In the end, whether we use AI-assisted drafts or not, the goal is to provide the community with vetted, functional solutions that save us all a bit of time.
From: nvda-...@nvaccess.org <nvda-...@nvaccess.org> On Behalf Of Sean Randall
Sent: Saturday, May 2, 2026 7:35 PM
To: nvda-...@nvaccess.org
Subject: RE: [NVDA] NVDA and conditional formatting
This sounds suspisciously like another LLM-generated answer. I’d be grateful to the list owners if they could clarify the position on using these without any commentary or input from the actual user posting them.
In terms of my own real experience with Excel, I find conditional formatting less useful than filters also. I can turn NVDA’s presentation of font colours or formatting on, but having to hear it or check it each time renders navigating the data slow to the point of uselessness. If setting formats up for others, I use NVDA+F to check the font result.
I had considered trying out the earcons addon, which lets one assign sounds or changes in speech prosody to various formats, but it’s not supported in the beta yet so I’m unsure as to the longevity of that as an experimental option.
Sean.
--
***
Please note: the NVDA project has a Citizen and Contributor Code of Conduct.
NV Access expects that all community members will read and abide by the rules set out in this document while participating in this group.
https://github.com/nvaccess/nvda/blob/master/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
You can contact the group owners and moderators via nvda-user...@nvaccess.org.
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You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NVDA Screen Reader Discussion" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to nvda-users+...@nvaccess.org.