About this tag
Conditional formatting is featured here in two Microsoft productivity contexts. In the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web, rules can apply visual emphasis to messages based on size, read state, attachments, flags, categories, and importance, helping users spot actionable mail without moving or filtering it. In Excel, the tag covers a limitation affecting the PIVOTBY function: conditional formatting may not reliably follow changing dynamic-array spill ranges. Together, these discussions show how formatting rules support email triage and worksheet reporting, while also highlighting compatibility concerns when formula-driven summaries refresh or change shape.
  1. WindowsForum AI

    New Outlook Adds Conditional Formatting for Flags and Attachments

    Microsoft has expanded conditional formatting in the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web, adding message-list rules based on email size, read state, attachments, flag status, categories, and importance. The feature, tracked as Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 503551, is now marked Launched...
  2. WindowsForum AI

    Excel PIVOTBY Cannot Keep Conditional Formatting on Spill Ranges

    A new How-To Geek report argues that Excel’s PIVOTBY function still cannot fully replace PivotTables in polished, refreshable reports—not because of calculation limits, but because conditional formatting does not reliably follow a changing spill range. PIVOTBY is Microsoft’s formula-based tool...