The default active cell format in Microsoft Excel isn't all that easy to see, but you can use this easy-to-implement code solution to change that.

You can type codes in VBA Editor to change the cell colors in Excel. Learn how to change the cell background color with VBA Editor in Excel.

A new code module window will appear. Type or copy-paste the following code in the window: Sub Highlight_Cells_in_Excel_Formula() Application.EditDirectlyInCell = True End Sub Press F5 or the Run ...

On the PC, you can edit the current cell in place by simply pressing F2. On the Mac, the equivalent keyboard shortcut is Control-U, as F2 is assigned to cut the contents of the current cell.

Microsoft Excel updates cell references when you copy an expression. Here are a couple of workarounds for those rare occasions when you don't want to change the cell references.