I’m trying to connect two cells in Google Sheets using a formula, like =B3. While it correctly copies the data, I’m facing the challenge of the formatting not being retained. For example, if the source cell has red text or is bold, the targeted cell simply displays unformatted text. Is there a method to ensure that both cells stay consistent with formatting and data? I need the visual styling to be included automatically when referencing cells.
unfortunately, there’s no simple formula to keep formatting. i usually do a copy-paste special to keep stuff looking the same, but it’s a pain for frequent updates. if you’re looking for something more dynamic, consider using custom formats on your target cell to match the look of the source.
Had this exact issue building quarterly reports - needed consistent color coding across different data types.
The manual fixes people are suggesting? They work for a bit, then fall apart when you’ve got multiple sheets or constant updates. Conditional formatting gets ugly with complex rules, and Apps Script needs babysitting.
I fixed it with Latenode handling the whole sync automatically. It watches my source cells and copies both values and formatting to target cells - zero manual work.
Best part? It doesn’t break on the weird stuff that kills other solutions - merged cells, custom number formats, complex background colors. Even works across different workbooks.
Set it up once, done. Your formatting stays synced no matter how much the source data changes.
You’ve hit one of Sheets’ most annoying limitations. I’ve dealt with this on multiple projects - Google Apps Script is your only real option for keeping formatting intact. The script reads cell values AND their formatting, then applies everything to your target cells. Takes some setup time, but it’s the only native solution that actually works for complex formatting. You can even set it to monitor changes and auto-update content plus styling. If you just need basic stuff like bold or colors, format templates work okay in destination cells, but they’re not dynamic like you want.
Been fighting this same issue for months on a financial tracker where I needed color-coded status indicators to transfer automatically. Standard reference formulas are useless for visual consistency. Tried all the workarounds here, then built a hybrid solution that actually works. I set up conditional formatting rules in the target cells that mirror the source formatting logic, then use basic reference formulas for the data. Yeah, you’re duplicating formatting conditions, but once it’s set up everything updates automatically - data and colors. Just make sure your conditional formatting criteria match exactly what drives the source cell formatting. Not perfect, but way more reliable than manual copying or scripts that break.
Google Sheets formulas can’t copy formatting - you only get the data, which sucks.
I hit this same wall building automated reports. Manual formatting and conditional formatting hacks were killing me timewise.
What fixed it? I moved the automation outside Sheets completely. Now I use Latenode to watch source cells, grab their values AND formatting, then push everything to target cells automatically.
Latenode reads all the formatting stuff from source cells and applies it to destination cells in real time. No more manual work or crazy conditional formatting rules.
It grabs everything - text color, bold, italic, backgrounds, borders, all of it. Works across multiple sheets and even different files.
Saves me hours weekly and keeps my dashboards consistent without touching anything manually.
Indeed, when using Google Sheets, formulas such as =B3 will only transfer the cell’s value without any formatting. I encountered this same issue while designing a dashboard that required preserving the original formatting. What proved effective was to focus on applying conditional formatting to the destination cell. This way, you can replicate the visual style based on the value in the source cell. For more intricate needs, utilizing Google Apps Script could be an option, although this requires some coding knowledge. Generally, conditional formatting suffices for most situations.
sheets sucks at this. i used importrange with some cell styling tricks instead - import the data, then set up formatting rules that match your source logic. it’s hacky but works well enough without scripts or external tools.