Hey everyone! I’m working on a big spreadsheet in Google Sheets and I’m struggling to keep track of which row and column I’m in. It would be super helpful if there was a way to automatically highlight the entire row and column of the cell I’m currently on.
Where X is the selected cell, and all the [-] in row 2 and column B would be highlighted.
Does anyone know if this is possible? Maybe there’s a script or add-on that can do this? It would make navigating my spreadsheet so much easier! Thanks in advance for any help!
hey, i get the spreadsheet struggle! try the add-on ‘active cell highlighter’ – it lights up your current row n col in google sheets. search for it in the marketplace, install, and see if it works for you. hope it helps, bro!
I’ve achieved a similar effect by writing a custom Apps Script in Google Sheets. Although the feature isn’t built in, a script can clear past formatting and then apply a highlight to the entire row and column where the active cell is located. The key is setting up an onSelectionChange trigger that adjusts the highlights every time you move to a new cell. In my experience, this approach works well on small to medium sheets, though it might reduce performance on very large spreadsheets. Alternative add-ons may also provide a solution if you prefer not to code.
Having worked with Google Sheets for many years, I understand the challenge of keeping track of where you are in a big table. I’ve discovered that while there isn’t a built-in feature to automatically highlight both the active row and column, you can mimic this behavior using conditional formatting. I set up a conditional format for the sheet by going to Format > Conditional Formatting and creating two separate rules to highlight the row and the column of a selected cell. This method isn’t fully dynamic, so you need to manually trigger the highlighting by selecting a relevant cell, but it still offers a useful visual cue when navigating large spreadsheets.