In Microsoft Excel color side tabs stacked on the left or right are a great way to organize your sheets with data in an Excel workbook. With regular horizontal tabs, on the other hand, it is hard to see your colored tabs and workbook sheet layout entirely because of the small and truncated horizontal tabs at the bottom of the workbook.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have your color sheet tabs vertically displayed on the left or right-hand side?
Continue reading to find out how easy it is to display Excel side tabs in color on the left or right in Excel.
Table of Contents
- Excel Side Tabs in Color on the Left or Right
- Watch Video: How to Have Excel Side Tabs in Color
- XLNavigator version 1.0.58
- 1 – Sync Excel Side Tabs in Color with Horizontal Sheet Tabs
- 2 – Customize Side Tabs Color to Your Liking
- 3 – Choose From Preset Side Tab Color Modes
- Easy to See All Workbook Sheets Tabs Without Having to Scroll
- Enhance and Improve Sheet Tabs Visibility and Legibility
- Move the Vertical Color Sheet Tabs Pane From Left to Right
- Collapse the Side Tabs Pane If Not Being Used
- See Hidden and Very Hidden Sheet Tabs
- Closing Remarks
- Recommended Articles
Excel Side Tabs in Color on the Left or Right
There are several benefits to having Excel sheet tabs displayed vertically on the left or right in Excel. In this post and video below, you will learn what is possible with the latest free version of the XLNavigator add-in for Excel.
Watch Video: How to Have Excel Side Tabs in Color
XLNavigator version 1.0.58
In XLNavigator version 1.0.58, we have added several color options to the Excel side tabs so that you can now have Excel side tabs in color and the advantages that come with vertical color sheet tabs.
1 – Sync Excel Side Tabs in Color with Horizontal Sheet Tabs
The default option syncs the vertical side tabs with the color of the horizontal sheet tabs. This color sync option also mirrors the selected office theme color. I like the dark theme, but it works and looks equally nice in the other color themes, like “white.”
2 – Customize Side Tabs Color to Your Liking
Instead of mirroring the horizontal sheet tab color, you can customize the side tabs to your liking. You can set both the text and tab color of the selected tab and the other unselected tabs.
3 – Choose From Preset Side Tab Color Modes
In addition to the custom color tab and horizontal sheet tab color sync options, there are also some preset color options. Choose from “Excel Green,” “Dark,” and “Dodger Blue” preset color modes.
Note that when you select a preset color theme and then go to customize, you get those preset colors to customize.
Easy to See All Workbook Sheets Tabs Without Having to Scroll
One benefit of using color tabs vertically in Microsoft Excel is that it makes it easy to see all workbook sheets without having to scroll to the left or right awkwardly (or having to right-click to view the list of the tabs), especially when you make the side tabs smaller.
Enhance and Improve Sheet Tabs Visibility and Legibility
Another benefit is to enhance and improve sheet visibility and legibility through very large color sheet tabs — especially when presented on a TV, projector, or online meeting/presentation.
Move the Vertical Color Sheet Tabs Pane From Left to Right
Depending on your preference and application, it might be better to have the sheet side tabs positioned on the right instead of the default left side of the Excel window. This can easily be done by simply dragging and dropping the vertical tabs pane to the right side of the Excel window, where it will automatically snap in place on the right. The side tabs pane can also be moved back to the left side whenever you want.
Collapse the Side Tabs Pane If Not Being Used
If you are working with a small Excel workbook and/or need to view the maximum sheet area and contents, then collapse the vertical sheet tabs pane out of the view area by clicking on the double arrow toggle button in the top corner of the pane. And click the toggle button again to expand the tabs pane when you do need to navigate using the side sheet tabs.
See Hidden and Very Hidden Sheet Tabs
Another benefit of using the vertical tabs is that it lists all hidden and very hidden sheet tabs in the workbook and the hidden sheet tabs’ relative position among regular sheet tabs.
Closing Remarks
The XLNavigator add-in for Excel with resizeable color side tabs makes navigation and visual organization of sheets and content in Excel workbooks very easy. Color tabs are available in XLNavigator version 1.0.58 or later.
In addition to the vertical tabs in Excel, XLNavigator has an easy Excel Date Picker for easy date value editing in Excel.
Also, consider subscribing to the KuduTek Youtube channel and click that bell notification icon to be notified when the next XLNavigator update is released.
