Google Sheets – Combine Custom Formula with Colour Scale in Conditional Formatting

Here is what you can do:

1. RightClick B2 → select Conditional formatting → select Custom Formula is (from the List)
2. Enter the following formula in the textbox: =b2>=c2
3. Check the Background Color and select green color
4. Click on Add another rule
5. Select Custom Formula is (from the List)
6. Enter the following formula in the textbox: =b2<c2
7. Check the Background Color and select red color
8. Click on Save Rules
9. Highlight B2 and click on Paint Format option on the tool bar.
10. Now click on cell B3 and drag until cell - B117 (this should apply the conditional formatting on cell ranging from B3-B117)

And for your second condition (i.e., to highlight D with green if it is greater than or equal to E, red if it is less than E) - simply repeat the above steps by interchanging D2 for B2 and E2 for C2.

You can achieve your desired results by putting a tilde, ~ in front of the asterisk as an escape character, if you put the conditional formatting rules in the order listed below.

First, create the one for orange when three asterisks occur using text contains and then specifying ~*~*~*. Select custom to pick an orange background. Then create the one for two asterisks using text contains and ~*~* picking yellow for the color. Then for the next rule create one for green with text contains and ~*. Then you can create the one with a red background using text is exactly specifying Dead and picking red for the background.

You should then see the following: