Excel Conditional Formatting for a Date Within 3 Months

The following dataset has Project and Date columns. In the Date column, 29-08-22 is the first date, and all other dates are ahead of 29-08-222.

Method 1 – Using the Between Option of Conditional Formatting

Steps:

Select C5:C13.
Go to the Home tab >> select Conditional Formatting.
In Highlight Cells Rules >> select Between.

In the Between dialog box:

Set a range between 24-08-22 and 24-11-22.
Set Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text as the color.
Click OK.

You will see dates within 3 months highlighted with light red color.

Method 2 – Conditional Formatting a Date Within 3 Months Using the AND and TODAY Functions

Use a combination of the AND and TODAY functions to apply conditional formatting to dates within 90 days.

Steps:

Select C5:C13.
Go to the Home tab >> select Conditional Formatting.
Select New Rule.

In the New Formatting Rule dialog box:

Select Use a formula to determine which cells to format in Select a Rule Type.
Enter the following formula in Format values where this formula is true.

=AND(C5>=TODAY(), C5<=(TODAY()+90))

the AND function has two logical conditions for the date range: the Date has to be greater than or equal to today and less than or equal to TODAY()+90. The TODAY function returns the current date. If conditions are fulfilled, dates will Fill Blue.

Click Format.

In the Format Cells dialog box:

In Fill >> select Blue.
Click OK.

You can see the Preview in the New Formatting Rule dialog box.

Click OK.

Dates within 3 months are highlighted with blue color.

Method 3 – Using the TODAY Function to apply Conditional Formatting to a Date Within 3 Months

In the following dataset the Order Date includes dates that are behind 29-08-22.There are also dates ahead 29-08-22.

Steps:

Select C5:C13.
Go to the Home tab >> select Conditional Formatting.
Select New Rule.

The New Formatting Rule dialog box will be displayed.

Select Use a formula to determine which cells to format in Select a Rule Type.
Enter the following formula in Format values where this formula is true.

=C5>TODAY()-90