conditional formatting - make a cell become a color if two cells equal each other

You can add a conditional formatting rule to K1 that looks like this:

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...using Conditional formatting, wit the formula =H16=I16

Select the cell

Conditional Formatting
New Rule
Use a formula to determine...

Enter formula

Format as required
Use Format painter (paintbrush icon) to copy to other cells

I see that you're going for "red when okay." Here's another approach to consider with "green when okay," giving your cells either a green, red or white background. First, set the conditional format as others are directing (I prefer to use the color orange there, since black-on-red is hard to read, and usually black is the [foreground] font), except instead make your condition =H16<>I16. So the conditional recoloring is based on failure, not success. When the conditional format setting is complete, set the background color to green by the usual way with the "tipped paint bucket" on your Home Ribbon (technically it's the "fill color") for the same cells. Then
-If a cell is green, it passed the check
-If a cell is orange, it failed
-If neither, that is not a tested cell.
(I prefer a light green, also giving better visual contrast with black font)

This satisfies your original concern that the process is reusable. If a cell is "okay" at one time, it shows green; if the next month's numeric data is "not okay," it shows orange, and there's no extra work on your part, except to update the numeric data.

You can ignore the rest of this post if you like: if you are comfortable with macros or can get someone who is, here's a way to automate the process. I have probably applied this macro to tens of millions of cells over time. As commented, it is ideal as a menu item in Excel 2003; for later versions, one can add it to the wimpy QAT.

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