You have two main ways to highlight the top or bottom n values in a dataset using Excel's conditional formatting:

1. Using Built-in Top/Bottom Rules:

This is the quickest and easiest method for highlighting a specific number of top or bottom values.

* Select the range of cells containing your data.
* Go to the "Home" tab on the Excel ribbon.
* In the "Styles" group, click the dropdown arrow under "Conditional Formatting."
* Select "Top/Bottom Rules" from the menu.
* Here, you'll see options like "Top 10%" or "Bottom 3 Items." Choose the option that aligns with your needs (e.g., "Top 10%" to highlight the top 10% of values).
* You can also choose a custom format by clicking "Format" and selecting desired options for font, fill color, etc.
* Click "OK" to apply the formatting.

2. Using a Formula with Conditional Formatting:

This method offers more flexibility, allowing you to highlight based on a specific number (n) of top or bottom values entered elsewhere.

* Enter the desired number of top/bottom values you want to highlight in a separate cell (e.g., cell E1).
* Select the range of cells containing your data.
* Go to the "Home" tab and click the dropdown arrow under "Conditional Formatting."
* Choose "New Rule" from the menu.
* In the "New Formatting Rule" window, select "Use a formula to determine which cells to format."
* Enter the appropriate formula in the "Format values where this formula is true" box:
- For top n values: `=A1>=LARGE($A$1:$A$10,E1)` (Replace A1:A10 with your data range and E1 with your input cell).
- For bottom n values: `=A1<=SMALL($A$1:$A$10,E1)` (Replace A1:A10 with your data range and E1 with your input cell).
* Click "Format" to choose your desired highlighting options.
* Click "OK" twice to apply the formatting.

Note:

* In the formulas above, A1:A10 represents your data range. Adjust this to your specific cell range.
* E1 represents the cell where you entered the number of top/bottom values to highlight. Change this if you used a different cell.
* You can replace `LARGE` and `SMALL` functions with other comparison operators like `=`, `<`, or `>` for more specific formatting.

This way, whenever you change the value in the designated cell (E1 in this example), the highlighting will automatically adjust to reflect the top or bottom n values.