If you have a dataset in Excel, you can manually highlight data points and create a heat map. Let’s get started! Creating a Heat Map in Excel Using Conditional Formatting Create a heat map in Excel Pivot Tables.Quickly create a heat map in Excel using conditional formatting.This way, in case you change the values in the cells, the color/format of the cell would automatically update the heat map based on the pre-specified rules in conditional formatting. Instead of the manual work, you can use conditional formatting to highlight cells based on the value. However, you will have to redo it when the values changes. While you can create a heat map in Excel by manually color coding the cells. Creating a Heat Map in Excel Pivot Table.Example 2: Creating a Dynamic Heat Map in Excel using Radio Buttons.Creating a Heat Map in Excel Using Conditional Formatting.