To ensure that Conditional Formatting automatically applies to new rows or columns, set the range in your formatting rule to encompass potential future additions. For example, if your data is in column A and might expand, set the range as A:A or A1:A1000 to cover a large number of future rows. This proactive approach means that as you add data, the Conditional Formatting rules will already be in place to format new entries according to the established criteria.