List dropdowns in excel

Create a drop-down list

You can help people work more efficiently in worksheets by using drop-down lists in cells. Drop-downs allow people to pick an item from a list that you create.

1. In a new worksheet, type the entries you want to appear in your drop-down list. Ideally, you’ll have your list items in an
   Excel table
   . If you don’t, then you can quickly convert your list to a table by selecting any cell in the range, and pressing
   
   Ctrl+T
   
   .

   

   Notes: 

   • Why should you put your data in a table? When your data is in a table, then as you
     add or remove items from the list
     , any drop-downs you based on that table will automatically update. You don’t need to do anything else.

   • Now is a good time to
     Sort data in a range or table
     in your drop-down list.

2. Select the cell in the worksheet where you want the drop-down list.

3. Go to the
   
   Data
   
   tab on the Ribbon, then
   
   Data Validation
   
   .

   Note: 
   If you can’t click
   
   Data Validation
   
   , the worksheet might be protected or shared.
   Unlock specific areas of a protected workbook
   or stop sharing the worksheet, and then try step 3 again.

4. On the
   
   Settings
   
   tab, in the
   
   Allow
   
   box, click
   
   List
   
   .

5. Click in the
   
   Source
   
   box, then select your list range. We put ours on a sheet called Cities, in range A2:A9. Note that we left out the header row, because we don’t want that to be a selection option:

   

6. If it’s OK for people to leave the cell empty, check the
   
   Ignore blank
   
   box.

7. Check the
   
   In-cell dropdown
   
   box.

8. Click the
   
   Input Message
   
   tab.

   • If you want a message to pop up when the cell is clicked, check the
     
     Show input message when cell is selected
     
     box, and type a title and message in the boxes (up to 225 characters). If you don’t want a message to show up, clear the check box.

     

9. Click the
   
   Error Alert
   
   tab.

   • If you want a message to pop up when someone enters something that’s not in your list, check the
     
     Show error alert after invalid data is entered
     
     box, pick an option from the
     
     Style
     
     box, and type a title and message. If you don’t want a message to show up, clear the check box.

     

10. Not sure which option to pick in the
    
    Style
    
    box?

    • To show a message that doesn’t stop people from entering data that isn’t in the drop-down list, click
      
      Information
      
      or Warning. Information will show a message with this icon
      
      and Warning will show a message with this icon
      
      .

    • To stop people from entering data that isn’t in the drop-down list, click
      
      Stop
      
      .

      Note: 
      If you don’t add a title or text, the title defaults to «Microsoft Excel» and the message to: «The value you entered is not valid. A user has restricted values that can be entered into this cell.»

You can download an example workbook with multiple data validation examples like the one in this article. You can follow along, or create your own data validation scenarios.
Download Excel data validation examples
.

Data entry is quicker and more accurate when you restrict values in a cell to choices from a drop-down list.

Start by making a list of valid entries on a sheet, and sort or rearrange the entries so that they appear in the order you want. Then you can use the entries as the source for your drop-down list of data. If the list is not large, you can easily refer to it and type the entries directly into the data validation tool.

1. Create a list of valid entries for the drop-down list, typed on a sheet in a single column or row without blank cells.

2. Select the cells that you want to restrict data entry in.

3. On the
   
   Data
   
   tab, under
   
   Tools
   
   , click
   
   Data Validation
   
   or
   
   Validate
   
   .

   

   Note: 
   If the validation command is unavailable, the sheet might be protected or the workbook may be shared. You cannot change data validation settings if your workbook is shared or your sheet is protected. For more information about workbook protection, see
   Protect a workbook
   .

4. Click the
   
   Settings
   
   tab, and then in the
   
   Allow
   
   pop-up menu, click
   
   List
   
   .

5. Click in the
   
   Source
   
   box, and then on your sheet, select your list of valid entries.

   The dialog box minimizes to make the sheet easier to see.

6. Press RETURN or click the
   
   Expand
   
   button to restore the dialog box, and then click
   
   OK
   
   .

   Tips: 

   • You can also type values directly into the
     
     Source
     
     box, separated by a comma.

   • To modify the list of valid entries, simply change the values in the source list or edit the range in the
     
     Source
     
     box.

   • You can specify your own error message to respond to invalid data inputs. On the
     
     Data
     
     tab, click
     
     Data Validation
     
     or
     
     Validate
     
     , and then click the
     
     Error Alert
     
     tab.

See also

Apply data validation to cells

1. In a new worksheet, type the entries you want to appear in your drop-down list. Ideally, you’ll have your list items in an
   Excel table
   .

   Notes: 

   • Why should you put your data in a table? When your data is in a table, then as you
     add or remove items from the list
     , any drop-downs you based on that table will automatically update. You don’t need to do anything else.

   • Now is a good time to
     Sort your data in the order you want it to appear
     in your drop-down list.

2. Select the cell in the worksheet where you want the drop-down list.

3. Go to the
   
   Data
   
   tab on the Ribbon, then click
   
   Data Validation
   
   .

4. On the
   
   Settings
   
   tab, in the
   
   Allow
   
   box, click
   
   List
   
   .

5. If you already made a table with the drop-down entries, click in the
   
   Source
   
   box, and then click and drag the cells that contain those entries. However, do not include the header cell. Just include the cells that should appear in the drop-down. You can also just type a list of entries in the
   
   Source
   
   box, separated by a comma like this:

   
   Fruit,Vegetables,Grains,Dairy,Snacks
   

6. If it’s OK for people to leave the cell empty, check the
   
   Ignore blank
   
   box.

7. Check the
   
   In-cell dropdown
   
   box.

8. Click the
   
   Input Message
   
   tab.

   • If you want a message to pop up when the cell is clicked, check the
     
     Show message
     
     checkbox, and type a title and message in the boxes (up to 225 characters). If you don’t want a message to show up, clear the check box.

9. Click the
   
   Error Alert
   
   tab.

   • If you want a message to pop up when someone enters something that’s not in your list, check the
     
     Show Alert
     
     checkbox, pick an option in
     
     Type
     
     , and type a title and message. If you don’t want a message to show up, clear the check box.

10. Click
    
    OK
    
    .

After you create your drop-down list, make sure it works the way you want. For example, you might want to check to see if
Change the column width and row height
to show all your entries. If you decide you want to change the options in your drop-down list, see
Add or remove items from a drop-down list
. To delete a drop-down list, see
Remove a drop-down list
.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

See also

Add or remove items from a drop-down list

Video: Create and manage drop-down lists

Overview of Excel tables

Apply data validation to cells

Lock or unlock specific areas of a protected worksheet

A drop-down list is an excellent way to give the user an option to select from a pre-defined list.

It can be used while getting a user to fill a form, or while creating interactive Excel dashboards.

Drop-down lists are quite common on websites/apps and are very intuitive for the user.

Watch Video – Creating a Drop Down List in Excel

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a drop down list in Excel (it takes only a few seconds to do this) along with all the awesome stuff you can do with it.

How to Create a Drop Down List in Excel

In this section, you will learn the exacts steps to create an Excel drop-down list:

1. Using Data from Cells.
2. Entering Data Manually.
3. Using the OFFSET formula.

#1 Using Data from Cells

Let’s say you have a list of items as shown below:

Here are the steps to create an Excel Drop Down List:

1. Select a cell where you want to create the drop down list.
2. Go to Data –> Data Tools –> Data Validation.
3. In the Data Validation dialogue box, within the Settings tab, select List as the Validation criteria.
   • As soon as you select List, the source field appears.
4. In the source field, enter =$A$2:$A$6, or simply click in the Source field and select the cells using the mouse and click OK. This will insert a drop down list in cell C2.
   • Make sure that the In-cell dropdown option is checked (which is checked by default). If this option in unchecked, the cell does not show a drop down, however, you can manually enter the values in the list.

Note: If you want to create drop down lists in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2).

#2 By Entering Data Manually

In the above example, cell references are used in the Source field. You can also add items directly by entering it manually in the source field.

For example, let’s say you want to show two options, Yes and No, in the drop down in a cell. Here is how you can directly enter it in the data validation source field:

This will create a drop-down list in the selected cell. All the items listed in the source field, separated by a comma, are listed in different lines in the drop down menu.

All the items entered in the source field, separated by a comma, are displayed in different lines in the drop down list.

Note: If you want to create drop down lists in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps.

#3 Using Excel Formulas

Apart from selecting from cells and entering data manually, you can also use a formula in the source field to create an Excel drop down list.

Any formula that returns a list of values can be used to create a drop-down list in Excel.

For example, suppose you have the data set as shown below:

Here are the steps to create an Excel drop down list using the OFFSET function:

This will create a drop-down list that lists all the fruit names (as shown below).

Note: If you want to create a drop-down list in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2).

How this formula Works??

In the above case, we used an OFFSET function to create the drop down list. It returns a list of items from the ra

It returns a list of items from the range A2:A6.

Here is the syntax of the OFFSET function: =OFFSET(reference, rows, cols, [height], [width])

It takes five arguments, where we specified the reference as A2 (the starting point of the list). Rows/Cols are specified as 0 as we don’t want to offset the reference cell. Height is specified as 5 as there are five elements in the list.

Now, when you use this formula, it returns an array that has the list of the five fruits in A2:A6. Note that if you enter the formula in a cell, select it and press F9, you would see that it returns an array of the fruit names.

Creating a Dynamic Drop Down List in Excel (Using OFFSET)

The above technique of using a formula to create a drop down list can be extended to create a dynamic drop down list as well. If you use the OFFSET function, as shown above, even if you add more items to the list, the drop down would not update automatically. You will have to manually update it each time you change the list.

Here is a way to make it dynamic (and it’s nothing but a minor tweak in the formula):

• Select a cell where you want to create the drop down list (cell C2 in this example).
• Go to Data –> Data Tools –> Data Validation.
• In the Data Validation dialogue box, within the Settings tab, select List as the Validation criteria. As soon as you select List, the source field appears.
• In the source field, enter the following formula: =OFFSET($A$2,0,0,COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100,”<>”))
• Make sure that the In-cell drop down option is checked.
• Click OK.

In this formula, I have replaced the argument 5 with COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100,”<>”).

The COUNTIF function counts the non-blank cells in the range A2:A100. Hence, the OFFSET function adjusts itself to include all the non-blank cells.

Note:

• For this to work, there must NOT be any blank cells in between the cells that are filled.
• If you want to create a drop-down list in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2).

Copy Pasting Drop-Down Lists in Excel

You can copy paste the cells with data validation to other cells, and it will copy the data validation as well.

For example, if you have a drop-down list in cell C2, and you want to apply it to C3:C6 as well, simply copy the cell C2 and paste it in C3:C6. This will copy the drop-down list and make it available in C3:C6 (along with the drop down, it will also copy the formatting).

If you only want to copy the drop down and not the formatting, here are the steps:

This will only copy the drop down and not the formatting of the copied cell.

Caution while Working with Excel Drop Down List

You need to to be careful when you are working with drop down lists in Excel.

When you copy a cell (that does not contain a drop down list) over a cell that contains a drop down list, the drop down list is lost.

The worst part of this is that Excel will not show any alert or prompt to let the user know that a drop down will be overwritten.

How to Select All Cells that have a Drop Down List in it

Sometimes, it ‘s hard to know which cells contain the drop down list.

Hence, it makes sense to mark these cells by either giving it a distinct border or a background color.

Instead of manually checking all the cells, there is a quick way to select all the cells that have drop-down lists (or any data validation rule) in it.

This would instantly select all the cells that have a data validation rule applied to it (this includes drop down lists as well).

Now you can simply format the cells (give a border or a background color) so that visually visible and you don’t accidentally copy another cell on it.

Here is another technique by Jon Acampora you can use to always keep the drop down arrow icon visible. You can also see some ways to do this in this video by Mr. Excel.

Creating a Dependent / Conditional Excel Drop Down List

Here is a video on how to create a dependent drop-down list in Excel.

If you prefer reading over watching a video, keep reading.

Sometimes, you may have more than one drop-down list and you want the items displayed in the second drop down to be dependent on what the user selected in the first drop-down.

These are called dependent or conditional drop down lists.

Below is an example of a conditional/dependent drop down list:

In the above example, when the items listed in ‘Drop Down 2’ are dependent on the selection made in ‘Drop Down 1’.

Now let’s see how to create this.

Here are the steps to create a dependent / conditional drop down list in Excel:

Now, when you make the selection in Drop Down 1, the options listed in Drop Down List 2 would automatically update.

Download the Example File

How does this work? – The conditional drop down list (in cell E3) refers to =INDIRECT(D3). This means that when you select ‘Fruits’ in cell D3, the drop down list in E3 refers to the named range ‘Fruits’ (through the INDIRECT function) and hence lists all the items in that category.

Important Note While Working with Conditional Drop Down Lists in Excel:

• When you have made the selection, and then you change the parent drop down, the dependent drop down would not change and would, therefore, be a wrong entry. For example, if you select the US as the country and then select Florida as the state, and then go back and change the country to India, the state would remain as Florida. Here is a great tutorial by Debra on clearing dependent (conditional) drop down lists in Excel when the selection is changed.
• If the main category is more than one word (for example, ‘Seasonal Fruits’ instead of ‘Fruits’), then you need to use the formula =INDIRECT(SUBSTITUTE(D3,” “,”_”)), instead of the simple INDIRECT function shown above. The reason for this is that Excel does not allow spaces in named ranges. So when you create a named range using more than one word, Excel automatically inserts an underscore in between words. So ‘Seasonal Fruits’ named range would be ‘Seasonal_Fruits’. Using the SUBSTITUTE function within the INDIRECT function makes sure that spaces are converted into underscores. 

You May Also Like the Following Excel Tutorials:

• Extract Data from Drop Down List Selection in Excel.
• Select Multiple Items from a Drop Down List in Excel.
• Creating a Dynamic Excel Filter Search Box.
• Display Main and Subcategory in Drop Down List in Excel.
• How to Insert Checkbox in Excel.
• Using a Radio Button (Option Button) in Excel.
• How to Remove Drop-Down List in Excel?

This post will show you everything there is to know about dropdown lists in Microsoft Excel.

If you are creating an Excel spreadsheet for other users to input data, then dropdown lists are very useful to control what data they are entering.

This way you can ensure that they will not enter incorrect data which will produce errors in your spreadsheet when calculations are made based on the user input.

Dropdown lists should be familiar as you will frequently find them on the web or while working in other applications.

They enhance the user experience as they make choice selection easy and help to standardize data entry.

This post is going to cover everything about dropdown lists in Microsoft Excel.

Are you ready for the ultimate resource guide to dropdown lists in Microsoft Excel? Get your copy of the example workbook and follow along!

Example Dataset

All the examples in this post will use the above standard set of data within Excel.

How to Create a Dropdown List

There are several ways to populate list items when you create a dropdown list within your spreadsheet.

Use Comma Separated List of Values for List Items

The first method is the most basic where all items are entered in the Data Validation menu as a comma-separated list.

1. Go to the Data tab and click on the Data Validation button in the Data Tools group.

1. This will open the Data Validation menu. Go to the Settings tab and select List from the Allow dropdown.
2. In the Source input box, enter your delimited list using commas as the delimiter between items.
3. Click OK button to create your dropdown list.

📝 Note: Keep the In-cell dropdown option checked as this is what will create the dropdown.

Your selected cell will now have a dropdown arrow to the right of it. Click the arrow, and your list will now show as separate items based on the comma delimiters that you entered.

📝 Note: If you use a comma and space to delimit your list items, Excel will remove the leading space from each item in your dropdown.

The advantage is that the list can be created in a very straightforward manner. All you need to do is to type the list in, or even paste it in from elsewhere.

The disadvantage is that it is hardcoded and is not dynamic. There is no way to change the list based on data entered in the spreadsheet.

Any changes to list items need to be done in the Data Validation menu. If you want to use the same list elsewhere in the spreadsheet, then you either need to copy and paste the list or set up the list from scratch.

Use a Range Reference for List Items

This is the most obvious choice for your list items as the Data Validation menu has a button to select a range from the grid.

From the Data Validation menu click on the Select button found on the right side of the Source input field. This will allow you to select the required range from the grid.

Use a Named Range for List Items

Another way to enter list items in your dropdown is by entering them in a named range, and then referencing the named range in the Data Validation menu.

Follow these steps to create a named range.

1. Select the range of cells to use for the range name for the list of data that you want to use. This must be a single column range.

1. Go to the Formula tab and click on the Define Name command in the Defined Names group of the ribbon. You can edit the range name afterward by clicking on Name Manager in the same group.

1. This will open up the New Name menu. Enter a name for the range in the Name field. This is how you will refer to the range when creating a dropdown list.
2. The cells you selected should be listed in the Refers to field, so check this is correct and update it if needed.
3. Press the OK button.

This will create the name and when you select the range, you will see the name displayed in the Name Box.

You can also use the Name Box to skip the Define Name menu and quickly create a named range. Simply select the range of cells to name and then type the name into the Name Box and press Enter.

Now you can use the named range to create your dropdown list.

1. Select the cell for your dropdown list.
2. Go to the Data tab in the ribbon.
3. Click on the Data Validation button in the Data Tools group.

1. This will open up the Data Validation menu on the Settings tab. In the Allow dropdown, select List from the options.
2. In the Source input box, enter the name of your named range for the list source. Precede it with an equal sign (=). You can also use the Up Arrow selector icon to select the range from the sheet. When you select the full named range, Excel will display the name as your selection.
3. Press the OK button.

Your selected cell will now have a dropdown arrow to the right of it and will show all the items within your named range.

The advantage is that you can use this range name as a single source for many data validation lists. You can easily edit values in the named range, and that will reflect in all the dropdown lists that use that range.

Also, if the range name is moved to another location within the spreadsheet, it will still act as a valid source for all the dropdowns that use it as the source for list items.

The disadvantage is that you will need to set up the range name first of all, but if you have many dropdowns within the spreadsheet using this same source, then it is a very small overhead.

Use a Table for List Items

You can also use an Excel table as the source for your dropdown list.

Check out his post to find out everything about Excel tables if you haven’t seen them before.

Tables are great because it’s easy to add new data to the table. Just type in the row directly below the table and it will absorb the new data into the table.

New entries in the table will then appear in any dropdown lists with the table as a list item source.

Follow these steps to convert your range into a table.

1. Select your data for the table including the header row.

1. Go to the Insert tab and click on the Table button in the Tables group of the ribbon.

1. This will open up the Create Table menu with the range selected. Make sure the My table has headers option is checked if your range had a column heading included. Press the OK button after you’ve checked everything is correct.

1. Select the table go to the Table Design tab and give your new table a name. Type over the generic Table1 name with the new name and press Enter.

Now you will be able to create a dropdown list based on this table.

1. Select the cell for your dropdown list and click on the Data Validation button in the Data tab.

1. Select List in the Allow field.

= INDIRECT ( "Cars[Model]" )

1. Enter the above formula into the Source box. This assumes that your table is called Cars, and that Model is a column header in that table.
2. Press the OK button.

Your selected cell will now have a dropdown list based on the Model column from your table.

Using a defined table has huge advantages over the previous methods described.

You can use a source that has multiple columns, and you can easily select which column you want to use by changing the header name within the source formula.

If you require separate dropdowns for both columns in the table, all you need to do is copy and paste the cell with the validation into another location, and alter the column name in the source formula.

This is easier than creating a separate single-column range name for each column of the data!

It is also easier for you to follow if you have several dropdowns all being driven off of one table. The table is also dynamic and can be easily changed or updated with new data that will automatically flow into the dropdown list.

📝 Note: If you change the table name, you will need to update the formula used in the Data Validation Source input to reflect the new name. This is because the name is referenced by a hard-coded text string.

Use a Dynamic Array Reference for Dropdown List Items

This is the most flexible method for adding list items in a dropdown list.

Start by adding a table containing your dropdown list of items. In an adjacent cell, insert a formula that references the entire column from the table.

=Cars[Model]

In this example, the above formula has been entered in cell D3. You can see this creates an array that is the exact same as the table column that it references.

If you add, edit or delete any items in the table, the array will update accordingly to match.

You can then reference this dynamic array inside the Data Validation menu as =$D$3# the Source input. The hashtag means it will reference the entire array.

When you add, edit, or delete items in the table, items in the array will update. Because the dropdown list references the array, it will also update with the same changes.

How to Add Items to an Existing DropDown List

Once you have created dropdown lists you will probably need to make changes, such as adding, editing, or deleting items in the list.

In the example of cars that are used here, new models are frequently added, or older models are retired and might need to be removed.

Editing Dropdown List Items from a Comma Separated List

You can change the items in a dropdown list with the following steps.

1. Select the cell which contains the dropdown list to edit.
2. Go to the Data tab.
3. Click on the Data Validation button in the Data Tools group of the ribbon.
4. This will up the Data Validation menu and you can add, remove, or edit the list items in the Source input field.
5. Press the OK button.

📝 Note: This will only update the items in the selected dropdown list. Other similar dropdown lists in the workbook will remain unchanged.

Editing Dropdown List Items from a Named Range

The data in the single column named range can be changed easily and will reflect through to any dropdown that uses that named range.

Adding a new item is a bit more involved as you will need to extend the named range. You can do this from the Name Manager.

1. Go to the Formulas tab.
2. Click on the Name Manager button in the Defined Names section.

1. Select the named range to update.
2. Update the range reference in the Refers to field to add more cells to the range.
3. Click on the checkmark to the left of the Refers to field.
4. Press the Close button.

The Named range will now include the cells which you added to the range reference and you can enter the new list items there.

Note: Unfortunately, typing new items at the bottom of your named range won’t automatically extend the named range. You need to update the range reference manually to ensure new items are included in your dropdown lists.

Editing Dropdown List Items from a Table

Because tables are dynamic, it is far easier to add, edit, or delete list items.

When you add a new item at the bottom of your table, the table will automatically expand to include the new row. This means your new item will appear in the dropdown list.

Editing or deleting an item is just as easy!

Type over any item in the table to edit it.

Right-click on an item and select Delete ➜ Table Rows. This will delete the entire row in the table and remove the item from the dropdown list.

Editing Dropdown List Items from a Dynamic Array

This is the exact same process as editing a dropdown list from a table.

Changes you make to the table will propagate to the dynamic array which drives the dropdown list.

How to Remove a Dropdown List

If you no longer require a particular dropdown list within your spreadsheet, it is very easily removed. Follow these steps to remove a dropdown list.

1. Select the cell with the dropdown list to remove.
2. Go to the Data tab.
3. Click on Data Validation in the Data Tools group.
4. Press the Clear All button in the Data Validation menu.
5. Press the OK button.

This will only remove the dropdown list from the selected cell and not any other copies of the dropdown list.

Copy and Paste a Dropdown List

You may want to use your dropdown list elsewhere in the workbook and this can easily be done by copying and pasting the cell to a new location.

You can use the Paste Special command to paste in only the data validation in the cell.

Use Ctrl + C to copy the cell which contains the dropdown list.

Select the cell that you want to copy the dropdown to and then right-click on the cell, and choose Paste Special from the options.

You can also use the Ctrl + Alt + V keyboard shortcut to open the Paste Special menu.

The Paste Special menu will appear and you can select the Validation option and click on OK.

You will now have an exact copy of the dropdown list in your new cell and it will use the same source for its list items.

Create a Dropdown List from Another Sheet

If you want to copy and paste or cut and paste a dropdown list into a new sheet, you might run into a problem when the list items were created using a range reference.

If the range reference was originally created within the same sheet, then it won’t contain a reference to the sheet name.

='My Sheet'!$B$3:$B$12

You will need to update the range reference with the sheet name like in the above example.

Search a Dropdown List in Excel Online

The online version of Excel has a handy feature that allows you to search the dropdown list by just typing in a few characters.

This will narrow down the available list of options to choose from in the dropdown. This is extremely useful when dealing with a long list of items!

For example, using the list of car models, you can type Ac into the cell and that will display all entries in the list beginning with Ac. In this case, it will display Accord and Accent.

In the case of a very long list, this could pull out several entries beginning with F.

As you enter more letters, the number of entries in the search list will decrease to list items with a partial match. You can then click on a value in the search list dropdown to select it.

Case Sensitive Dropdown List Items

You can make your dropdown list case sensitive by entering your list options as a comma separated text string.

If a user enters a value that does not correspond to an item in the list in both value and case, then an error message will appear.

This will ensure that the final value in the validation cell matches the case of the list items.

📝 Note: Any other source used for your list items will allow any variation of case to be entered into the cell.

Remove Duplicates from List Items

When you select data for list items, you may find that there are duplicates within that data.

Duplicates that are in the source data for the list items will show up in the list and there is no option in the Data Validation menu to remove them.

If you include them in the dropdown list, this can cause confusion for the user when they have multiple choices which are the same. It’s best to remove any duplicate values from the list of items.

How you remove the duplicate values will depend on whether your version of Excel has dynamic arrays.

Using a Dynamic Array

When you have dynamic arrays, getting a list of unique items is easy. You can use the UNIQUE function to return the items with the duplicates removed.

= UNIQUE ( Cars[Make] )

You can use the above formula which references a table named Cars that contains a column named Make. This column contains a few repeated items.

Notice the UNIQUE function returns all the items from the table but does not repeat any item of them.

Now you can reference this dynamic array as the list of items for the dropdown list.

Sort List Items in a Dropdown List

The Data Validation menu gives no option to sort the list items into alphabetical order.

Sorting the list of items will help make finding an item in a long list much easier.

Fortunately, sorting list items can be done outside of the Data Validation menu and is a fairly easy implementation.

Using a Dynamic Array

With dynamic arrays, sorting is also quite easy. You can use the SORT function to sort your list items for the dropdown list.

= SORT ( Cars[Model] )

The above formula can be used to sort a column in alphabetical order and the results can then be references in your dropdown list source input.

Edit All Dropdown Lists

When your spreadsheet has many exact copies of the same dropdown list, you may need to update them all when adding, editing, or deleting list items.

This is especially true when you are using drop-down lists with comma-separated list items.

Thankfully, there is an easy option to update all your dropdown lists at the same time.

Follow these steps to update all your dropdown lists that use the same settings.

1. Select one of the dropdown lists to edit.
2. Go to the Data tab.
3. Select the Data Validation command in the Data Tools section.
4. Make any changes to the Source list.
5. Check the Apply these changes to all other cells with the same settings option.
6. Press the OK button.

When you check this option in the Data Validation menu, you will see all dropdowns with the same settings will get selected in your sheet. When you press the OK button, the changes are made to all these cells.

Note: This will only affect dropdown lists in the current sheet! If you have dropdowns using the same settings but located in other sheets, then you will need to update those sheets separately.

Error Alerts for Dropdown Lists

The best thing about drop-down lists is they force users to input data correctly.

If a user tries to skip selection from the dropdown list and instead enter their own data, Excel will show a warning and entry will be prevented.

Data Validation for lists gives you the flexibility to change the default error alert message and also to change the icon used in the error message.

You can customize the error message in the Error Alert tab of the Data Validation menu.

1. Make sure the Show error alert after invalid data is entered option is checked. It should be enabled by default.
2. Select the Style of alert.
   • Stop will prevent the user from entering any value not in the list.
   • Warning will alert the user the item is not in the list, but will let them decide if they still want to enter the value or not.
   • Information will only alert the user the item is not in the list but will keep the value entered.
3. Add a Title for the alert.
4. Add an Error message for the alert.

Press the OK button once you’ve adjusted the error alert settings to your liking.

Now when a user tries to enter a value into the cell which is not in the list, a pop-up alert will show with your custom message. The above example shows a Warning alert that gives the user the Yes or No option to continue with the entry.

Input Messages for Dropdown Lists

You can create an input message for your dropdown list. This will appear when the user selects the cell containing the dropdown list.

Click on the Input Message tab in the Data Validation pop-up window, and enter a title (optional) and a message for the user to see.

You can create an input message from the Input Message tab of the Data Validation menu.

1. Make sure you check the option to Show input message when cell is selected. This will allow the pop-up to display when the cell is selected.
2. Add a Title for the pop up message.
3. Add the Input message to be displayed in the pop up.

Press the OK button to save the pop-up message on the dropdown list.

Now when you select the cell with the dropdown list, a pop-up will show with your custom message. This is a great way to add any required instructions for the spreadsheet user as it doesn’t even require the use of a dropdown.

Allow Entries Not in the Dropdown List Items

You may have a situation where you are using a dropdown in a cell, but you want to allow the user to enter values outside of the dropdown list.

This can be done from the Error Alert tab in the Data Validation menu.

Uncheck the Show error alert after invalid data is entered option.

This will give the user the option to use the dropdown list to select a value, but will not require it.

If a user does not pick from the list it will suppress the error message and allow any value to be entered in the cell.

Create a Dropdown List with VBA

Sub CreateDropdown()
    With Selection.Validation
        .Delete
        .Add Type:=xlValidateList, AlertStyle:=xlValidAlertStop, Operator:= _
        xlBetween, Formula1:="Yes, No, Maybe"
        .IgnoreBlank = True
        .InCellDropdown = True
        .InputTitle = ""
        .ErrorTitle = ""
        .InputMessage = ""
        .ErrorMessage = ""
        .ShowInput = True
        .ShowError = True
    End With
End Sub

You can use VBA to create a dropdown list.

The above VBA code can be used to create a basic dropdown from a comma separated list of items.

Create a Dropdown List with Office Scripts

function main(workbook: ExcelScript.Workbook) {
	let selectedSheet = workbook.getActiveWorksheet();

	selectedSheet.getRange("B2").getDataValidation().setRule({ list: { inCellDropDown: true, source: "Yes, No, Maybe" }});
	selectedSheet.getRange("B2").getDataValidation().setPrompt({ showPrompt: true, message: "", title: "" });
	selectedSheet.getRange("B2").getDataValidation().setErrorAlert({ showAlert: true, style: ExcelScript.DataValidationAlertStyle.stop, message: "", title: "" });
	selectedSheet.getRange("B2").getDataValidation().setIgnoreBlanks(true);
}

You can use Office Scripts to create a dropdown list.

The above TypeScript code can be used to create dropdown list based on a comma separated set of list items.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Using Dropdown Lists

There are useful keyboard shortcuts that you can use in conjunction with a Data Validation dropdown list.

• Alt + Down Arrow will activate the dropdown list and is the same as clicking the down arrow on the control.
• Up and Down Arrow keys will allow you to navigate and move up and down the dropdown list during selection.
• Enter will choose the item value that is highlighted in the dropdown list.
• Alt + A, V, V will take you straight to the Data Validation menu.

You can customize the QAT by adding your favorite commands so they are easily accessible at all times.

This will allow you to create your own keyboard shortcuts because every command you add to the QAT will get its own keyboard shortcut based on its position.

For example, the second command in your QAT can be used by pressing Alt + 2 on your keyboard.

This means you can add the Data Validation command to the QAT and access it with a customized keyboard shortcut.

Go to the Data tab and right-click on the Data Validation command. Select Add to Quick Access Toolbar from the menu and the command will be added to your QAT.

In this example, the data validation command is the third item in the QAT so you can press Alt + 3 to access it with the keyboard.

When you press the Alt key, the hotkey labels will show you what key to press next in order to access the commands.

Create a Dropdown List from Data Above the Current Cell

A useful feature in Excel is the ability to create a dropdown list from the data directly above the current cell.

1. Select the cell directly below a column of data values.
2. Right-click on the cell and select Pick From Drop-down List.

A dropdown will be instantly created in that cell based on the values above. The nice thing about this feature is it will only show a list of unique values and they will be sorted in alphabetical order.

The downside is that the dropdown list is not permanent, and the user has to right-click the cell again each time they want to use it.

Find All Dropdown Lists in a Sheet with Go To Special

Data Validation dropdown lists are hard to find within an Excel workbook. They remain invisible until the cell is selected, and the selector key appears to the right of the cell.

There is a way of highlighting all data validation cells on a spreadsheet.

1. Select a cell that contains the dropdown list you want to find.

1. Go to the Home tab.
2. Select Find & Select from the Editing section.
3. Select Go To Special to open up the Go To Special menu.

You can also press F5 and the Go To window will open, then you can press the Special button to open the Go To Special menu.

1. Select the Data Validation option.
2. Select Same from the Data Validation options.
3. Press the OK button.

This will select all the cells in the sheet with the exact same data validation. This means it will differentiate between lists with slightly different list items!

📝 Note: The All option will find and select other types of data validations in the sheet and not just lists.

Dropdown List Template Tutorial

Dropdowns are so important and so widely used in Excel, that there is a dedicated tutorial template for dropdown lists which can be accessed from the File menu.

Go to the File tab and click on the Drop-down tutorial template then click on the Create button.

This template will take you on a guided and interactive tour of dropdown lists.

You can also download the template here.

Conclusions

Very often the wrong input can lead to errors in your spreadsheets.

Data Validation dropdown lists are very useful, for guiding or restricting a user as to what input they can use in certain cells to help avoid errors.

There are many ways of constructing dropdown lists, including from a comma-separated list, a range, a named range, a table, or a dynamic array.

A simple dropdown list is usually all that is required in most cases, but advanced setups such as dependent lists can be achieved with a bit of effort.

Advanced options are also available with your dropdown lists such as input messages and error alerts.

These all make dropdowns a versatile tool you need to start using in your spreadsheet solutions.

Are you using dropdown lists in your Excel workbooks? Do you have any special dropdown list tips I missed? Let me know in the comments below!

При работе в программе Microsoft Excel в таблицах с повторяющимися данными, очень удобно использовать выпадающий список. С его помощью можно просто выбирать нужные параметры из сформированного меню. Давайте выясним, как сделать раскрывающийся список различными способами.

Создание дополнительного списка

Самым удобным, и одновременно наиболее функциональным способом создания выпадающего списка, является метод, основанный на построении отдельного списка данных.

Прежде всего, делаем таблицу-заготовку, где собираемся использовать выпадающее меню, а также делаем отдельным списком данные, которые в будущем включим в это меню. Эти данные можно размещать как на этом же листе документа, так и на другом, если вы не хотите, чтобы обе таблице располагались визуально вместе.

Выделяем данные, которые планируем занести в раскрывающийся список. Кликаем правой кнопкой мыши, и в контекстном меню выбираем пункт «Присвоить имя…».

Открывается форма создания имени. В поле «Имя» вписываем любое удобное наименование, по которому будем узнавать данный список. Но, это наименование должно начинаться обязательно с буквы. Можно также вписать примечание, но это не обязательно. Жмем на кнопку «OK».

Переходим во вкладку «Данные» программы Microsoft Excel. Выделяем область таблицы, где собираемся применять выпадающий список. Жмем на кнопку «Проверка данных», расположенную на Ленте.

Открывается окно проверки вводимых значений. Во вкладке «Параметры» в поле «Тип данных» выбираем параметр «Список». В поле «Источник» ставим знак равно, и сразу без пробелов пишем имя списка, которое присвоили ему выше. Жмем на кнопку «OK».

Выпадающий список готов. Теперь, при нажатии на кнопку у каждой ячейки указанного диапазона будет появляться список параметров, среди которых можно выбрать любой для добавления в ячейку.

Создание выпадающего списка с помощью инструментов разработчика

Второй способ предполагает создание выпадающего списка с помощью инструментов разработчика, а именно с использованием ActiveX. По умолчанию, функции инструментов разработчика отсутствуют, поэтому нам, прежде всего, нужно будет их включить. Для этого, переходим во вкладку «Файл» программы Excel, а затем кликаем по надписи «Параметры».

В открывшемся окне переходим в подраздел «Настройка ленты», и ставим флажок напротив значения «Разработчик». Жмем на кнопку «OK».

После этого, на ленте появляется вкладка с названием «Разработчик», куда мы и перемещаемся. Чертим в Microsoft Excel список, который должен стать выпадающим меню. Затем, кликаем на Ленте на значок «Вставить», и среди появившихся элементов в группе «Элемент ActiveX» выбираем «Поле со списком».

Кликаем по месту, где должна быть ячейка со списком. Как видите, форма списка появилась.

Затем мы перемещаемся в «Режим конструктора». Жмем на кнопку «Свойства элемента управления».

Открывается окно свойств элемента управления. В графе «ListFillRange» вручную через двоеточие прописываем диапазон ячеек таблицы, данные которой будут формировать пункты выпадающего списка.

Далее, кликаем по ячейке, и в контекстном меню последовательно переходим по пунктам «Объект ComboBox» и «Edit».

Выпадающий список в Microsoft Excel готов.

Чтобы сделать и другие ячейки с выпадающим списком, просто становимся на нижний правый край готовой ячейки, нажимаем кнопку мыши, и протягиваем вниз.

Связанные списки

Также, в программе Excel можно создавать связанные выпадающие списки. Это такие списки, когда при выборе одного значения из списка, в другой графе предлагается выбрать соответствующие ему параметры. Например, при выборе в списке продуктов картофеля, предлагается выбрать как меры измерения килограммы и граммы, а при выборе масла растительного – литры и миллилитры.

Прежде всего, подготовим таблицу, где будут располагаться выпадающие списки, и отдельно сделаем списки с наименованием продуктов и мер измерения.

Присваиваем каждому из списков именованный диапазон, как это мы уже делали ранее с обычными выпадающими списками.

В первой ячейке создаём список точно таким же образом, как делали это ранее, через проверку данных.

Во второй ячейке тоже запускаем окно проверки данных, но в графе «Источник» вводим функцию «=ДВССЫЛ» и адрес первой ячейки. Например, =ДВССЫЛ($B3).

Как видим, список создан.

Теперь, чтобы и нижние ячейки приобрели те же свойства, как и в предыдущий раз, выделяем верхние ячейки, и при нажатой клавише мышки «протаскиваем» вниз.

Всё, таблица создана.

Мы разобрались, как сделать выпадающий список в Экселе. В программе можно создавать, как простые выпадающие списки, так и зависимые. При этом, можно использовать различные методы создания. Выбор зависит от конкретного предназначения списка, целей его создания, области применения, и т.д.

Содержание

• 0.1 Простейший способ
  • 0.1.1 Excel
  • 0.1.2 Calc
• 0.2 Простейший способ
  • 0.2.1 Excel
  • 0.2.2 Calc
• 0.3 Мудрейший способ
  • 0.3.1 Excel
  • 0.3.2 Calc
  • 0.3.3 Кстати
• 1 , но можно и «неформально» обрамить его тэгом — и покажи мне разницу…«, но имеет место бывать. Выделите ячейки с данными, которые должны попасть в выпадающий список (например, наименованиями товаров). Выберите в меню Вставка — Имя — Присвоить (Insert — Name — Define) и введите имя (можно любое, но обязательно без пробелов!) для выделенного диапазона (например Товары). Нажмите ОК. Можно сделать и так: Выделить диапазон ячеек (А1, В1, С1 в данном примере), и претворить его в «реальный» список В любом случае списку должно быть присвоено уникальное имя. Выделите ячейки (можно сразу несколько), в которых хотите получить выпадающий список и выберите в меню «Данные — Проверка» (Data — Validation). На первой вкладке «Параметры» из выпадающего списка «Тип данных» выберите вариант «Список» и введите в строчку «Источник» знак равно и имя диапазона (т.е. =Товары). Почему это круто: список «Товары» можно будет потом произвольно увеличивать или уменьшать. Табличный редактор будет учитывать не определенные ячейки, расположенные в определенном месте, а список as is. И все изменения в списке будут распространяться на все ячейки, которые «проверяют его для создания выпадающих списков». Горячие клавиши Курсор стоит на ячейке с выпадающим списком. Excel Alt+Down arrow. То есть, Alt+стрелка «вниз». Calc По-умолчанию не установлено. В справке написано Ctrl+D, но в справке баг (увы). Поэтому назначаем лично: Tools > Customize > Keyboard > Shortcut Keys Проскроллить и выбрать желаемое сочетание клавиш для открытия существующего списка. Я выбрал Ctrl+Down. Внимание, Alt+Down недоступно (вообще все сочетания с Alt тут недоступны для редактирования). В Functions > Category выбрать Edit. В Functions > Function выбрать Selection List. Нажать на кнопку Modify. Дополнение Всякие другие волшебства на тему выпадающих списков см. на Planeta Excel. Особенно «Ссылки по теме«. Прием комментариев к этой записи завершён. «Как зделать так чбо если в віпадающем списке нет нужного варианта я в ручную набираю в етой ячейке и оно автоматически добавляется в віпадающий список, и след раз уже там есть» — хз. Тут нам не то, и не это. Не надо задавать вопросы о том, как сделать ещё что-то с этими прекрасными выпадающими списками. Здесь даже не форум по Excel. Это блог о тестировании программного обеспечения. Вы же любите тестировать, правда?
  Create a Drop-down List | Tips and Tricks Drop-down lists in Excel are helpful if you want to be sure that users select an item from a list, instead of typing their own values. Create a Drop-down List To create a drop-down list in Excel, execute the following steps. 1. On the second sheet, type the items you want to appear in the drop-down list. 2. On the first sheet, select cell B1. 3. On the Data tab, in the Data Tools group, click Data Validation. The ‘Data Validation’ dialog box appears. 4. In the Allow box, click List. 5. Click in the Source box and select the range A1:A3 on Sheet2. 6. Click OK. Result: Note: if you don’t want users to access the items on Sheet2, you can hide Sheet2. To achieve this, right click on the sheet tab of Sheet2 and click on Hide. Tips and Tricks Below you can find a few tips and tricks when creating drop-down lists in Excel. 1. You can also type the items directly into the Source box, instead of using a range reference. Note: this makes your drop-down list case sensitive. For example, if a user types pizza, an error alert will be displayed. 2a. If you type a value that is not in the list, Excel shows an error alert. 2b. To allow other entries, on the Error Alert tab, uncheck ‘Show error alert after invalid data is entered’. 3. To automatically update the drop-down-list, when you add an item to the list on Sheet2, use the following formula: =OFFSET(Sheet2!$A$1,0,0,COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A),1) Explanation: the OFFSET function takes 5 arguments. Reference: Sheet2!$A$1, rows to offset: 0, columns to offset: 0, height: COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A), width: 1. COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A) counts the number of values in column A on Sheet2 that are not empty. When you add an item to the list on Sheet2, COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A) increases. As a result, the range returned by the OFFSET function expands and the drop-down list will be updated. 4. Do you want to take your Excel skills to the next level? Learn how to create dependent drop-down lists in Excel.
  A drop-down list is an excellent way to give the user an option to select from a pre-defined list. It can be used while getting a user to fill a form, or while creating interactive Excel dashboards. Drop-down lists are quite common on websites/apps and are very intuitive for the user. Watch Video – Creating a Drop Down List in Excel In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a drop down list in Excel (it takes only a few seconds to do this) along with all the awesome stuff you can do with it. How to Create a Drop Down List in Excel In this section, you will learn the exacts steps to create an Excel drop-down list: Using Data from Cells. Entering Data Manually. Using the OFFSET formula. #1 Using Data from Cells Let’s say you have a list of items as shown below: Here are the steps to create an Excel Drop Down List: Select a cell where you want to create the drop down list. Go to Data –> Data Tools –> Data Validation. In the Data Validation dialogue box, within the Settings tab, select List as the Validation criteria. As soon as you select List, the source field appears. In the source field, enter =$A$2:$A$6, or simply click in the Source field and select the cells using the mouse and click OK. This will insert a drop down list in cell C2. Make sure that the In-cell dropdown option is checked (which is checked by default). If this option in unchecked, the cell does not show a drop down, however, you can manually enter the values in the list. Note: If you want to create drop down lists in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). #2 By Entering Data Manually In the above example, cell references are used in the Source field. You can also add items directly by entering it manually in the source field. For example, let’s say you want to show two options, Yes and No, in the drop down in a cell. Here is how you can directly enter it in the data validation source field: This will create a drop-down list in the selected cell. All the items listed in the source field, separated by a comma, are listed in different lines in the drop down menu. All the items entered in the source field, separated by a comma, are displayed in different lines in the drop down list. Note: If you want to create drop down lists in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. #3 Using Excel Formulas Apart from selecting from cells and entering data manually, you can also use a formula in the source field to create an Excel drop down list. Any formula that returns a list of values can be used to create a drop-down list in Excel. For example, suppose you have the data set as shown below: Here are the steps to create an Excel drop down list using the OFFSET function: This will create a drop-down list that lists all the fruit names (as shown below). Note: If you want to create a drop-down list in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). How this formula Works?? In the above case, we used an OFFSET function to create the drop down list. It returns a list of items from the ra It returns a list of items from the range A2:A6. Here is the syntax of the OFFSET function: =OFFSET(reference, rows, cols, , ) It takes five arguments, where we specified the reference as A2 (the starting point of the list). Rows/Cols are specified as 0 as we don’t want to offset the reference cell. Height is specified as 5 as there are five elements in the list. Now, when you use this formula, it returns an array that has the list of the five fruits in A2:A6. Note that if you enter the formula in a cell, select it and press F9, you would see that it returns an array of the fruit names. Creating a Dynamic Drop Down List in Excel (Using OFFSET) The above technique of using a formula to create a drop down list can be extended to create a dynamic drop down list as well. If you use the OFFSET function, as shown above, even if you add more items to the list, the drop down would not update automatically. You will have to manually update it each time you change the list. Here is a way to make it dynamic (and it’s nothing but a minor tweak in the formula): Select a cell where you want to create the drop down list (cell C2 in this example). Go to Data –> Data Tools –> Data Validation. In the Data Validation dialogue box, within the Settings tab, select List as the Validation criteria. As soon as you select List, the source field appears. In the source field, enter the following formula: =OFFSET($A$2,0,0,COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100,””)) Make sure that the In-cell drop down option is checked. Click OK. In this formula, I have replaced the argument 5 with COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100,””). The COUNTIF function counts the non-blank cells in the range A2:A100. Hence, the OFFSET function adjusts itself to include all the non-blank cells. Note: For this to work, there must NOT be any blank cells in between the cells that are filled. If you want to create a drop-down list in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). Copy Pasting Drop-Down Lists in Excel You can copy paste the cells with data validation to other cells, and it will copy the data validation as well. For example, if you have a drop-down list in cell C2, and you want to apply it to C3:C6 as well, simply copy the cell C2 and paste it in C3:C6. This will copy the drop-down list and make it available in C3:C6 (along with the drop down, it will also copy the formatting). If you only want to copy the drop down and not the formatting, here are the steps: This will only copy the drop down and not the formatting of the copied cell. Caution while Working with Excel Drop Down List You need to to be careful when you are working with drop down lists in Excel. When you copy a cell (that does not contain a drop down list) over a cell that contains a drop down list, the drop down list is lost. The worst part of this is that Excel will not show any alert or prompt to let the user know that a drop down will be overwritten. How to Select All Cells that have a Drop Down List in it Sometimes, it ‘s hard to know which cells contain the drop down list. Hence, it makes sense to mark these cells by either giving it a distinct border or a background color. Instead of manually checking all the cells, there is a quick way to select all the cells that have drop-down lists (or any data validation rule) in it. This would instantly select all the cells that have a data validation rule applied to it (this includes drop down lists as well). Now you can simply format the cells (give a border or a background color) so that visually visible and you don’t accidentally copy another cell on it. Here is another technique by Jon Acampora you can use to always keep the drop down arrow icon visible. You can also see some ways to do this in this video by Mr. Excel. Creating a Dependent / Conditional Excel Drop Down List Here is a video on how to create a dependent drop-down list in Excel. If you prefer reading over watching a video, keep reading. Sometimes, you may have more than one drop-down list and you want the items displayed in the second drop down to be dependent on what the user selected in the first drop-down. These are called dependent or conditional drop down lists. Below is an example of a conditional/dependent drop down list: In the above example, when the items listed in ‘Drop Down 2’ are dependent on the selection made in ‘Drop Down 1’. Now let’s see how to create this. Here are the steps to create a dependent / conditional drop down list in Excel: Now, when you make the selection in Drop Down 1, the options listed in Drop Down List 2 would automatically update. Download the Example File How does this work? – The conditional drop down list (in cell E3) refers to =INDIRECT(D3). This means that when you select ‘Fruits’ in cell D3, the drop down list in E3 refers to the named range ‘Fruits’ (through the INDIRECT function) and hence lists all the items in that category. Important Note While Working with Conditional Drop Down Lists in Excel: When you have made the selection, and then you change the parent drop down, the dependent drop down would not change and would, therefore, be a wrong entry. For example, if you select the US as the country and then select Florida as the state, and then go back and change the country to India, the state would remain as Florida. Here is a great tutorial by Debra on clearing dependent (conditional) drop down lists in Excel when the selection is changed. If the main category is more than one word (for example, ‘Seasonal Fruits’ instead of ‘Fruits’), then you need to use the formula =INDIRECT(SUBSTITUTE(D3,” “,”_”)), instead of the simple INDIRECT function shown above. The reason for this is that Excel does not allow spaces in named ranges. So when you create a named range using more than one word, Excel automatically inserts an underscore in between words. So ‘Seasonal Fruits’ named range would be ‘Seasonal_Fruits’. Using the SUBSTITUTE function within the INDIRECT function makes sure that spaces are converted into underscores.  You May Also Like the Following Excel Tutorials: Extract Data from Drop Down List Selection in Excel. Select Multiple Items from a Drop Down List in Excel. Creating a Dynamic Excel Filter Search Box. Display Main and Subcategory in Drop Down List in Excel. How to Insert Checkbox in Excel. Using a Radio Button (Option Button) in Excel.

Как сделать выпадающий список в таблице в Excel или Calc.

Пример подобного списка:

Выпадающий список в любом табличном редакторе

Понятно, что в этой клинике зубы вырывают только «пакетным» способом, или по 10, или по 20, или сразу по 30, но никак не по 11 или 27?!

Еще бы.

Простейший способ

Подходит, когда будущий список содержит ограниченное количество вариантов. Например,

• Да
• Хз
• Нет

Excel

Пишем на листе короткий список пациентов. Хватает даже одного — «Иван».

Выделяем ячейку справа от «Ивана» (как на картинке), и выбираем пункты меню Data > Validation > Allow: List > Source.

Пункты «Data» и «Validation» в русскоязычных версиях называются «Данные» и «Проверка»

В поле ‘Source’ вписываем это:

Да;Хз;Нет

Пояснение: это значения выпадающего списка. Если нужно что-то добавить, учитываем, что все значения разделяются через точку с запятой.

Внимание!
В зависимости от некоторых настроек Excel по-умолчанию, бывает, что разделителем является не точка с запятой (;), а простая запятая — (). Еще не могу сказать точно, где это настраивается, поэтому пробуем оба варианта.

Итак, контора пишет:

Создаем выпадающий список

Результат

В отдельной ячейке «под курсором» создан выпадающий список

Копируем эту ячейку as is (просто курсор находится «на ячейке», жмем Ctrl+C) повсюду, куда нам нужно (ставим курсор, куда нужно, и жмем Ctrl+V). Можно скопировать даже в другой файл Excel или на другой лист.

Чтобы ячейки всей колонки показывали выпадающий список, можно вставить эту ячейку со списком напротив пациента «Иван», и ухватив курсором ее нижний правый край, не отпуская левую кнопку, потянуть ее «вниз». Весь диапазон заполнится копиями нашей «ячейки со списком».

Итого:

Итоговый список пациентов и колонка с выпадающим списком

Calc

Все то же самое, выбираем пункты меню Data > Validity… > Allow: List > Entries.

Вписываем по одному значению на строку

• Да
• Хз
• Нет

Составляем список в OpenOffice Calc

А теперь предположим, что бухгалтерия уже две недели шурует с этим файлом, и вдруг требует вставить им еще и варианты «Может быть» и «Частично»…

Простейший способ

Excel

Ставим курсор на ячейку, в которой содержится наш список, и снова взываем к ее редактированию (Data > Validation > Allow: List > Source).

Редактируем список. Но не используем клавиши «влево — вправо».

Почему — просто попробуй, поймешь.

Обязательно жмакаем опцию «Apply these changes to all others cells with same range». Это объяснит Excel, что внесенные изменения относятся ко всем ячейкам, которые содержат редактируемыми нами список.

.

Calc

Надо выбрать все ячейки, в которых находится наш список, снова пройти по Data > Validity… > Allow: List > Entries и изменить значения.

Мудрейший способ

Делаем ссылку на отдельно хранящийся список.

Excel

Пишем на листе короткий список пациентов. Хватает даже одного — «Иван».

На том же листе, где-то в верхних (чтобы поближе было) ячейках следует расписать опции будущих выпадающих списков.

Пример:

• ячейка А1 — Да
• ячейка В1 — Хз
• ячейка С1 — Нет
• ячейка D1 — Может быть

Переходим к списку пациентов, выделяем первую ячейку в колонке «Заплатил?» (справа от «Ивана»). Ставим курсор туда, где должна будет начинаться будущая колонка с ячейками, которые содержат выпадающий список. В нашем случае — это колонка «Заплатил?» напротив ячейки со значением «Иван».

Выбираем пункты меню Data > Validation > Allow: List > Source.

Пункты «Data» и «Validation» в русскоязычных версиях называются «Данные» и «Проверка»

В поле ‘Source’ вписываем это:

=$A$1:$C$1

или это

=A1:C1

Или ничего не вписываем, а просто кликаем на квадрат, который находится в правом краю поля Source. Окно превратится в узкую полоску. Мы не пугаемся, а курсором выделяем на листе диапазон ячеек, из которых потом будут взяты данные: A1, B1, C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, и тд, если нужно. Можно даже выделять пустые ячейки, рассчитывая заполнить их позже (мало ли что бухгалтерия придумает).

В процессе этого выделения ячеек поле Source будет заполняться самостоятельно.

По-умолчанию Excel запишет выделенный пользователем диапазон через знак «$» — он указывает, что строго-настрого нужна именно эта ячейка, брать данные только из нее, чтобы ни случилось.

Если указать просто =A1:C1, то при изменении расположения ячеек на листе (что часто бывает) Excel будет считать, что адрес указанного диапазона может быть изменен.

Дальше все то же — при наведении курсора на ячейку с выпадающим списком появляется особый указатель. Пользуемся.

Чтобы ее «размножить» — хватаем за угол и тянем вниз… Или копируем куда-нибудь в другое место на листе.

Calc

Почти то же самое, но выбираем пункты меню Data > Validity… > Allow: Cell Range > Source.

Нужно указывать диапазон руками: $A$1:$C$1, к примеру. Замечу — без знака «=«.

Кстати

Можно организовать этот список в «реальный» список на языке табличного редактора.

Собственно, шаг необязательный, из разряда «Заголовок следует обрамлять тэгом

, но можно и «неформально» обрамить его тэгом — и покажи мне разницу…«, но имеет место бывать. Выделите ячейки с данными, которые должны попасть в выпадающий список (например, наименованиями товаров). Выберите в меню Вставка — Имя — Присвоить (Insert — Name — Define) и введите имя (можно любое, но обязательно без пробелов!) для выделенного диапазона (например Товары). Нажмите ОК. Можно сделать и так: Выделить диапазон ячеек (А1, В1, С1 в данном примере), и претворить его в «реальный» список В любом случае списку должно быть присвоено уникальное имя. Выделите ячейки (можно сразу несколько), в которых хотите получить выпадающий список и выберите в меню «Данные — Проверка» (Data — Validation). На первой вкладке «Параметры» из выпадающего списка «Тип данных» выберите вариант «Список» и введите в строчку «Источник» знак равно и имя диапазона (т.е. =Товары). Почему это круто: список «Товары» можно будет потом произвольно увеличивать или уменьшать. Табличный редактор будет учитывать не определенные ячейки, расположенные в определенном месте, а список as is. И все изменения в списке будут распространяться на все ячейки, которые «проверяют его для создания выпадающих списков». Горячие клавиши Курсор стоит на ячейке с выпадающим списком. Excel Alt+Down arrow. То есть, Alt+стрелка «вниз». Calc По-умолчанию не установлено. В справке написано Ctrl+D, но в справке баг (увы). Поэтому назначаем лично: Tools > Customize > Keyboard > Shortcut Keys Проскроллить и выбрать желаемое сочетание клавиш для открытия существующего списка. Я выбрал Ctrl+Down. Внимание, Alt+Down недоступно (вообще все сочетания с Alt тут недоступны для редактирования). В Functions > Category выбрать Edit. В Functions > Function выбрать Selection List. Нажать на кнопку Modify. Дополнение Всякие другие волшебства на тему выпадающих списков см. на Planeta Excel. Особенно «Ссылки по теме«. Прием комментариев к этой записи завершён. «Как зделать так чбо если в віпадающем списке нет нужного варианта я в ручную набираю в етой ячейке и оно автоматически добавляется в віпадающий список, и след раз уже там есть» — хз. Тут нам не то, и не это. Не надо задавать вопросы о том, как сделать ещё что-то с этими прекрасными выпадающими списками. Здесь даже не форум по Excel. Это блог о тестировании программного обеспечения. Вы же любите тестировать, правда?

Create a Drop-down List | Tips and Tricks Drop-down lists in Excel are helpful if you want to be sure that users select an item from a list, instead of typing their own values. Create a Drop-down List To create a drop-down list in Excel, execute the following steps. 1. On the second sheet, type the items you want to appear in the drop-down list. 2. On the first sheet, select cell B1. 3. On the Data tab, in the Data Tools group, click Data Validation. The ‘Data Validation’ dialog box appears. 4. In the Allow box, click List. 5. Click in the Source box and select the range A1:A3 on Sheet2. 6. Click OK. Result: Note: if you don’t want users to access the items on Sheet2, you can hide Sheet2. To achieve this, right click on the sheet tab of Sheet2 and click on Hide. Tips and Tricks Below you can find a few tips and tricks when creating drop-down lists in Excel. 1. You can also type the items directly into the Source box, instead of using a range reference. Note: this makes your drop-down list case sensitive. For example, if a user types pizza, an error alert will be displayed. 2a. If you type a value that is not in the list, Excel shows an error alert. 2b. To allow other entries, on the Error Alert tab, uncheck ‘Show error alert after invalid data is entered’. 3. To automatically update the drop-down-list, when you add an item to the list on Sheet2, use the following formula: =OFFSET(Sheet2!$A$1,0,0,COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A),1) Explanation: the OFFSET function takes 5 arguments. Reference: Sheet2!$A$1, rows to offset: 0, columns to offset: 0, height: COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A), width: 1. COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A) counts the number of values in column A on Sheet2 that are not empty. When you add an item to the list on Sheet2, COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A) increases. As a result, the range returned by the OFFSET function expands and the drop-down list will be updated. 4. Do you want to take your Excel skills to the next level? Learn how to create dependent drop-down lists in Excel.

A drop-down list is an excellent way to give the user an option to select from a pre-defined list. It can be used while getting a user to fill a form, or while creating interactive Excel dashboards. Drop-down lists are quite common on websites/apps and are very intuitive for the user. Watch Video – Creating a Drop Down List in Excel

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a drop down list in Excel (it takes only a few seconds to do this) along with all the awesome stuff you can do with it. How to Create a Drop Down List in Excel In this section, you will learn the exacts steps to create an Excel drop-down list: Using Data from Cells. Entering Data Manually. Using the OFFSET formula. #1 Using Data from Cells Let’s say you have a list of items as shown below: Here are the steps to create an Excel Drop Down List: Select a cell where you want to create the drop down list. Go to Data –> Data Tools –> Data Validation. In the Data Validation dialogue box, within the Settings tab, select List as the Validation criteria. As soon as you select List, the source field appears. In the source field, enter =$A$2:$A$6, or simply click in the Source field and select the cells using the mouse and click OK. This will insert a drop down list in cell C2. Make sure that the In-cell dropdown option is checked (which is checked by default). If this option in unchecked, the cell does not show a drop down, however, you can manually enter the values in the list. Note: If you want to create drop down lists in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). #2 By Entering Data Manually In the above example, cell references are used in the Source field. You can also add items directly by entering it manually in the source field. For example, let’s say you want to show two options, Yes and No, in the drop down in a cell. Here is how you can directly enter it in the data validation source field: This will create a drop-down list in the selected cell. All the items listed in the source field, separated by a comma, are listed in different lines in the drop down menu. All the items entered in the source field, separated by a comma, are displayed in different lines in the drop down list. Note: If you want to create drop down lists in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. #3 Using Excel Formulas Apart from selecting from cells and entering data manually, you can also use a formula in the source field to create an Excel drop down list. Any formula that returns a list of values can be used to create a drop-down list in Excel. For example, suppose you have the data set as shown below: Here are the steps to create an Excel drop down list using the OFFSET function: This will create a drop-down list that lists all the fruit names (as shown below). Note: If you want to create a drop-down list in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). How this formula Works?? In the above case, we used an OFFSET function to create the drop down list. It returns a list of items from the ra It returns a list of items from the range A2:A6. Here is the syntax of the OFFSET function: =OFFSET(reference, rows, cols, , ) It takes five arguments, where we specified the reference as A2 (the starting point of the list). Rows/Cols are specified as 0 as we don’t want to offset the reference cell. Height is specified as 5 as there are five elements in the list. Now, when you use this formula, it returns an array that has the list of the five fruits in A2:A6. Note that if you enter the formula in a cell, select it and press F9, you would see that it returns an array of the fruit names. Creating a Dynamic Drop Down List in Excel (Using OFFSET) The above technique of using a formula to create a drop down list can be extended to create a dynamic drop down list as well. If you use the OFFSET function, as shown above, even if you add more items to the list, the drop down would not update automatically. You will have to manually update it each time you change the list. Here is a way to make it dynamic (and it’s nothing but a minor tweak in the formula): Select a cell where you want to create the drop down list (cell C2 in this example). Go to Data –> Data Tools –> Data Validation. In the Data Validation dialogue box, within the Settings tab, select List as the Validation criteria. As soon as you select List, the source field appears. In the source field, enter the following formula: =OFFSET($A$2,0,0,COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100,””)) Make sure that the In-cell drop down option is checked. Click OK. In this formula, I have replaced the argument 5 with COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100,””). The COUNTIF function counts the non-blank cells in the range A2:A100. Hence, the OFFSET function adjusts itself to include all the non-blank cells. Note: For this to work, there must NOT be any blank cells in between the cells that are filled. If you want to create a drop-down list in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). Copy Pasting Drop-Down Lists in Excel You can copy paste the cells with data validation to other cells, and it will copy the data validation as well. For example, if you have a drop-down list in cell C2, and you want to apply it to C3:C6 as well, simply copy the cell C2 and paste it in C3:C6. This will copy the drop-down list and make it available in C3:C6 (along with the drop down, it will also copy the formatting). If you only want to copy the drop down and not the formatting, here are the steps: This will only copy the drop down and not the formatting of the copied cell. Caution while Working with Excel Drop Down List You need to to be careful when you are working with drop down lists in Excel. When you copy a cell (that does not contain a drop down list) over a cell that contains a drop down list, the drop down list is lost. The worst part of this is that Excel will not show any alert or prompt to let the user know that a drop down will be overwritten. How to Select All Cells that have a Drop Down List in it Sometimes, it ‘s hard to know which cells contain the drop down list. Hence, it makes sense to mark these cells by either giving it a distinct border or a background color. Instead of manually checking all the cells, there is a quick way to select all the cells that have drop-down lists (or any data validation rule) in it. This would instantly select all the cells that have a data validation rule applied to it (this includes drop down lists as well). Now you can simply format the cells (give a border or a background color) so that visually visible and you don’t accidentally copy another cell on it. Here is another technique by Jon Acampora you can use to always keep the drop down arrow icon visible. You can also see some ways to do this in this video by Mr. Excel. Creating a Dependent / Conditional Excel Drop Down List Here is a video on how to create a dependent drop-down list in Excel. If you prefer reading over watching a video, keep reading. Sometimes, you may have more than one drop-down list and you want the items displayed in the second drop down to be dependent on what the user selected in the first drop-down. These are called dependent or conditional drop down lists. Below is an example of a conditional/dependent drop down list: In the above example, when the items listed in ‘Drop Down 2’ are dependent on the selection made in ‘Drop Down 1’. Now let’s see how to create this. Here are the steps to create a dependent / conditional drop down list in Excel: Now, when you make the selection in Drop Down 1, the options listed in Drop Down List 2 would automatically update. Download the Example File
How does this work? – The conditional drop down list (in cell E3) refers to =INDIRECT(D3). This means that when you select ‘Fruits’ in cell D3, the drop down list in E3 refers to the named range ‘Fruits’ (through the INDIRECT function) and hence lists all the items in that category. Important Note While Working with Conditional Drop Down Lists in Excel: When you have made the selection, and then you change the parent drop down, the dependent drop down would not change and would, therefore, be a wrong entry. For example, if you select the US as the country and then select Florida as the state, and then go back and change the country to India, the state would remain as Florida. Here is a great tutorial by Debra on clearing dependent (conditional) drop down lists in Excel when the selection is changed. If the main category is more than one word (for example, ‘Seasonal Fruits’ instead of ‘Fruits’), then you need to use the formula =INDIRECT(SUBSTITUTE(D3,” “,”_”)), instead of the simple INDIRECT function shown above. The reason for this is that Excel does not allow spaces in named ranges. So when you create a named range using more than one word, Excel automatically inserts an underscore in between words. So ‘Seasonal Fruits’ named range would be ‘Seasonal_Fruits’. Using the SUBSTITUTE function within the INDIRECT function makes sure that spaces are converted into underscores.  You May Also Like the Following Excel Tutorials: Extract Data from Drop Down List Selection in Excel. Select Multiple Items from a Drop Down List in Excel. Creating a Dynamic Excel Filter Search Box. Display Main and Subcategory in Drop Down List in Excel. How to Insert Checkbox in Excel. Using a Radio Button (Option Button) in Excel.

Create a Drop-down List | Allow Other Entries | Add/Remove Items | Dynamic Drop-down List | Remove a Drop-down List | Dependent Drop-down Lists | Table Magic

Drop-down lists in Excel are helpful if you want to be sure that users select an item from a list, instead of typing their own values.

Create a Drop-down List

To create a drop-down list in Excel, execute the following steps.

1. On the second sheet, type the items you want to appear in the drop-down list.

Note: if you don’t want users to access the items on Sheet2, you can hide Sheet2. To achieve this, right click on the sheet tab of Sheet2 and click on Hide.

2. On the first sheet, select cell B1.

3. On the Data tab, in the Data Tools group, click Data Validation.

The ‘Data Validation’ dialog box appears.

4. In the Allow box, click List.

5. Click in the Source box and select the range A1:A3 on Sheet2.

6. Click OK.

Result:

Note: to copy/paste a drop-down list, select the cell with the drop-down list and press CTRL + c, select another cell and press CTRL + v.

7. You can also type the items directly into the Source box, instead of using a range reference.

Note: this makes your drop-down list case sensitive. For example, if a user types yes, an error alert will be displayed.

Allow Other Entries

You can also create a drop-down list in Excel that allows other entries.

1. First, if you type a value that is not in the list, Excel shows an error alert.

To allow other entries, execute the following steps.

2. On the Data tab, in the Data Tools group, click Data Validation.

The ‘Data Validation’ dialog box appears.

3. On the Error Alert tab, uncheck ‘Show error alert after invalid data is entered’.

4. Click OK.

5. You can now enter a value that is not in the list.

Add/Remove Items

You can add or remove items from a drop-down list in Excel without opening the ‘Data Validation’ dialog box and changing the range reference. This saves time.

1. To add an item to a drop-down list, go to the items and select an item.

2. Right click, and then click Insert.

3. Select «Shift cells down» and click OK.

Result:

Note: Excel automatically changed the range reference from Sheet2!$A$1:$A$3 to Sheet2!$A$1:$A$4. You can check this by opening the ‘Data Validation’ dialog box.

4. Type a new item.

Result:

5. To remove an item from a drop-down list, at step 2, click Delete, select «Shift cells up» and click OK.

Dynamic Drop-down List

You can also use a formula that updates your drop-down list automatically when you add an item to the end of the list.

1. On the first sheet, select cell B1.

2. On the Data tab, in the Data Tools group, click Data Validation.

The ‘Data Validation’ dialog box appears.

3. In the Allow box, click List.

4. Click in the Source box and enter the formula: =OFFSET(Sheet2!$A$1,0,0,COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A),1)

Explanation: the OFFSET function takes 5 arguments. Reference: Sheet2!$A$1, rows to offset: 0, columns to offset: 0, height: COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A) and width: 1. COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A) counts the number of values in column A on Sheet2 that are not empty. When you add an item to the list on Sheet2, COUNTA(Sheet2!$A:$A) increases. As a result, the range returned by the OFFSET function expands and the drop-down list will be updated.

5. Click OK.

6. On the second sheet, simply add a new item to the end of the list.

Result:

Remove a Drop-down List

To remove a drop-down list in Excel, execute the following steps.

1. Select the cell with the drop-down list.

2. On the Data tab, in the Data Tools group, click Data Validation.

The ‘Data Validation’ dialog box appears.

3. Click Clear All.

Note: to remove all other drop-down lists with the same settings, check «Apply these changes to all other cells with the same settings» before you click on Clear All.

4. Click OK.

Dependent Drop-down Lists

Want to learn even more about drop-down lists in Excel? Learn how to create dependent drop-down lists.

1. For example, if the user selects Pizza from a first drop-down list.

2. A second drop-down list contains the Pizza items.

3. But if the user selects Chinese from the first drop-down list, the second drop-down list contains the Chinese dishes.

Table Magic

You can also store your items in an Excel table to create a dynamic drop-down list.

1. On the second sheet, select a list item.

2. On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table.

3. Excel automatically selects the data for you. Click OK.

4. If you select the list, Excel reveals the structured reference.

5. Use this structured reference to create a dynamic drop-down list.

Explanation: the INDIRECT function in Excel converts a text string into a valid reference.

6. On the second sheet, simply add a new item to the end of the list.

Result:

Note: try it yourself. Download the Excel file and create this drop-down list.

7. When using tables, use the UNIQUE function in Excel 365/2021 to extract unique list items.

Note: this dynamic array function, entered into cell F1, fills multiple cells. Wow! This behavior in Excel 365/2021 is called spilling.

8. Use this spill range to create a magic drop-down list.

Explanation: always use the first cell (F1) and a hash character to refer to a spill range.

Result:

Note: when you add new records, the UNIQUE function automatically extracts new unique list items and Excel automatically updates the drop-down list.

Bottom Line: The complete Excel guide on how to create drop-down lists in cells (data validation lists).  Includes keyboard shortcuts to select items, copying drop-downs to other cells, handling invalid inputs, updating lists with new items, and more.

Skill Level: Beginner

Download the Excel File

You can download the file I’m using in the video here:

What Are Data Validation Lists?

Creating a drop-down list is a great way to ensure that entries are uniform and free from spelling errors.  It also helps restrict entries so that only values you’ve approved make it onto the sheet.

That’s why they are also called data validation lists.  They help to make sure that only valid data makes it into the cells that you’ve applied it to.

This can be helpful when multiple users are entering data on the same sheet and you want the options to be limited to a list of items or values that you’ve already approved.

We can also use drop-down lists to create interactive reports and financial models, where results change when the user changes a cell’s value.

How to Create a Drop-down (Data Validation) List

To create a drop-down list, start by going to the Data tab on the Ribbon and click the Data Validation button.

The Data Validation window will appear.  The keyboard shortcut to open the Data Validation window is Alt, A, V, V.

You’ll want to select List in the drop-down menu under Allow.

At this point there are a few ways that you can tell Excel what items you want to include in your drop-down list.

Drop-down List from Comma Separated Values

The first way is by typing all of the options that you want in your drop-down list, separated by commas, into the Source field.  For example, if there are only two options to choose from, such as Yes and No, you would simply type “Yes, No” (do not include the quotation marks) in the Source box.  It doesn’t matter whether a space follows your comma or not.

A longer list of options might look like this: “Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Orange, Yellow, Brown”.  The options in your drop-down list will appear in the exact same order that you have typed them.

Note: On some language versions of Excel you will need to use a semicolon (;) instead of a comma.

Drop-down List from a Range of Values

The second way to fill your list with options is to choose them from a range of values.  To do this, instead of typing values into the Source field, you want to select the icon to the right.

Selecting this icon will open up a small window that will auto-fill when you select a range of cells on the worksheet. Once you’ve selected the values you want to appear in your drop-down list, you can click on the corresponding icon to take you back to the Data Validation window.

At this point, the range you’ve selected will show in the Source box and you can just hit OK.

Now the values in the range that you’ve selected show as options that you can choose from in your drop-down list.

Shortcut for Selecting from the Drop-down List

To choose the option you want from your drop-down list, you can use your mouse to click on the option you want.  Another way to select it is to use the keyboard shortcut Alt+?.  This brings up the drop-down list and you can use your up and down arrow keys to highlight the selection you want, and then press Enter to select.

How to Search the Drop-down List

Unfortunately, Excel doesn’t have an option to search the drop-down list for a particular item, but I’ve created an add-in that gives you that option.  It’s called List Search and you can access that add-in here:

Click here to download the List Search Add-in

Note: You will create a free account for the Excel Campus Members site to access the download and any future updates.  The download site also contains installation instructions and videos.

How to Copy the Data Validation List to Other Cells

If you have created a drop-down list for a particular cell and would like other cells to have the same data validation list, you can easily copy (extend) that list to other cells.

Start by clicking on the cell that has the list, and then select any additional cells that you want to extend the drop-down list to.  This can include blank cells or cells that already have values in them.

As before, you will click on the Data Validation button in the Data tab, but this time a warning will appear that says, “The selection contains some cells without Data Validation settings.  Do you want to extend the Data Validation to these cells?”

Choose Yes, and then hit OK when the Data Validation Window appears.  You’ll see that each of the cells in your selection now has the same drop-down options as the original cell.

It’s also worth noting that you can copy and paste Data Validation from one cell to another just as you would copy and paste normal values and formatting.

Handling Errors and Invalid Inputs

What happens when we enter a value into a cell that has a Data Validation List, but that value is not one of the options in the list?  That depends on the Error Alert settings, which we have control of.

To change the kind of message the user receives when they enter an extraneous value, you can go back to the Data Validation window.  Under the Error Alert tab, you can find three options: Stop, Warning, and Information.

You’ll also notice that there are fields where you can change the title of the error message and the text of the message itself, so that when the user enters data that’s not part of your validation list, they will receive an alert that’s worded in the way you want it to appear.

Here is an explanation of each Error Alert Style:

Stop Style

When the user types an invalid entry, an error message will appear that gives the option to either retype the entry or cancel the attempt.  The message looks like this:

Warning Style

The Warning style displays a message that gives the user a choice to allow an entry that isn’t on the preset list.

Information Style

The Information style displays a message that automatically allows the entry no matter what the value is.  The user is presented with informative text about validation rules.

Error Checking Alert

When any invalid entry is made in a cell, the error checking alert will appear in the cell.  The error is indicated with the green triangle in the top-left corner of the cell.  Clicking the Error Box button will allow you to see more info about data validation error.  You can select “Display Type Information” from the list to see the cause of the error.

Disable Error Alerts

Another option under the Error Alert tab is to uncheck the box that says, “Show error alert after invalid data is entered.”  This allows any value to be entered into the cell, and no message box will appear.

Adding New Data to the Source Range of the List

Adding new options to our drop-down list is possible, but it isn’t automatic when we add new items the bottom of our source list.  We need to tell Excel what our new extended source range is.  You can do that in the Data Validation window by just typing in the new range, or re-selecting the range to include the new data.  (See the section above entitled “Create a Drop-Down List from a Range of Values” for how to select your range.)

The great thing is that we don’t have to redefine these settings for each cell that has Data Validation.  The “Apply these changes to all other cells with the same settings” checkbox does this for us.  When you click the checkbox, the other cells will selected in the background. This gives you a visual indication of what will be updated.

Then press OK.  Any cells that shared the same data validation settings will now include the updated changes that you’ve made.

There is a way to automate the process so that any change you make to the source data instantly updates your drop-down list. It involves using Excel tables and named ranges. You can find out how in this post:

How to Add New Rows to Drop-down Lists Automatically – Dynamic Data Validation Lists

Removing Data Validation from a Cell

Getting rid of a Data Validation list is simple. Open the Data Validation window and click the Clear All button.

If you want to clear the validation settings from other cells with the same settings, make sure to click that checkbox before hitting the Clear All button.

Make Your Workbooks Interactive

Data Validation lists are a great tool to add to your Excel toolbelt.  They help us keep our data clean and make our spreadsheets easier to use.  We can use them as the source of lookup formulas to create interactive financial models and reports.  I will do some follow-up posts with these techniques as well.

Once you feel comfortable with drop-down lists, you may want to try dependent (also called cascading) lists. These are lists that change depending on what you’ve already chosen in another list. For example, you may create a list of car brands, like Toyota, Ford, and Honda. Then you can have a second list of car models that populates with specific options depending on what you choose in the first list. If you choose Toyota in the first list, you might see Corolla, Camry, and Tacoma in the second. But if you go back to the first list and choose Ford, the options in the second list can change to Mustang, Explorer, and Focus. Learn how to create dependent cascading lists here.

If you have any questions or comments about how to use drop-down lists, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.  Thanks! 😊

Is this article up to date?

A drop-down list means that one cell includes several values. When the user clicks the arrow on the right, a certain scroll appears. He can choose a specific one.

A drop-down list is a very handy Excel tool for checking the entered data. The following features of drop-down lists allow you to increase the convenience of data handling: data substitution, displaying data from another sheet or file, the presence of the search and dependency function.



Creating a drop-down list

Path: the «DATA» menu – the «Data Validation» tool – the «Settings» tab. The data type – «List».

You can enter the values from which the drop-down list will consist, in different ways:

1. Manually through the «Comma» in the «Source:» field.



2. Enter the values in advance. Specify a range of cells with a list as a source.



3. Assign a name for a range of values and enter the name in the «Source:» field.

Any of the mentioned options will give the same result.



Drop-down list with data lookup in Excel

It is necessary to make a drop-down list with values from the dynamic range. If changes are made to the available range (data are added or deleted), they are automatically reflected in the drop-down list.

1. Highlight the range for the drop-down list. Find the «Format As Table» tool in the main menu.



2. The styles will open. Choose any of them. For solving our task, design does not matter. The presence of the header is important. In our example, the header is cell A1 with the word «Trees». That is, you need to select a table style with a header row. You’ll get the following range:



3. Put the cursor on the cell where the drop-down list will be located. Open the parameters of the «Data Validation» tool (the path is described above). In the «Source:» field, write the following function:

Let’s test it. Here is our table with a list on one sheet:

Add the new value «Spruce» to the table.

Now delete the «Birch» value.

The «smart table», which easily «expands» and changes, has helped us to perform our task.

Now let’s make it possible to enter new values directly into the cell with this list and have data automatically added to the range.

1. Form a named range. Path: «FORMULAS» — «Define Name» — «New Name». Enter a unique name for the range and press OK.



2. Create a drop-down list in any cell. You already know how to do this. Source – name range: =trees.
3. Clear the following check boxes: «Error Alert», «Show error alert invalid data entered». If you do not do this, Excel will not allow you to enter new values.



4. Launch the Visual Basic Editor. To do this, right-click on the name of the sheet and go to the «View Code» tab. Alternatively, press Alt + F11 simultaneously. Copy the code (just insert your parameters).




Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
Dim lReply As Long
    If Target.Cells.Count > 1 Then Exit Sub
    If Target.Address = "$C$2" Then
     If IsEmpty(Target) Then Exit Sub
       If WorksheetFunction.CountIf(Range("trees"), Target) = 0 Then
          lReply = MsgBox("Add entered name " & _
                         Target & " in the drop-down list?", vbYesNo + vbQuestion)
          If lReply = vbYes Then
              Range("trees").Cells(Range("trees").Rows.Count + 1, 1) = Target
          End If
       End If
     End If
End Sub


5. Save it, setting the «Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook» file type.

When you enter a new name in the empty cell of the drop-down list, the following message will appear: «Add entered name Baobab?».

Click «OK» and one more row with the «Baobab» value will be added.

Excel drop-down list with data from another sheet / file

When the values for the drop-down list are located on another sheet or in another workbook, the standard method does not work. You can solve the problem with the help of the =INDIRECT() function: it will form the correct link to an external source of information.

1. Activate the cell where we want to put the drop-down menu.
2. Open the Data Validation options. In the «Source:» field, enter the following formula:

The name of the file from which the information for the list is taken is enclosed in square brackets. This file must be opened. If the book with the desired values is stored in a different folder, you need to specify the path completely.

How to create dependent drop-down lists

Take three named ranges:

It is an indispensable prerequisite. Above you can see how to turn a normal scroll in a named range (using the «Name Manager»). Remember that the name cannot contain spaces or punctuation.

1. Create the first drop-down list, which will include the names of the ranges.



2. Having placed the cursor on the «Source:» field, go to the sheet and select the required cells alternately.



3. Now create the second drop-down menu. It should reflect those words that correspond to the name chosen in the first scroll. If the «Trees», then «Linden», «Maple», etc. should correspond to it. Enter the following function: =INDIRECT(А1) in the «Source:» field. A1 is a cell with the first range.

Selecting multiple values from a drop-down list in Excel

Sometimes, you need to select several items from the drop-down list. Let’s consider the ways of performing this task.

1. Create a standard ComboBox using the «Data Validation» tool. Add a ready-made macro to the sheet module. The way how to do this is described above. With its help, the selected values will be added to the right of the drop-down menu.


Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
    On Error Resume Next
    If Not Intersect(Target, Range("E2:E9")) Is Nothing And Target.Cells.Count = 1 Then
        Application.EnableEvents = False
        If Len(Target.Offset(0, 1)) = 0 Then
            Target.Offset(0, 1) = Target
        Else
            Target.End(xlToRight).Offset(0, 1) = Target
        End If
        Target.ClearContents
        Application.EnableEvents = True
    End If
End Sub


2. For the selected values to be shown from below, insert another code for processing.


Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
    On Error Resume Next
    If Not Intersect(Target, Range("H2:K2")) Is Nothing And Target.Cells.Count = 1 Then
        Application.EnableEvents = False
        If Len(Target.Offset(1, 0)) = 0 Then
            Target.Offset(1, 0) = Target
        Else
            Target.End(xlDown).Offset(1, 0) = Target
        End If
        Target.ClearContents
        Application.EnableEvents = True
    End If
End Sub


3. For the selected values to be displayed in the same cell separated by any punctuation mark, apply this module.


Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
    On Error Resume Next
    If Not Intersect(Target, Range("C2:C5")) Is Nothing And Target.Cells.Count = 1 Then
        Application.EnableEvents = False
        newVal = Target
        Application.Undo
        oldval = Target
        If Len(oldval) <> 0 And oldval <> newVal Then
            Target = Target & "," & newVal
        Else
            Target = newVal
        End If
        If Len(newVal) = 0 Then Target.ClearContents
        Application.EnableEvents = True
    End If
End Sub


Do not forget to change the ranges to «your own» ones. Create scroll in the classical way. The rest of the work will be done by macros.

Searchable drop-down list in Excel

1. On the «DEVELOPER» tab find the «Insert» tool – «ActiveX». Here you need the button «Combo Box (ActiveX Control)» (focus your attention on the tooltips).



2. Click on the icon – «Design Mode» becomes active. Draw a small rectangle (the place of the future scroll) with a cursor that transforms to a «cross».



3. Click «Properties» to open a Combobox1 of settings.



4. Enter the range in the ListFillRange row (manually). The cell where the selected value will be displayed can be changed in the LinkedCell row. Changing of the font and size can be done in Font row.

Download drop-down lists example

When you enter the first letters from the keyboard, the appropriate items are displayed. These are not all the pleasant moments of this instrument. Here you can customize the visual representation of information, specify two columns at once as a source.