List making 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

Is this article up to date?

Excel has some useful features that allow you to save time and be a lot more productive in your day-to-day work.

One such useful (and less-known) feature in the Custom Lists in Excel.

Now, before I get to how to create and use custom lists, let me first explain what’s so great about it.

Suppose you have to enter numbers the month names from Jan to Dec in a column. How would you do it? And no, doing it manually is not an option.

One of the fastest ways would be to have January in a cell, February in an adjacent cell and then use the fill handle to drag and let Excel automatically fill in the rest. Excel is smart enough to realize that you want to fill the next month in each cell in which you drag the fill handle.

Month names are quite generic and therefore it’s available by default in Excel.

But what if you have a list of department names (or employee names or product names), and you want to do the same. Instead of manually entering these or copy-paste these, you want these to appear magically when you use the fill handle (just like month names).

You can do that too…

… by using Custom Lists in Excel

In this tutorial, I will show you how to create your own custom lists in Excel and how to use these to save time.

How to Create Custom Lists in Excel

By default, Excel already has some pre-fed custom lists that you can use to save time.

For example, if you enter ‘Mon’ in one cell ‘Tue’ in an adjacent cell, you can use the fill handle to fill the rest of the days. In case you extend the selection, keep on dragging and it will repeat and give you the day’s name again.

Below are the custom lists that are already in-built in Excel. As you can see, these are mostly days and month names as these are fixed and will not change.

Now, suppose you want to create a list of departments that you often need in Excel, you can create a custom list for it. This way, the next time you need to get all the departments name in one place, you don’t need to rummage through old files. All you need to do is type the first two in the list and drag.

Below are the steps to create your own Custom List in Excel:

1. Click the File tab
2. Click on Options. This will open the ‘Excel Options‘ dialog box
3. Click on the Advanced option in the left-pane
4. In the General option, click on the ‘Edit Custom Lists’ button (you may have to scroll down to get to this option)
5. In the Custom Lists dialog box, import the list by selecting the range of cells that have the list. Alternatively, you can also enter the name manually in the List Entries box (separated by comma or each name in a new line)
6. Click on Add

As soon as you click on Add, you would notice that your list now becomes a part of the Custom Lists.

In case you have a large list that you want to add to Excel, you can also use the Import option in the dialog box.

Pro tip: You can also create a named range and use that named range to create the custom list. To do this, enter the name of the named range in the ‘Import list from cells’ field and click OK. The benefit of this is that you can change or expand the named range and it will automatically get adjusted as the custom list

Now that you have the list in Excel backend, you can use it just like you use numbers or month names with Autofill (as shown below).

While it’s great to be able to quickly get these custom lits names in Excel by doing a simple drag and drop, there is something even more awesome that you can do with custom lists (that’s what the next section is about).

Create Your Own Sorting Criteria Using Custom Lists

One great thing about custom lists is that you can use it to create your own sorting criteria. For example, suppose you have a dataset as shown below and you want to sort this based on High, Medium, and Low.

You can’t do this!

If you sort alphabetically, it would screw the alphabetical order (it will give you High, Low, and Medium and not High, Medium, and Low).

This is where Custom Lists really shine.

You can create your own list of items and then use these to sort the data. This way, you will get all the High values together at the top followed by the medium and low values.

The first step is to create a custom list (High, Medium, Low) using the steps shown in the previous section (‘How to Create Custom Lists in Excel‘).

Once you have the custom list created, you can use the below steps to sort based on it:

1. Select the entire dataset (including the headers)
2. Click the Data tab
3. In the Sort and Filter group, click on the Sort icon. This will open the Sort dialog box
4. In the Sort dialog box, make the following selections:
   • Sort by Column: Priority
   • Sort On: Cell Values
   • Order: Custom Lists. When the dialog box opens, select the sorting criteria you want to use and then click on OK.
5. Click OK

The above steps would instantly sort the data using the list you created and used as criteria while sorting (High, Medium, Low in this example).

Note that you don’t necessarily need to create the custom list first to use it in sorting. You can use the above steps and in Step 4 when the dialog box opens, you can create a list right there in that dialog box.

Some Examples Where you can Use Custom Lists

Below are some of the cases where creating and using custom lists can save you time:

1. If you have a list that you need to enter manually (or copy-paste from some other source), you can create a custom list and use that instead. For example, this could be department names in your organization, or product names or regions/countries.
2. If you’re a teacher, you can create a list of your student names. That way, when you are grading them the next time, you don’t need to worry about entering the student names manually or copy-pasting it from some other sheet. This also ensures that there are fewer chances of errors.
3. When you need to sort data based on criteria that are not in-built in Excel. As covered in the previous section, you can use your own sorting criteria by making a custom list in Excel.

So this is all that you need to know about Creating Custom Lists in Excel.

I hope you found this useful.

You may also like the following Excel tutorials:

• How to Sort by the Last Name in Excel
• How to SORT in Excel (by Rows, Columns, Colors, Dates, & Numbers)
• How to Sort By Color in Excel
• How to Sort Worksheets in Excel
• Automatically Sort Data in Alphabetical Order using Formula

A Custom List in Excel is very handy to fill a range of cells with your own personal list.

It could be a list of your team members at work, countries, regions, phone numbers, or customers. The main goal of a custom list is to remove repetitive work and manual errors.

It is extremely useful when you need to fill in the same data from time to time. There are two options to create a list in Excel that can be used repeatedly by using the fill handle.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a list in Excel:

• Using Pre-existing List
• Create a list in Excel manually
• Import from another worksheet

Let’s look at each of these methods one-by-one!

Watch it on YouTube and give it a thumbs-up!

Download this Excel Workbook and follow along with the tutorial on how to create a list in Excel :

Using Pre-existing List

At first, it might seem like magic how Excel does this!

There are some lists that are already stored in Excel like days of the week and months in a year.

To demonstrate the power of Excel’s Custom Lists, we’ll explore what’s currently in Excel’s memory as a default list:

STEP 1: Type February in the first cell

STEP 2: From that first cell, click the lower right corner and drag it to the next 5 cells to the right

STEP 3: Release and you will see it get auto-populated to July (The succeeding months after February)

Create a list in Excel manually

You can also manually add new values in the Custom List box and re-use them whenever you wish to.

Let us go straight into the Options in Excel to view how it’s being done, and how you can create your own Custom List:

STEP 1: Select the File tab

STEP 2: Click Options

STEP 3: Select the Advanced option

STEP 4: Scroll all the way down and under the General section, click Edit Custom Lists.

Here you can see the built-in default Excel lists of the calendar months and the days.

If you click on a Custom List, you will see under List entries that it is greyed out and you cannot make any changes.  This indicated that it is a default Excel Custom List.

STEP 5: You can create & add your own Custom List under the List entries section.

Click on NEW LIST under the Custom Lists area and then manually enter your list, entering one entry per line:

After typing the values, click Add.

In our screenshot below, we added the values of the Greek alphabet (alpha, beta, gamma, and so on)

Click OK once done.

STEP 6: Click OK again

STEP 7: Now let’s go back into our Excel workbook to see our new Custom List in action. Type alpha on a cell.

STEP 8: From that cell, click the lower right corner and drag it to the next 5 cells to the right

STEP 9: Release and you will see it get auto-populated to zeta, which is based on our Custom List created in Step 8

Next up is a demonstration of how to make a list in Excel by importing data from another worksheet.

Import from another worksheet

You can easily import a custom list from another worksheet. Follow the steps below to get this done:

STEP 1: Go to the File Tab.

STEP 2: Select Options from the left panel.

STEP 3: In the Excel Options dialog box, select Advanced.

STEP 4: Under the General section, click on the Edit Custom List button.

STEP 5: In the Custom List dialog box, select the small arrow up button.

STEP 6: Select the range containing the custom list.

STEP 7: Click on Import.

STEP 8: Once the list will appear under list entries and click OK.

STEP 9: Click OK.

Now, your custom list is stored in Excel!

STEP 10: Type the first entry of the list “XS” in cell A8.

STEP 11: From that first cell, click the lower right corner and drag it to the next 6 cells to the right.

The entire list will be displayed in the selected range!

You can even create this list vertically. Simply, type the XS in a cell. Click on the lower right corner and drag the cell downwards.

The list will appear vertically!

Conclusion

In this article, you have learned how to make a list in Excel so that you don’t have to type the same list over and over again. You use the Custom list feature in Excel and store it in Excel and use it whenever necessary.

You can either use the pre-existing list, manually type the list or link it from another worksheet!

Make sure to download our FREE PDF on the 333 Excel keyboard Shortcuts here:

You can learn more about how to use Excel by viewing our FREE Excel webinar training on Formulas, Pivot Tables, Power Query, and Macros & VBA!

Bottom Line: Learn 4 different techniques for creating a list of numbers in Excel. These include both static and dynamic lists that change when items are added or deleted from the list.

Skill Level: Beginner

Watch the Tutorial

Download the Excel File

You can download the worksheet that I use in the video here:

If you have a list of items in Excel and you’d like to insert a column that numbers the items, there are several ways to accomplish this. Let’s look at four of those ways.

1. Create a Static List Using Auto-Fill

The first way to number a list is really easy. Start by filling in the first two numbers of your list, select those two numbers, and then hover over the bottom right corner of your selection until your cursor turns into a plus symbol. This is the fill handle.

When you double-click on that fill handle (or drag it down to the end of your list), Excel will fill in the blanks with the next numbers in the sequence.

An alternate way to create this same numbered list is to type a 1 in the first cell and then double-click the fill handle. Because Excel doesn’t have a second number to identify a sequence or pattern, it will fill down the columns with 1s. But you will notice that a menu is available at the end of your column, and from that menu, you can select the option to Fill Series. This will change the 1s to a sequential list of numbers.

The numbered column we’ve created in both instances is static. This means it doesn’t change when you make additions or deletions to the corresponding list of items. For example, if I insert a new row in order to add another task, there is a break in the numbered column as well, and I would have to repeat the same steps to correct the list.

So, unless we want the numbers to always remain as they are, a better option would be to create a dynamic list.

2. Create a Dynamic List Using a Formula

We can use formulas to create a dynamic list where the numbers update when we add or delete rows from the list.

To use a formula for creating a dynamic number list, we can use the ROW function. The ROW function returns the row number of a cell. If we don’t specify a cell for ROW, it just returns the current row number of whatever is selected.

In our example, the first cell in our list doesn’t start on Row 1. It starts on Row 4. But we don’t want our list to start at 4; we want it to start at 1. To subtract the extra 3, our formula will include a minus sign and then the ROW function again, but this time pointed to the cell above our formula (which is in Row 3).

We use the absolute values (dollar signs) in our cell selection because we don’t want that number to change as we copy the formula down the list. In other words, we always want to subtract 3 from the row number to give us our list number.

When we copy down the formula, we have a numbered list that will adjust when we add or delete rows. However, when adding a row, we will have to copy the formula into the newly inserted cell.

This additional step of copying the formula into new rows can be avoided if we use Excel Tables.

3. Create a Dynamic List Using a Formula in an Excel Table

If we write the same formula but we use an Excel table, the only difference we will make in the formula is that we reference the column header instead of the absolute cell value.

Because we are using an Excel Table, the formula automatically fills down to the other rows. When we add a row to the table, the formula will automatically populate in the new cell.

4. Create a Dynamic List Using Dynamic Array Formulas

Below, I have a table that is populated using Dynamic Array Formulas. The FILTER formula spills a range of results based on whatever name is selected in the orange cell.

The Dynamic Array formula we will use is SEQUENCE. This will return a sequence for the number of rows we identify in the formula. To tell Excel how many rows there are, we will use the ROW function as the argument for sequence. The argument for ROW is just the spill range. The way to notate the spill range is to simply place a hashtag after the name of the first cell in the range. So our formula looks like this:

=SEQUENCE(ROWS(B5#))

Once we complete our formula and hit Enter, the list will be numbered.

With this formula in place, if the size of the range changes when a new name is selected, the numbered column for the list will automatically adjust as well.

Bonus Tip: Formatting Your Numbered List

If you want to add periods or other punctuation to your numbered list:

1. Select the entire list and right-click to choose Format Cells. Or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + 1.
2. Choose the Custom option on the Number tab.
3. Then in the Type field, type in the number 0 with whatever punctuation you would like to surround your number.

Here, I’ve just added a period.

When you hit OK, you will have formatted the entire selection.

Related Posts

Here are a few similar posts that may interest you.

• Excel Tables Tutorial Video – Beginners Guide for Windows & Mac
• New Excel Features: Dynamic Array Formulas & Spill Ranges
• How to Prevent Excel from Freezing or Taking A Long Time when Deleting Rows

Conclusion

I hope these four ways to create ordered lists are helpful for you. If you have questions or feedback, I would love to hear them in the comments. Have a great week!

The human mind is a powerful thing. 

But sometimes, it can suddenly blank out! 

Like forgetting to note down the grocery items missing in your pantry or the project changes your client wants by the end of the day. 

While our brain can do quite a lot, sometimes relying on our memory isn’t always the best way to keep track of our tasks. 

That’s why a to-do list in Excel can be helpful. 

It helps you break down your tasks into different sections on a single spreadsheet, which you can view at any time. 

In this article, we’ll cover the six steps to create a to-do list in Excel and also discuss a better alternative that can handle more complex requirements the easier way. 

Let’s roll!

What Is a To Do List in Excel?

A to-do list in Microsoft Excel helps you organize your most essential tasks in a tabular form. It comes with rows and columns to add a new task, dates, and other specific notes.

Basically, it lets you assemble all your to-dos on a single spreadsheet. 

Whether you’re preparing a move-in checklist or a project task list, a to-do list in Excel can simplify your work process and store all your information. 

While there are other powerful apps for creating to-do lists, people use Excel because: 

• It’s a part of the Microsoft Office Suite people are familiar with
• It offers powerful conditional formatting rules and data validation for analysis and calculations
• It includes an array of reporting tools like matrices, charts, and pivot tables, making it easier to customize the data

In fact, you can create Excel to-do lists for a wide range of activities, including project management, client onboarding, travel itinerary, inventory, and event management. 

Without further ado, let’s learn how to create a to-do list in Excel. 

6 Simple Steps To Make a To Do List in Excel

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide on how to make a to-do list in Excel.

Step 1: Open a new Excel file

To open a new file, click on the Excel app, and you’ll find yourself at the Excel Home page. Double-click on the Blank Workbook to open a new Excel spreadsheet.

If you’re already on an Excel sheet and want to open a new file:

• Click on the File tab, which will take you to the backstage view. Here you can create, save, open, print, and share documents
• Select New, then click on Blank Workbook

Want an even faster route?

Press Ctrl+N after opening Excel to create a Blank Workbook. 

Your new workbook is now ready for you. 

Step 2: Add column headers

In our Excel to-do list, we want to track tasks and keep an eye on the progress by adding the column headers: Date, Task Name, Target, Status, and Comments. You can enter the column headers across the top row of the spreadsheet. 

These column headers will let anyone viewing your spreadsheet get the gist of all the information under it.  

Step 3: Enter the task details

Enter your task details under each column header to organize your information the way you want. 

In our to-do list table, we have collated all the relevant information we want to track:

• Date: mentions the specific dates
• Task Name: contains the name of our tasks
• Target: the number of task items we aim to complete
• Status: reflects our work progress 

You can also fix the alignment of your table by selecting the cells you want and click on the icon for center alignment from the Home tab. 

Step 4: Apply filters

Too many to-dos?

Use the Filter option in Excel to retrieve data that matches particular criteria. 

All you need to do is select any cell within the range of your data (A1-E11) > Select Data > then select Filter.

You’ll see drop-down lists appearing in the header of each column, as shown in the image below.

Click on the drop-down arrow for the column you want to apply a filter.

As shown in our to-do list table below, we want to apply the filter to the Status column, so we’ve selected the cell range of D1-D11.

Then, in the Filter menu that appears, you can uncheck the boxes next to the data you don’t want to view and click OK. You can also quickly uncheck all by clicking on Select All.

In our to-do list, we want to view only the Open tasks, so we apply the filter for that data.

After you save this Excel file, the filter will be there automatically the next time you open the file.

Step 5: Sort the data

You can use the Sort option in Excel to quickly visualize and understand your data better.

We want to sort the data in the Target column, so we’ll select the cell range C1-C11. Click on the Data tab and select Sort.

A Sort Warning dialog box will appear asking if you want to Expand the selection or Continue with the current selection. You can choose the latter option and click on Sort. 

The Sort dialog box will open where you have to enter the:

• The column you want to Sort by
• Cell values you wish to Sort on
• Order in which you want to sort the data

For our table, we have chosen the Target column and kept the order from smallest to largest. 

Step 6: Edit and customize your to do list

You can edit fields, add columns, use colors and fonts to customize your to-do list the way you want.

Like in our table, we’ve highlighted the Status column so anybody viewing can quickly understand your task progress. 

And voila! ✨

We’ve created a simple Excel to-do list that can help you keep track of all your tasks.

Want to save more time? 

Create a template from your existing workbook to keep the same formatting options that you generally use while making your to-do lists.

Or you can use any to-do list Excel template to get started instantly. 

10 Excel To Do List Templates

Templates can help keep your workbooks consistent, especially when they’re related to a particular project or client. For example, a daily Excel to-do list template improves efficiency and enables you to complete your tasks sooner. 

Here are a few Excel to-do list templates that can help improve efficiency and save time:

1. Excel project management task list template

Download this project management task list template.

2. Excel inventory list template

Download these inventory list templates.

3. Excel action item list template

Download this action item list template. 

4. Excel simple to-do list template

Download this simple to-do list template.

5. Excel bill paying checklist template

Download this bill paying checklist template.

6. Excel weekly assignment to-do list template

Download this weekly assignment template.

7. Excel prioritized to-do list template

Download this prioritized to-do list template.

8. Excel homework to-do list template

Download this homework to-do list template.

9. Excel to-do list with deadlines template

Download this to-do list with deadlines template.

10. Excel project task list template

Download this project task list template.

However, you can’t always find a template that will fulfill your specific needs. 

Additionally, data management in Excel is prone to human error. 

Each time a user copy-pastes information from one spreadsheet to another, there is a greater risk of new errors cropping up into successive reports. 

Before you commit to Excel to-do lists, here are some limitations to consider. 

3 Major Disadvantages of To Do Lists in Excel

Even though widely used, Excel spreadsheets aren’t always the best option for creating your to-do lists. 

Here are the three common disadvantages of using Excel for to-do lists:

1. Lack of ownership

When multiple individuals work on the same spreadsheet, you’re unable to tell who’s editing. 

You might end up repeating a task in vain if a person forgets to update the Work Status column in shared to-do lists after it’s done.

Additionally, people can easily alter task details, values, and other entries in the to-do lists (intentionally or unintentionally). You won’t know whom to hold accountable for the error or change! 

2. Inflexible templates

Not all of the Excel to-do templates you find online are reliable. Some of them are extremely difficult to manipulate or customize.

You’ll spend forever on the internet to find one that works for you.

3. Manual labor

Making to-do lists in Excel involves a significant amount of manual labor. 

It may take you quite some time to fill out your to-do items and create an organized system.

This doesn’t sit well with us because tons of project management tools can save you so much time and effort by creating and managing your to dos.

Moreover, the complexity increases with the increasing size of data in your Excel file. Naturally, you’d want a substitute to streamline your to-dos to track them and reduce the monotonous, manual work involved. 

And honestly, Excel is no to-do list app.

To manage to-dos, you need a tool that’s specifically designed for it.

Like ClickUp, one of the highest-rated productivity and project management software that lets you create and manage to-dos with ease.

Related Excel guides:

• How to create a Kanban board in Excel
• How to create a burndown chart in Excel
• How to create a flowchart in Excel
• How to make an org chart in Excel
• How to create a dashboard in Excel

Create To Do Lists Effortlessly With ClickUp

ClickUp can help you create smart to-do lists to organize your tasks. 

From adding Due Dates to setting Priorities, ClickUp’s comprehensive features let you create and conquer all your to-dos!

How?

One word: Checklists! 

ClickUp’s Checklists give you the perfect opportunity to organize your task information so you never miss even the smallest of details. 

All you need to do is click on Add beside To Do (you can find it within any ClickUp task), then select Checklist. You can name your Checklist and start adding the action items. Easy!

Checklists within ClickUp give your tasks a clear outline. Apart from noting down the essential details, you also get subtasks to break down your tasks further. 

You can also arrange and rearrange the checklist items with the easy drag-and-drop feature. 

Worried about some tasks getting overlooked?

With ClickUp, you can add Assignees to your specific to-dos to see things through. 

It also lets you reuse your favorite Checklist Templates to scale your work efficiency. 

To choose a template:

• Click Add from the To Do section of any task
• Click Checklist to reveal your options
• Choose a template and select Use Template

Still hung up on Excel? That’s okay.

ClickUp’s Table view can help you move on.

But our Table view isn’t a mere matrix of rows and columns. 

You can visualize your data clearly and create Custom Fields to record almost anything from task progress to file attachments and 15+ other field types.

Moreover, you can easily import your ongoing project details into ClickUp with our Excel and CSV import options!

But wait, that’s not all!

Here are some other ClickUp features that’ll make you forget Excel in an instant:

• Assign Task: assign tasks to one or Multiple Assignees to quicken your pace of work
• Custom Tags: effectively organize your task details by adding Tags
• Task Dependencies: help your teammates understand their to-dos concerning other tasks by setting Dependencies
• Recurring Tasks: save your time and effort by streamlining repetitive to-dos
• Google Calendar Sync: easily sync your Google Calendar events with the ClickUp Calendar view. Any updates in your Google Calendar will automatically reflect on ClickUp too
• Smart Search: search Docs easily and other items that you’ve recently created, updated, or closed
• Custom Statuses: denote the status of your tasks, so the team knows at which stage of the workflow they currently are
• Notepad: jot down ideas quickly with our portable, digital Notepad
• Embed view: declutter your screen and add the apps or websites alongside your tasks instead
• Gantt Charts: track work progress, assignees, and dependencies with a simple drag and drop functionality (check out this Excel dependencies guide)

Tame Your To Do Lists With ClickUp

Excel may be a decent option for planning daily to-dos and simple task lists. However, when you work with multiple teammates and tasks, Excel might not be ideal for what you need. Collaboration isn’t easy, there’s too much manual labor, and no team accountability.

That’s why you need a robust to-do list tool to help you manage tasks, track deadlines, follow work progress, and foster team collaboration. 

Fortunately, ClickUp brings all of this to the table and so much more. 

You can create to-dos, set Reminders, track Goals, and view insightful Reports.

Switch to ClickUp for free and quit wasting all that brainpower on simple to-do lists! 

If you create a custom list in Excel, you can easily fill a range with your own list of departments, clients, cities, credit card numbers, etc. This can save time and reduce errors.

First, we will look at an example of a built-in list.

1. Type Sun into cell B2.

2. Select cell B2, click on the lower right corner of cell B2 and drag it across to cell H2.

How does Excel know this?

3. On the File tab, click Options.

4. Under Advanced, go to General and click Edit Custom Lists.

Here you can find the built-in ‘days of the week’ lists. Also notice the ‘months of the year’ lists.

5. To create your own custom list, type some list entries, and click Add.

Note: you can also import a list from a worksheet.

6. Click OK.

7. Type London into cell C2.

8. Select cell C2, click on the lower right corner of cell C2 and drag it down to cell C5.

Note: a custom list is added to your computer’s registry, so you can use it in other workbooks.