Dropdowns – Sheets

A drop-down lists can greatly facilitate data entry. Add the power and convenience of a data drop down to Google Sheets in seven easy steps.

Add drop-down cells to enhance your spreadsheet in seven easy steps.

Create a dropdown list

1. Open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
2. Select the cell or cells where you want to create a drop-down list.
3. Click Data and then Validation.
4. Next to “Criteria,” choose an option:
   1. List from a range: Choose the cells that will be included in the list.
   2. List of items: Enter items, separated by commas and no spaces.
5. The cells will have a Down [  ] Arrow. To remove the arrow, uncheck “Display in-cell button to show list.”
6. If you enter data in a cell that doesn’t match an item on the list, you’ll see a warning. If you want people to only enter items from the list, choose “Reject input” next to “On invalid data.”
7. Click Save. The cells will show a drop-down list. To change the color of a cell based on the option selected, use conditional formatting.

Change or delete a dropdown list

1. Open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
2. Select the cell or cells you’d like to change.
3. Click Data and then Validation.
4. To change the options listed, edit the items next to “Criteria.”
5. To delete a list, click Remove validation.
6. Click Save. If you change the contents of the range you’ve selected, the changes will be made in the list automatically.

Walkthrough

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Video

HTML5