Have you ever found yourself repeatedly entering the same information in Excel or Google Sheets? It can be time-consuming and monotonous. But fear not! There’s a simple and effective solution that can save you time and effort: creating a dropdown list.
What is a Dropdown List in Excel and Google Sheets?
A dropdown list is a handy feature in Excel and Google Sheets that allows you to create a list of options in a specific cell or range of cells. It’s a type of data formatting that offers numerous benefits, such as creating necessary lists in empty cells, managing inventory, and generating attendance sheets and reports.
By creating a dropdown list, you can easily manage and categorize your data, saving time by avoiding manual input and reducing the risk of errors.
How to Create a Basic Dropdown List in Excel
Creating a Dropdown List by Manual Entry
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Select the cell where you want to create the dropdown list. In the “Data” tab, under the “Data Tools” group, click on “Data Validation.”
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The “Data Validation” dialog box will appear.
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In the “Settings” tab, under the “Allow” section, select “List.”
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In the “Source” section, list the options separated by semicolons (;) or commas (,).
For example, if you want to create a dropdown list for the status of a task with three choices: “Not Started,” “In Progress,” and “Completed,” enter these three choices separated by commas in the source field.
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Click “OK” to finish.
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Copy the list to the cells below.
You can quickly copy the entire column by placing the mouse cursor in the bottom-right corner of the cell until the plus symbol (+) appears. Double-click on the plus symbol to apply the formatting to the entire column.
Creating a Dropdown List from Existing Data or Another Worksheet
If you want to create a dropdown list from existing data, you can follow the same steps as above. However, in the “Source” section, select the existing data from the worksheet.
How to Remove a Dropdown List in Excel
To remove a dropdown list in Excel, select the cell containing the dropdown list. Then, in the “Data” tab, click on “Data Validation.” Choose “Clear All” and click OK.
How to Create a Basic Dropdown List in Google Sheets
Creating a dropdown list in Google Sheets is similar to Excel.
Creating a Dropdown List by Manual Entry
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Select the cell or range of cells where you want to insert a dropdown list.
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Click on “Data” -> “Data Validation.”
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The data validation window will appear. Under the “Criteria” section, select “List of items.”
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Enter the items for the list, separating them by commas.
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Click “Save” to finish. The selected cell(s) now have a dropdown list.
How to Remove a Dropdown List in Google Sheets
To remove a dropdown list in Google Sheets, select all the cells containing the dropdown list. Then, click on “Data” -> “Data Validation” -> “Remove Validation” -> “Save.”
Now you know how to create and remove a dropdown list in Excel and Google Sheets, making it easier to manage and categorize your data. Stay tuned to Crawlan.com to stay up to date with the latest Excel and office technology news.
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