How to Create a Drop-Down List in an Excel Cell. Choose 'List' in the Allow box and make sure 'In-cell Dropdown' is checked. Type the name you assigned your.

Drop-down lists in Microsoft Excel (and Word and Access) allow you to create a list of valid choices that you or others can select for a given field. This is especially useful for fields that require specific information; fields that have long or complex data that’s hard to spell; or fields where you want to control the responses. Creating dependent drop-down lists (when combined with an INDIRECT function) is another benefit. This allows you to select a product category from the main menu drop-down list box (such as Beverages), then display all the related products from the submenu (dependent) drop-down list box (such as Apple Juice, Coffee, etc.). This works very well for ordering and inventory purposes because it divides all the products into manageable categories. This is how most wholesale and retail companies handle their product lines.

In fact, companies from hospitals and insurance carriers to banks and more use drop-down lists, check boxes, combo lists, and/or radio buttons to minimize typing and user errors. How to create a simple drop-down list We’ve created a sample drop-down list so you can practice the steps, or feel free to use your own data.

Practice Excel drop-down lists using the data in this workbook. If your spreadsheet database is large or contains numerous fields, we recommend that you place the list box items in a table on a separate spreadsheet, but in the same workbook. However, if your list is relatively short, you can type the items for your list, separated by commas, in the Source field of the Data Validation dialog window.

Open a new workbook and add a second spreadsheet tab (click the ‘+’ sign at the bottom of the screen on the tab bar). Rename Spreadsheet 1 as “ wks” for worksheet, and Spreadsheet 2 as “ lists.” 3. Enter the names of 10 doctors (or other applicable items) in column A from A1 through A10. What is xps driver for canon printer. Sort the list to your preference. If you plan to sort by last name, enter the last name first, then the first name and middle initial on your original list. Highlight the range (A1:A10) or just position your cursor on any cell in the list, and press Ctrl+ T to convert this group of items to a table.

Excel calls it Table 1, 2, 3, etc., which is not a problem if there is only one table. Be sure to check the box that says “My Table Has Headers.” Note: When data is in a table, you can add or delete items from the list (and all other drop-down lists that use that same table) and they will all update automatically. JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide Enter your list of items, then convert the list to a table.

Move to Spreadsheet 1 (renamed wks). Enter some data similar to that shown in the following graphic, for example: Type of Surgery, Date, Time, and Surgeon, or create your own data. Select the cell or group of cells where you want the drop-down list to appear. In this case, select D2 (or D2:D11, if you prefer, though it's not necessary to highlight the entire column). From the Data tab, select Data Validation > Data Validation. In the Data Validation dialog window, choose the Settings tab.