How to Create a Drop Down List in Excel

Creating A List

1. 

   Open the Excel spreadsheet file you want to edit. You can find and double-click a saved Excel file on your computer, or open Microsoft Excel and create a new worksheet.

2. 

   Enter the list of values for your drop-down in a column. Make sure to enter each drop-down entry in a separate, consecutive cell in the same column.

   1. For example, if you want your drop-down list to include "New York," "Boston," and "Los Angeles," you can type "New York" in cell A1, "Boston" in cell A2, and "Los Angeles" in cell A3.

3. 

   Click the empty cell you want to insert your drop-down. You can insert a drop-down list in any empty cell on your spreadsheet.

4. 

   Click the Data tab on the toolbar ribbon. You can find this button above the toolbar at the top of your spreadsheet. It will open your data tools.

5. 

   Click the Data Validation button on the "Data" toolbar. This button looks like two separate cell icons with a green checkmark and a red stop sign. It will open a new pop-up.

6. 

   Click the Allow drop-down in the "Data Validation" pop-up. You can find this menu in the pop-up's "Settings" tab.

   1. The Data Validation pop-up automatically opens up to the Settings tab.

7. 

   Select List in the "Allow" drop-down. This option will allow you to create a list in the selected empty cell.

8. 

   Check the

   

   In-cell dropdown option. When this option is checked, you will create a drop-down list in the selected cell on your spreadsheet.

9. 

   Check the

   

   Ignore blank option (optional). When this option is checked, users will be able to leave the drop-down empty without an error message.

   1. If the drop-down you're creating is a mandatory field, make sure not to check this box here. Otherwise, you can leave it unchecked.

10. 

    Click the text box under "Source" in the pop-up. You can select the list of values you want to insert into your drop-down here.

11. 

    Select your drop-down's list values on the spreadsheet. Use your mouse to select the list of values you want to insert into your drop-down on the spreadsheet.

    1. For example, if you have "New York," "Boston," and "Los Angeles" in cells, A1, A2, and A3, make sure to select the cell range from A1 to A3.
    2. Alternatively, you can manually type your drop-down list values into the "Source" box here. In this case, make sure to separate each entry with a comma.