How to Create a Drop-Down List in Excel
Excel’s drop-down lists are a convenient way to set selectable options in cells, helping to prevent input errors and maintain data consistency. This article explains the basic steps and advanced uses for creating drop-down lists.
Basic Steps to Create a Drop-Down List
You can easily create a drop-down list by following these steps:
Steps
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | ||
| 2 | Orange | ||
| 3 | Grape | ||
| 4 | Peach | ||
| 5 | Pear | ||
| 6 |
- Enter the options you want to include in your drop-down list.
- Select the cell where you want to set up the drop-down list (e.g., B1).
- Click the “Data” tab and select “Data Validation” in the “Data Tools” group.
- In the “Settings” tab, set “Allow” to “List”.
- In the “Source” field, select the range of cells containing the list options (e.g., =A1:A5).
- Click “OK” to save the settings.
Result
Clicking the specified cell will display the drop-down list with the selected options.
Notes
- The drop-down list is created using Excel’s data validation feature. To modify the settings, reopen “Data Validation” and make the necessary changes.