Sheets is a popular spreadsheet app with many useful features. One of them is the ability to create drop-down lists in any cell or range of cells. Once you’ve added a dropdown list, it’s easy to share that Google Sheets document on .
One reason for adding a list could be to ask users multiple choice questions, allowing them to choose an answer based on their preferences. This can also be used to collect feedback, for example. Whatever your use case, creating a drop-down list and modifying it later is very easy in the web browser and in the mobile version of Google Sheets.
Let’s start.
We tested the Edge browser on a Windows machine and you can use it with any browser on Windows and . That said, Google recommends the Chrome browser to get .
: Model leaves.new in the address bar to quickly create and open a new Google Sheets document or open one from your Google Drive account.
2nd step: Select Data Validation from the Data menu.
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Step 3: In the next pop-up window, select the criteria which can be “List of items” or “List of a range”. The first option means that users can choose an item from a predefined list of items. The second option means that users can choose a list of items from other cells on the same sheet or even from other sheets in the same document. we will go with list of objects For simplicity.
Step 4: Then enter all the items you want to appear in the list separated by a comma in the second box next to Criteria.
Step 5: Enable “Show dropdown menu in a cell” to display the dropdown menu in the chosen cell with an arrow pointing down, making it easier for users to notice that there is a dropdown menu in the marked cell.
Step 6: Select Show warning next to “About invalid data” if you want to allow users to enter invalid data (something that is not predefined), but will check the entered item to highlight it. Select Reject entry to not allow the choice of anything that is not predefined.
Step 7: Check “Show validation helper text” if you want to add a custom note to help users understand what to do with the dropdown. A text box appears when you select the option to enter a note.
Step 8: Click the Save button to finish and check the live dropdown menu in the chosen cell.
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This is what it looks like when you click the down arrow.
You can now choose a predefined item from the drop-down list by clicking the arrow and selecting an item.
Additionally, you can enter (type) something that is not predefined.
The cell will immediately be marked with a red symbol and a message will appear when you move the mouse pointer over it.
The steps for the versions of and iOS are the same. We will use Android in the following example.
Step 1: Open the Google Sheets app and open/create a new Sheets document. Select the cell where you want to add a dropdown list. Now tap on the three dot menu icon at the top right corner and select Data Validation.
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2nd step: Choose a criteria for the drop-down list. It can be a “List of items” or a “List of a range”. Then press the Add button to enter the comma-separated items you want to appear in the drop-down list.
Step 3: Enable “Show dropdown menu in cell” to display an arrow to inform users that the cell contains a dropdown menu. Enable “Show validation help text” to display a custom message to help users understand what they need to do. When activated, an Edit button is displayed. Tap it to add a message.
Step 4: Under the “About invalid data” heading, choose Show warning if you want other people to enter something that is not predefined. Select Reject input if you want to force users to select one of the items in the list. Hit the Save button when you’re done.
You will notice an arrow at the bottom of the screen when you select the cell that contains a drop-down menu. Tap it to choose an item from the list that will slide from bottom to top.
If you want to enter a different value than the preset, tap the keyboard icon and enter your answer.
Like the web app, entering an answer other than the predefined one will flag the cell for marking.
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The first steps will be the same. Select the cell where you added the dropdown menu in Sheets and go to Data menu > Data Validation. Now you can change the criteria, selected cells and all other options or simply click on the Delete Validation button to delete the list. Click the Save button to save your changes.
Note that removing the dropdown will remove validation but not manual user input.
The steps to edit or delete dropdown lists in the Google Sheets mobile apps also remain the same. Select the cell containing the drop-down list, and from the three-dot menu, select Data Validation. Tap Delete Rule to delete the list or edit the list as you see fit.
Dropdown lists are fun
Create and manage dropdown lists in It’s pretty simple. It takes less than a few minutes to create a list, but a lot will also depend on the number of items. And if you have set the criteria for the “Range List”, it may take a little longer.
You can also collaborate with other users on the same Google Sheet document, allowing multiple users to edit the same document. This will save you valuable time, especially if you are dealing with a few drop-down lists or if there is a lot of data to analyze.
If you want to know other articles similar to How to create, edit and delete a dropdown list in Google Sheets you can visit the category.
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