There are some dangers with this option (and the other methods will work around these risks) but it is easily the fastest way to implement a drop down menu. Excel Drop Down List Method #1 (quickest): Enter Your Menu Options ManuallyOK, enough of the introduction – let’s create a drop down menu in Excel!If you have a fixed list of values that you want to choose from, you can enter them manually into the “Source:” box when you change the Validation options. You can force cells to be integers, dates, or values from a specific list (which is what you’ll be using for creating these menus) and a few other options.The Data Validation menu is in the Data tab in the Excel Ribbon:In each of the three methods below, you will use this feature to choose the items in our menu. Introducing the Data Validation menuYou can’t create a drop down list in Excel without using the Data Validation feature.Think of Data Validation is a restriction or limitation that Excel applies to the cells you specify.You can choose the criteria, of course. Create a chart from start to finish mac 2011.This is just a simple example that might be used in an office environment, and we’ll go through this example throughout this post.And before we get into the specific points of each method, read on to find out about the Data Validation feature which is a key part of setting up a drop down menu in Excel. Click OK to close the Label Options dialog.Try the Recommended Charts command on the Insert tab to quickly create a chart thats just right for your.Click OK to save the Data Validation options. In the “Source:” box, enter in your values separated by commas. In the “Allow:” dropdown menu, select “List”. Click on the Data Validation menu (in the Data tab in the Excel Ribbon), or use the shortcut Alt-A-V-V. In your Excel workbook, select the cells that you want to apply the drop down menu to.
Create Custom Sort List In Excel 2011 Update Your MenuCreate the list of values you want to select from somewhere in your Excel workbook. If you want to add extra items to the list, you will need to update the Data Validation list formula to cover the new cells Slightly more time-consuming than entering the values into the Data Validation options You can update values easily and the menu will always refer to the new names Excel Drop Down List Method #2: Refer to a Data RangeWhat if you want to update your menu items later? If one of the departments in your company has a name change, then you would have to select all of the cells that use the drop down menu, and manually update the details.(Although, if your dropdown menu is limited to only one cell, it’s not so bad…)This alternate method involves entering the data somewhere else in your Excel workbook, and referring to that data range in the Data Validation settings. You’ll only be able to enter values that are in the list you specified – and you can still type directly into the cell if you want.![]() Depending on your requirements, you can allow blank values, and you can choose to hide the in-cell dropdown menu. In the “Source:” box, select the range of cells that contain your list. In the Settings screen, select List from the “Allow:” box. Select the cells that you want to use the list, and go to the Data Validation option (in the Data tab). Photo to sketch for mac os xThat name can be referred to throughout your work.And a huge benefit of tables is that they will automatically expand when extra data is added to them.Want to learn more about Excel Tables? Read about the 9 (+1) Benefits of Using an Excel Table here.What does this mean for your drop down menu?It means you can simply refer to a column within an Excel table, and the menu will automatically update based on the items in that list.If you anticipate adding extra items to your drop down menu over time, then this method is the best long-term solution as it’s the “cleanest” way to refer to your list of menu items. What’s the solution?Your Excel drop down list can be automatically updated if you use an Excel Table to store your menu items.If you haven’t used Excel tables before, they are a distinct object in your Excel workbook that can be given a name. It won’t pick up any additional items. (optional) In the Error Alert tab, enter an error message for whenever an incorrect value is selected.It should seem fairly obvious why it’s helpful to refer to a data range instead of the original values.Let’s change one of the department names:But if we test out the drop down menu, it won’t be there because the data range is $A$1:$A$5. Make sure you’ve entered a heading for your list. Enter your drop down list items in your Excel workbook, preferably in a separate sheet (to avoid any accidental changes). The formula to refer to a column in an Excel table is tricky if you haven’t used them before Works well if you want to apply a VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH on your dropdown menu value to bring up a different value Not substantially more complicated than the previous example In this case, we’ll use “ TableName” as our Table name. (optional) Rename the Table you have created by editing it in the Excel Ribbon (in the far left of the Table Tools menu). Also, whenever a cell inside the Table is selected, a new menu option (Table Tools) will appear in the Excel Ribbon. You’ll notice that the formatting of your data has been updated, and there is an outline around the data with a triangle on the bottom right. Click OK when the dialog box appears. Click OK to get out of the Data Validation options, and test your drop down menu.Not happy with the default formatting of Excel Tables? Learn all the crucial formatting shortcuts in this Excel Shortcut Roundup. Select the cells that you want to use the drop down menu, select List from the “Allow:” menu and in the “Source:” box enter: =INDIRECT("TableName")
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