How to Create a Drop Down List in Google Sheets
45In this video I'll show you how to create a dropdown list in Google Sheets.
Timestamps:
Introduction: 0:00
Steps to Create a Drop Down List in Google Sheets: 0:33
Conclusion: 3:08
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Video Transcript:
Using a dropdown list as a method for people to answer a question solves a lot of problems. It limits the possible answers, it guarantees you can clearly read the answer, and it ensures consistency in the responses, among other things. While you do have to jump through a few hoops to create a dropdown list in Google Sheets, the process isn't any more painful than other spreadsheet applications.
Now let's walk through the steps to create a dropdown list in Google Sheets.
Step 1. Open the Google Sheets spreadsheet where you want to add a dropdown list.
Step 2. The first thing we want to do is create a new sheet where we'll put the options that will be populated in our Google Sheets dropdown list. Navigate to the bottom of that sheet and click the "Add New Sheet" icon, which features a plus sign. This will create a new sheet.
Step 3. Right-click the new sheet to bring up a menu, and then click "Rename" in this menu. The sheet name will become editable. I chose to name my sheet "Lookups," but you can name your sheet whatever you want.
Step 4. Within that new sheet we want to list the options we want to present in the dropdown list in a column. In this example you can see I've got four options.
Step 5. Click to select the first cell you want to put a dropdown list in, and then click "Data" in the menu row along the top of the screen to open a menu.
Step 6. Click "Data Validation" in this menu. The Data Validation window is displayed.
Step 7. Find the Criteria section. Within this you'll want to leave "List from a range" as the choice for the first option. Click within the "Enter a range or formula" field. A small window pops up asking you to select the data range for your dropdown. Navigate to the sheet where you entered the options you want to appear in your Google Sheets dropdown field and then highlight those options. That range will be populated in the window. Click "OK" after entering this information. The Data Validation window will be displayed again.
Step 8. Click to place a check mark next to "Show dropdown list in cell" if that option isn't already selected, and then click "Save."
Step 9. Navigate back to the cell you selected to create a dropdown list in, where you'll now see a dropdown arrow in that cell. Click that dropdown arrow to view your dropdown list options and make sure everything is working appropriately.
Step 10. If you want to copy your dropdown list to other cells in your Google Sheets document, it's as easy as right-clicking the field that contains the dropdown list you created to bring up a menu, clicking "Copy," highlighting the range of cells you want to copy your dropdown list to, and then pasting it in those cells.