Are you a regular Google Sheets user? If so, adding drop-down lists to your workflow could save you a lot of time. This is especially true if you’re building a spreadsheet that requires selecting from several options over and over. It’s one thing if you have to type something a couple of times, but when you have to type those same items repeatedly, that repetition adds up.
Also: How to add conditional formatting to a Google Sheets drop-down list
Or maybe you’re sharing the new Sheet with other users, and you want to limit or simplify the data entry process as much as possible.
Ergo… drop-downs.
Creating a drop-down in Google Sheets is actually much easier than you might think, thanks to a handy, built-in GUI. Let me show you two different methods for taking care of this handy task.
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And thus, without further ado, let’s get to creating.
Requirements
The only thing you’ll need to follow along is a Google account and the ability to create a new Sheet within either Google Drive or Google Docs. That’s it, let’s get to work.
Update: The easiest Sheets drop down method
Since writing this piece, Google has made adding drop downs even easier than it used to be.
If you right-click a cell in your Google sheet, you’ll see an option labeled Dropdown. Click that.
Creating a drop down in a Google Sheet is even easier now. Image: Jack Wallen/ZDNET
A sidebar will open at the right side of the window, where you can add the options that will appear in the drop down. Make sure to name each option, select a color for it, and click Add Another Item to add to the list.
You can also apply the drop down to a range of cells. Image: Jack Wallen/ZDNET
If you expand the Advanced Options section, you can enable help text, act on invalid data, and change the display style for the drop down.
If you enable Help Text, you can then type the text in a text field that will appear. Image: Jack Wallen/ZDNET
After configuring the drop down, click Done and it’s ready to use.
Creating your Sheets drop down the old way
Log into your Google Account and head to Google Drive. Click New > Google Sheets to create the spreadsheet.
Click on the cell in the spreadsheet you want to house the drop-down, then click Data > Data Validation.
Image: Jack Wallen/ZDNET
The Data menu within Google Sheets includes the tool we need to create a drop down list.
In the Data Validation window, you’ll want to select List of Items from the Criteria drop-down and then enter the items (separated by a comma) in the text field to the right of that.
Creating the new drop-down list in Google Sheets. Image: Jack Wallen/ZDNET
You might also check the box associated with Show Validation Help Text, as that will give the user help; should they input invalid data, they will get a warning.
After configuring your drop down list, click Save to save the information.
Using the drop down list
After creating the drop down list, it’ll appear in a sheet with a downward-pointing arrow. All a user has to do is click the drop down and select from the options you’ve made available (Figure 3).
Our new drop down list in action. Image: Jack Wallen/ZDNET
You might also consider adding a cell either above or directly to the left of the drop down and add content to that new cell indicating what the drop down is used for.
Add a cell that explains the contents of your drop-down to make it easier for users. Image: Jack Wallen/ZDNET
And that’s all there is to adding a drop down list in Google Sheets. And here you thought it was going to be a complicated task. Next time around, we’ll learn how to add conditional formatting to your drop-down lists for even more spreadsheet fun.
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