It just makes sense to work as efficiently in your Excel worksheet as you can. One way to do that is using drop-down lists. Using a drop-down list will allow users to select an item from a list that you have created.
Follow the steps below to learn how:
- Open a new worksheet and key in the entries that you would like to appear in your drop-down list. You should have these items in an Excel table. If you do not, then you can convert your list to a table. Simply select any item in your list and press CTRL + T. The reason I say you should have your data in a table is that, as you add or remove data, any drop-downs you had based on that table will be automatically updated. So go ahead now and sort the data in your drop-down list.
- Select the cell in your worksheet where you would like to have your drop-down list.
- Click the Data tab on your Ribbon and Data Validation.
- Click Settings | Allow box | List.
- Click Source and select your list range.
- If you intend to allow your users to leave a cell empty, check Ignore blank.
Next up, I will tell you how to apply data validation to your cells. Be on the lookout!
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Thanks for that brief refresher course. Previously learnt this but never used it, so couldn’t remember how to do it when I needed it recently.
Also, the importance of using a table instead of a range hasn’t fully impressed itself on me, but you just mentioned another good reason why.
Much appreciated, Carol.