How to Build Drop-Down Lists in a Microsoft Spreadsheet
Microsoft Excel is the spreadsheet application that is included in Microsoft Office. The program arranges data into columns and rows. You can type data of any kind directly into the spreadsheet or you can create a drop-down list menu. This menu allows you to enter data using a mouse. You can select from a limited list of options that you can easily customize. This can facilitate data entry when the same information is entered repeatedly. It's fairly straightforward to set up a drop-down list.
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Instructions
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Scroll to the area of the spreadsheet where you want to create the drop-down list's contents. You build a drop-down list menu in Excel from data typed into any set of cells. If you want this to be inconspicuous to the Excel user, do not use the beginning of the spreadsheet. Instead, you can scroll to the right several columns or scroll down many rows to a less obvious part of the spreadsheet.
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Type the list you want in your drop-down list menu. You can either type the list as a series of vertical cells, all in the same column, or as a horizontal list, all in the same row. For example, if you selected cell P100 as the starting point for your list, you can type each list item into P100, P101 and P102 (or into P100, Q100 and R100) and continue the list for as long as necessary.
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Click in the cell or cells where you want your drop-down list menu to appear, based on the typed list elsewhere in the spreadsheet. If you want multiple cells to have the menu, drag your mouse over all of them so they are all selected.
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Click on the "Data" menu and the "Data Tools" section. Then, click "Data Validation" and select "Data Validation." In versions of Excel prior to 2007, click the "Data" menu and select the "Validation" option. A pop-up box will appear.
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Click the drop-down menu on the "Settings" tab of the pop-up window. Select the "List" option.
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Click in the "Source" field.
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Drag your mouse over the cells in your spreadsheet that contain the list of items that you typed earlier.
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Type the "OK" button to complete the drop-down menu setup.
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Tips & Warnings
To scroll in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, click the up or down arrows on the top-right and bottom-right edges of the program window. Alternately, drag the scroll bar between these arrows, using the mouse. You can also use the "Page Up," "Page Down" and arrow keys on the computer keyboard. Finally, the scroll wheel on the mouse also works for this purpose.
At any time, you can remove the drop-down menu by visiting the Data Validation window again and choosing "Any Value" from the first menu on the Settings tab.
