How to Add a Google Sheets Dropdown List

A Google Sheets dropdown menu can help you organize your information and standardize responses from your collaborators. For instance, if you need to ask a question about your data and want a simple “yes” or “no” response, a dropdown menu lets users easily choose from your options.

Another reason you may choose to add a dropdown menu is for accuracy. Giving collaborators a set range of choices reduces the chances of error. You can also color-code items in a Google Sheets dropdown, providing a tool to see the status of your spreadsheet at a glance. 

In this tutorial, you will learn how to add a dropdown list in Google Sheets using the menu navigation or a keyboard shortcut. 

How to add a dropdown list in Google Sheets

The steps you'll follow to create a Google Sheets dropdown list are:

1. Insert a dropdown.

2. Set rules.

3. Use optional advanced options.

Here's an explanation of each step in detail:

1. Insert a dropdown.

Option 1: Click the cell and enter '@'

A menu with options to tag people, dates, calendar events, files, and more will appear. Scroll to the bottom of the menu to find the Components tag, then select Dropdowns. This option will give you preset dropdown options, such as Yes/No and Priority.

Option 2: Choose 'Insert' > 'Dropdowns'

If you’d rather use the menu navigation, select the cell you want to add the dropdown to, and then select Insert > Dropdowns. 

2. Set rules.

A menu will appear with the headline Data validation. Select Data validation, and a menu for Data validation rules will appear. Here, you can set the parameters for your dropdown menu, including what items you will include in the list and the option to color code them. Click Done when you are finished unless you want to move on to the optional step 3. 

3. Use 'Advanced options' (optional).

Under the same Data validation rules section, select the Advanced options menu. Here, you can adjust whether users will be able to enter values different from the options you’ve provided. In the Advanced options, you can also set help text for individual boxes of the spreadsheet and adjust the presentation of the menu. Click Done when you are finished. 

How to edit a Google Sheets dropdown menu 

If you want to make changes or delete your dropdown menu, select the cell you’d like to edit. At the top of the screen, click on Data > Data validation. This will bring up the data validation rules menu. From this menu, you can add or remove items from the dropdown or make other changes. 

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