Как сделать dropdownlist в excel?
Содержание
- 1 , но можно и «неформально» обрамить его тэгом — и покажи мне разницу…«, но имеет место бывать. Выделите ячейки с данными, которые должны попасть в выпадающий список (например, наименованиями товаров). Выберите в меню Вставка — Имя — Присвоить (Insert — Name — Define) и введите имя (можно любое, но обязательно без пробелов!) для выделенного диапазона (например Товары). Нажмите ОК. Можно сделать и так: Выделить диапазон ячеек (А1, В1, С1 в данном примере), и претворить его в «реальный» список В любом случае списку должно быть присвоено уникальное имя. Выделите ячейки (можно сразу несколько), в которых хотите получить выпадающий список и выберите в меню «Данные — Проверка» (Data — Validation). На первой вкладке «Параметры» из выпадающего списка «Тип данных» выберите вариант «Список» и введите в строчку «Источник» знак равно и имя диапазона (т.е. =Товары). Почему это круто: список «Товары» можно будет потом произвольно увеличивать или уменьшать. Табличный редактор будет учитывать не определенные ячейки, расположенные в определенном месте, а список as is. И все изменения в списке будут распространяться на все ячейки, которые «проверяют его для создания выпадающих списков». Горячие клавиши Курсор стоит на ячейке с выпадающим списком. Excel Alt+Down arrow. То есть, Alt+стрелка «вниз». Calc По-умолчанию не установлено. В справке написано Ctrl+D, но в справке баг (увы). Поэтому назначаем лично: Tools > Customize > Keyboard > Shortcut Keys Проскроллить и выбрать желаемое сочетание клавиш для открытия существующего списка. Я выбрал Ctrl+Down. Внимание, Alt+Down недоступно (вообще все сочетания с Alt тут недоступны для редактирования). В Functions > Category выбрать Edit. В Functions > Function выбрать Selection List. Нажать на кнопку Modify. Дополнение Всякие другие волшебства на тему выпадающих списков см. на Planeta Excel. Особенно «Ссылки по теме«. Прием комментариев к этой записи завершён. «Как зделать так чбо если в віпадающем списке нет нужного варианта я в ручную набираю в етой ячейке и оно автоматически добавляется в віпадающий список, и след раз уже там есть» — хз. Тут нам не то, и не это. Не надо задавать вопросы о том, как сделать ещё что-то с этими прекрасными выпадающими списками. Здесь даже не форум по Excel. Это блог о тестировании программного обеспечения. Вы же любите тестировать, правда? A drop-down list is an excellent way to give the user an option to select from a pre-defined list. It can be used while getting a user to fill a form, or while creating interactive Excel dashboards. Drop-down lists are quite common on websites/apps and are very intuitive for the user. Watch Video – Creating a Drop Down List in Excel In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a drop down list in Excel (it takes only a few seconds to do this) along with all the awesome stuff you can do with it. How to Create a Drop Down List in Excel In this section, you will learn the exacts steps to create an Excel drop-down list: Using Data from Cells. Entering Data Manually. Using the OFFSET formula. #1 Using Data from Cells Let’s say you have a list of items as shown below: Here are the steps to create an Excel Drop Down List: Select a cell where you want to create the drop down list. Go to Data –> Data Tools –> Data Validation. In the Data Validation dialogue box, within the Settings tab, select List as the Validation criteria. As soon as you select List, the source field appears. In the source field, enter =$A$2:$A$6, or simply click in the Source field and select the cells using the mouse and click OK. This will insert a drop down list in cell C2. Make sure that the In-cell dropdown option is checked (which is checked by default). If this option in unchecked, the cell does not show a drop down, however, you can manually enter the values in the list. Note: If you want to create drop down lists in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). #2 By Entering Data Manually In the above example, cell references are used in the Source field. You can also add items directly by entering it manually in the source field. For example, let’s say you want to show two options, Yes and No, in the drop down in a cell. Here is how you can directly enter it in the data validation source field: This will create a drop-down list in the selected cell. All the items listed in the source field, separated by a comma, are listed in different lines in the drop down menu. All the items entered in the source field, separated by a comma, are displayed in different lines in the drop down list. Note: If you want to create drop down lists in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. #3 Using Excel Formulas Apart from selecting from cells and entering data manually, you can also use a formula in the source field to create an Excel drop down list. Any formula that returns a list of values can be used to create a drop-down list in Excel. For example, suppose you have the data set as shown below: Here are the steps to create an Excel drop down list using the OFFSET function: This will create a drop-down list that lists all the fruit names (as shown below). Note: If you want to create a drop-down list in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). How this formula Works?? In the above case, we used an OFFSET function to create the drop down list. It returns a list of items from the ra It returns a list of items from the range A2:A6. Here is the syntax of the OFFSET function: =OFFSET(reference, rows, cols, , ) It takes five arguments, where we specified the reference as A2 (the starting point of the list). Rows/Cols are specified as 0 as we don’t want to offset the reference cell. Height is specified as 5 as there are five elements in the list. Now, when you use this formula, it returns an array that has the list of the five fruits in A2:A6. Note that if you enter the formula in a cell, select it and press F9, you would see that it returns an array of the fruit names. Creating a Dynamic Drop Down List in Excel (Using OFFSET) The above technique of using a formula to create a drop down list can be extended to create a dynamic drop down list as well. If you use the OFFSET function, as shown above, even if you add more items to the list, the drop down would not update automatically. You will have to manually update it each time you change the list. Here is a way to make it dynamic (and it’s nothing but a minor tweak in the formula): Select a cell where you want to create the drop down list (cell C2 in this example). Go to Data –> Data Tools –> Data Validation. In the Data Validation dialogue box, within the Settings tab, select List as the Validation criteria. As soon as you select List, the source field appears. In the source field, enter the following formula: =OFFSET($A$2,0,0,COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100,””)) Make sure that the In-cell drop down option is checked. Click OK. In this formula, I have replaced the argument 5 with COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100,””). The COUNTIF function counts the non-blank cells in the range A2:A100. Hence, the OFFSET function adjusts itself to include all the non-blank cells. Note: For this to work, there must NOT be any blank cells in between the cells that are filled. If you want to create a drop-down list in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). Copy Pasting Drop-Down Lists in Excel You can copy paste the cells with data validation to other cells, and it will copy the data validation as well. For example, if you have a drop-down list in cell C2, and you want to apply it to C3:C6 as well, simply copy the cell C2 and paste it in C3:C6. This will copy the drop-down list and make it available in C3:C6 (along with the drop down, it will also copy the formatting). If you only want to copy the drop down and not the formatting, here are the steps: This will only copy the drop down and not the formatting of the copied cell. Caution while Working with Excel Drop Down List You need to to be careful when you are working with drop down lists in Excel. When you copy a cell (that does not contain a drop down list) over a cell that contains a drop down list, the drop down list is lost. The worst part of this is that Excel will not show any alert or prompt to let the user know that a drop down will be overwritten. How to Select All Cells that have a Drop Down List in it Sometimes, it ‘s hard to know which cells contain the drop down list. Hence, it makes sense to mark these cells by either giving it a distinct border or a background color. Instead of manually checking all the cells, there is a quick way to select all the cells that have drop-down lists (or any data validation rule) in it. This would instantly select all the cells that have a data validation rule applied to it (this includes drop down lists as well). Now you can simply format the cells (give a border or a background color) so that visually visible and you don’t accidentally copy another cell on it. Here is another technique by Jon Acampora you can use to always keep the drop down arrow icon visible. You can also see some ways to do this in this video by Mr. Excel. Creating a Dependent / Conditional Excel Drop Down List Here is a video on how to create a dependent drop-down list in Excel. If you prefer reading over watching a video, keep reading. Sometimes, you may have more than one drop-down list and you want the items displayed in the second drop down to be dependent on what the user selected in the first drop-down. These are called dependent or conditional drop down lists. Below is an example of a conditional/dependent drop down list: In the above example, when the items listed in ‘Drop Down 2’ are dependent on the selection made in ‘Drop Down 1’. Now let’s see how to create this. Here are the steps to create a dependent / conditional drop down list in Excel: Now, when you make the selection in Drop Down 1, the options listed in Drop Down List 2 would automatically update. Download the Example File How does this work? – The conditional drop down list (in cell E3) refers to =INDIRECT(D3). This means that when you select ‘Fruits’ in cell D3, the drop down list in E3 refers to the named range ‘Fruits’ (through the INDIRECT function) and hence lists all the items in that category. Important Note While Working with Conditional Drop Down Lists in Excel: When you have made the selection, and then you change the parent drop down, the dependent drop down would not change and would, therefore, be a wrong entry. For example, if you select the US as the country and then select Florida as the state, and then go back and change the country to India, the state would remain as Florida. Here is a great tutorial by Debra on clearing dependent (conditional) drop down lists in Excel when the selection is changed. If the main category is more than one word (for example, ‘Seasonal Fruits’ instead of ‘Fruits’), then you need to use the formula =INDIRECT(SUBSTITUTE(D3,” “,”_”)), instead of the simple INDIRECT function shown above. The reason for this is that Excel does not allow spaces in named ranges. So when you create a named range using more than one word, Excel automatically inserts an underscore in between words. So ‘Seasonal Fruits’ named range would be ‘Seasonal_Fruits’. Using the SUBSTITUTE function within the INDIRECT function makes sure that spaces are converted into underscores. You May Also Like the Following Excel Tutorials: Extract Data from Drop Down List Selection in Excel. Select Multiple Items from a Drop Down List in Excel. Creating a Dynamic Excel Filter Search Box. Display Main and Subcategory in Drop Down List in Excel. How to Insert Checkbox in Excel. Using a Radio Button (Option Button) in Excel. Drop down list is a tool that can help you to force users into selecting a specific value from a predefined set of values. It is always good to have drop down lists for accepting user inputs. This approach is better because it validates each input from user against a predefined set of values and hence users can only input valid and excepted values.Excel also has a feature that allows you to create drop down lists. And today I will guide you on making a drop down list in Excel.How to make a drop down list in Excel:First of all open your excel sheet and select the cell on which you wish to create a drop down.Next, navigate to ‘Data’ tab in the Excel Ribbon and then click the ‘Data Validation’ button.Now, a ‘Data Validation’ window will open. In the ‘Allow’ dropdown, select the “List” option. And in the ‘Source’ textbox enter the values that you wish to have in your dropdown, these values should be separated by a comma (,). Also, please make sure that the checkbox ‘In-cell dropdown’ should be checked.After this hit the ‘OK’ button and your dropdown is ready to be used.Few Important things about Excel Drop downs:1. You cannot delete a dropdown by pressing delete key. It can only be deleted after selecting the dropdown, click ‘Data Validation’ option and in the ‘Data Validation’ window press “Clear All” button.2. The width of your dropdown list is not set automatically. You should manually adjust it according to the longest value in your dropdown.3. Excel dropdowns can have a maximum of 32,767 values.A better type of data source for dropdowns:As you have already seen that you can enter the values of a dropdown directly in the ‘Source’ textbox. This is fine if you are planning to create only small list boxes, but you have a large list of values that you want to populate in your drop down list then there is a better method.You can enter the values that you want to see in your dropdown as a table and then use the range of this table in ‘Source’ column. Below is a step by step procedure to do this:First with an Excel sheet opened, enter the values that you are planning to populate in your dropdown in a table.Next, select the cell on which you are planning to create a drop down.Now, navigate to Data > Data Validation.In the ‘Data Validation’ window select “List” from the ‘Allow’ dropdown, check the ‘In-cell dropdown’ checkbox and in the ‘source’ textbox enter your table range (that we created in step 1). Hit “OK” and your dropdown is created.Cosmetic Tip: If you are using a drop down with a table of values as source, then try to have this table on a separate sheet which you can hide later. This makes your dropdowns look more natural and no one can meddle with your dropdown values.Bonus Tip: Instead of directly entering the source range in ‘source’ textbox you can also name your range and then use the same in ‘source’ textbox.So, this was all about making a drop down list in Excel. In web forms, surveys, and polls, it can be very useful to limit the choices for a selection with a simple drop-down list. This is also possible in an Excel spreadsheet, but the process isn’t very well known or very intuitive. In Access, you can limit user entries by forcing users to choose a value from a list control. Office applications use the same functionality in built-in drop-down lists. For instance, the Highlight and Font Color controls on most Formatting toolbars use this flexible tool. Simply click the small triangle to the right of the icon to display a list of choices. You can create the same type of control for your users in an Excel sheet, but the process isn’t intuitive. The option is in the Data Validation feature. Fortunately, once you know the feature exists, it’s easy to implement. You need only two things: a list and a data entry cell. The following sheet shows a simple drop-down list in an Excel sheet. Users click the drop-down arrow to display a list of items from A1:A4. If a user tries to enter something that isn’t in the list, Excel rejects the entry. To add this drop-down list to a sheet, do the following:Create the list in cells A1:A4. Similarly, you can enter the items in a single row, such as A1:D1. Select cell E3. (You can position the drop-down list in most any cell or even multiple cells.) Choose Validation from the Data menu. Choose List from the Allow option’s drop-down list. (See, they’re everywhere.) Click the Source control and drag to highlight the cells A1:A4. Alternately, simply enter the reference (=$A$1:$A$4). Make sure the In-Cell Dropdown option is checked. If you uncheck this option, Excel still forces users to enter only list values (A1:A4), but it won’t present a drop-down list. Click OK. You can add the drop-down list to multiple cells. Select the range of data input cells (step 2) instead of a single cell. It even works for noncontiguous cells. Hold down the Shift key while you click the appropriate cells. A few quick notes:You can only see the drop-down if you click on the cell.Your users can now only choose one of the options in the drop-down. If they try to enter their own data, then they’ll receive an error message.You can copy-and-paste this drop-down cell to any other cells in your spreadsheet, and you can create as many different drop-downs like this as you’d like.Also seeBuild your Excel skills with these 10 power tips (free PDF) (TechRepublic) 13 handy Excel data entry shortcuts (free PDF) (TechRepublic)10 Excel time-savers you might not know about (free download) (TechRepublic)10 things you should never do in Excel (TechRepublic)Software usage policy (Tech Pro Research) How to Edit a Dropdown List in Microsoft Excel In this article, we are going to learn how to edit Excel drop down list if we have already drop down list. Let us take an example: We have dropdown list in a sheet, and in which cell we have dropdown list, we want to change the list of the cells. For Example:- In cell F6, we have dropdown list to main category of Week names, Month names and Serial Number and cell G6 contains the sub category to each main category. Now we want to change the main category in Fruit names and Vegetable names. To edit the dropdown list, follow the below given steps:- Select the cell F6. Go to Data tab > Data Tools > Data Validation. Or use ALT + D + L shortcut keys for Data Validation In Settings group > Allow > List > Source. Change the old source with the new source name, and click on OK. Select the cell G6. Again open the Data Validation dialog box. Click on OK. When we will select the fruit name from the list in cell G6, we will have only fruits name as well with Vegetable names. This is the way we can edit in the dropdown list and change the list selection. Below you can find more example:- How to create drop down list? How to delete drop down list? How to apply Conditional Formatting in drop down list? How to create dependent drop down list? How to create multiple dropdown List without repetition using named ranges? If you liked our blogs, share it with your friends on Facebook. And also you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook. We would love to hear from you, do let us know how we can improve, complement or innovate our work and make it better for you. Write us at info@exceltip.com
Как сделать выпадающий список в таблице в Excel или Calc.
Пример подобного списка:
Выпадающий список в любом табличном редакторе
Понятно, что в этой клинике зубы вырывают только «пакетным» способом, или по 10, или по 20, или сразу по 30, но никак не по 11 или 27?!
Еще бы.
Простейший способ
Подходит, когда будущий список содержит ограниченное количество вариантов. Например,
- Да
- Хз
- Нет
Excel
Пишем на листе короткий список пациентов. Хватает даже одного — «Иван».
Выделяем ячейку справа от «Ивана» (как на картинке), и выбираем пункты меню Data > Validation > Allow: List > Source.
Пункты «Data» и «Validation» в русскоязычных версиях называются «Данные» и «Проверка»
В поле ‘Source’ вписываем это:
Да;Хз;Нет
Пояснение: это значения выпадающего списка. Если нужно что-то добавить, учитываем, что все значения разделяются через точку с запятой.
Внимание!
В зависимости от некоторых настроек Excel по-умолчанию, бывает, что разделителем является не точка с запятой (;), а простая запятая — (). Еще не могу сказать точно, где это настраивается, поэтому пробуем оба варианта.
Итак, контора пишет:
Создаем выпадающий список
Результат
В отдельной ячейке «под курсором» создан выпадающий список
Копируем эту ячейку as is (просто курсор находится «на ячейке», жмем Ctrl+C) повсюду, куда нам нужно (ставим курсор, куда нужно, и жмем Ctrl+V). Можно скопировать даже в другой файл Excel или на другой лист.
Чтобы ячейки всей колонки показывали выпадающий список, можно вставить эту ячейку со списком напротив пациента «Иван», и ухватив курсором ее нижний правый край, не отпуская левую кнопку, потянуть ее «вниз». Весь диапазон заполнится копиями нашей «ячейки со списком».
Итого:
Итоговый список пациентов и колонка с выпадающим списком
Calc
Все то же самое, выбираем пункты меню Data > Validity… > Allow: List > Entries.
Вписываем по одному значению на строку
- Да
- Хз
- Нет
Составляем список в OpenOffice Calc
А теперь предположим, что бухгалтерия уже две недели шурует с этим файлом, и вдруг требует вставить им еще и варианты «Может быть» и «Частично»…
Простейший способ
Excel
Ставим курсор на ячейку, в которой содержится наш список, и снова взываем к ее редактированию (Data > Validation > Allow: List > Source).
Редактируем список. Но не используем клавиши «влево — вправо».
Почему — просто попробуй, поймешь.
Обязательно жмакаем опцию «Apply these changes to all others cells with same range». Это объяснит Excel, что внесенные изменения относятся ко всем ячейкам, которые содержат редактируемыми нами список.
.
Calc
Надо выбрать все ячейки, в которых находится наш список, снова пройти по Data > Validity… > Allow: List > Entries и изменить значения.
Мудрейший способ
Делаем ссылку на отдельно хранящийся список.
Excel
Пишем на листе короткий список пациентов. Хватает даже одного — «Иван».
На том же листе, где-то в верхних (чтобы поближе было) ячейках следует расписать опции будущих выпадающих списков.
Пример:
- ячейка А1 — Да
- ячейка В1 — Хз
- ячейка С1 — Нет
- ячейка D1 — Может быть
Переходим к списку пациентов, выделяем первую ячейку в колонке «Заплатил?» (справа от «Ивана»). Ставим курсор туда, где должна будет начинаться будущая колонка с ячейками, которые содержат выпадающий список. В нашем случае — это колонка «Заплатил?» напротив ячейки со значением «Иван».
Выбираем пункты меню Data > Validation > Allow: List > Source.
Пункты «Data» и «Validation» в русскоязычных версиях называются «Данные» и «Проверка»
В поле ‘Source’ вписываем это:
=$A$1:$C$1
или это
=A1:C1
Или ничего не вписываем, а просто кликаем на квадрат, который находится в правом краю поля Source. Окно превратится в узкую полоску. Мы не пугаемся, а курсором выделяем на листе диапазон ячеек, из которых потом будут взяты данные: A1, B1, C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, и тд, если нужно. Можно даже выделять пустые ячейки, рассчитывая заполнить их позже (мало ли что бухгалтерия придумает).
В процессе этого выделения ячеек поле Source будет заполняться самостоятельно.
По-умолчанию Excel запишет выделенный пользователем диапазон через знак «$» — он указывает, что строго-настрого нужна именно эта ячейка, брать данные только из нее, чтобы ни случилось.
Если указать просто =A1:C1, то при изменении расположения ячеек на листе (что часто бывает) Excel будет считать, что адрес указанного диапазона может быть изменен.
Дальше все то же — при наведении курсора на ячейку с выпадающим списком появляется особый указатель. Пользуемся.
Чтобы ее «размножить» — хватаем за угол и тянем вниз… Или копируем куда-нибудь в другое место на листе.
Calc
Почти то же самое, но выбираем пункты меню Data > Validity… > Allow: Cell Range > Source.
Нужно указывать диапазон руками: $A$1:$C$1, к примеру. Замечу — без знака «=«.
Кстати
Можно организовать этот список в «реальный» список на языке табличного редактора.
Собственно, шаг необязательный, из разряда «Заголовок следует обрамлять тэгом
Выделить диапазон ячеек (А1, В1, С1 в данном примере), и претворить его в «реальный» список В любом случае списку должно быть присвоено уникальное имя. Выделите ячейки (можно сразу несколько), в которых хотите получить выпадающий список и выберите в меню «Данные — Проверка» (Data — Validation). На первой вкладке «Параметры» из выпадающего списка «Тип данных» выберите вариант «Список» и введите в строчку «Источник» знак равно и имя диапазона (т.е. =Товары). Почему это круто: список «Товары» можно будет потом произвольно увеличивать или уменьшать. Табличный редактор будет учитывать не определенные ячейки, расположенные в определенном месте, а список as is. И все изменения в списке будут распространяться на все ячейки, которые «проверяют его для создания выпадающих списков». Горячие клавиши Курсор стоит на ячейке с выпадающим списком. Excel Alt+Down arrow. То есть, Alt+стрелка «вниз». Calc По-умолчанию не установлено. В справке написано Ctrl+D, но в справке баг (увы). Поэтому назначаем лично: Tools > Customize > Keyboard > Shortcut Keys Проскроллить и выбрать желаемое сочетание клавиш для открытия существующего списка. Я выбрал Ctrl+Down. Внимание, Alt+Down недоступно (вообще все сочетания с Alt тут недоступны для редактирования). В Functions > Category выбрать Edit. В Functions > Function выбрать Selection List. Нажать на кнопку Modify. Дополнение Всякие другие волшебства на тему выпадающих списков см. на Planeta Excel. Особенно «Ссылки по теме«. Прием комментариев к этой записи завершён. «Как зделать так чбо если в віпадающем списке нет нужного варианта я в ручную набираю в етой ячейке и оно автоматически добавляется в віпадающий список, и след раз уже там есть» — хз. Тут нам не то, и не это. Не надо задавать вопросы о том, как сделать ещё что-то с этими прекрасными выпадающими списками. Здесь даже не форум по Excel. Это блог о тестировании программного обеспечения. Вы же любите тестировать, правда?
In the Data Validation dialogue box, within the Settings tab, select List as the Validation criteria. As soon as you select List, the source field appears.
In the source field, enter =$A$2:$A$6, or simply click in the Source field and select the cells using the mouse and click OK. This will insert a drop down list in cell C2. Make sure that the In-cell dropdown option is checked (which is checked by default). If this option in unchecked, the cell does not show a drop down, however, you can manually enter the values in the list. Note: If you want to create drop down lists in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). #2 By Entering Data Manually In the above example, cell references are used in the Source field. You can also add items directly by entering it manually in the source field. For example, let’s say you want to show two options, Yes and No, in the drop down in a cell. Here is how you can directly enter it in the data validation source field: This will create a drop-down list in the selected cell. All the items listed in the source field, separated by a comma, are listed in different lines in the drop down menu. All the items entered in the source field, separated by a comma, are displayed in different lines in the drop down list. Note: If you want to create drop down lists in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. #3 Using Excel Formulas Apart from selecting from cells and entering data manually, you can also use a formula in the source field to create an Excel drop down list. Any formula that returns a list of values can be used to create a drop-down list in Excel. For example, suppose you have the data set as shown below: Here are the steps to create an Excel drop down list using the OFFSET function: This will create a drop-down list that lists all the fruit names (as shown below). Note: If you want to create a drop-down list in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). How this formula Works?? In the above case, we used an OFFSET function to create the drop down list. It returns a list of items from the ra It returns a list of items from the range A2:A6. Here is the syntax of the OFFSET function: =OFFSET(reference, rows, cols, , ) It takes five arguments, where we specified the reference as A2 (the starting point of the list). Rows/Cols are specified as 0 as we don’t want to offset the reference cell. Height is specified as 5 as there are five elements in the list. Now, when you use this formula, it returns an array that has the list of the five fruits in A2:A6. Note that if you enter the formula in a cell, select it and press F9, you would see that it returns an array of the fruit names. Creating a Dynamic Drop Down List in Excel (Using OFFSET) The above technique of using a formula to create a drop down list can be extended to create a dynamic drop down list as well. If you use the OFFSET function, as shown above, even if you add more items to the list, the drop down would not update automatically. You will have to manually update it each time you change the list. Here is a way to make it dynamic (and it’s nothing but a minor tweak in the formula): Select a cell where you want to create the drop down list (cell C2 in this example). Go to Data –> Data Tools –> Data Validation. In the Data Validation dialogue box, within the Settings tab, select List as the Validation criteria. As soon as you select List, the source field appears. In the source field, enter the following formula: =OFFSET($A$2,0,0,COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100,””)) Make sure that the In-cell drop down option is checked. Click OK. In this formula, I have replaced the argument 5 with COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100,””). The COUNTIF function counts the non-blank cells in the range A2:A100. Hence, the OFFSET function adjusts itself to include all the non-blank cells. Note: For this to work, there must NOT be any blank cells in between the cells that are filled. If you want to create a drop-down list in multiple cells at one go, select all the cells where you want to create it and then follow the above steps. Make sure that the cell references are absolute (such as $A$2) and not relative (such as A2, or A$2, or $A2). Copy Pasting Drop-Down Lists in Excel You can copy paste the cells with data validation to other cells, and it will copy the data validation as well. For example, if you have a drop-down list in cell C2, and you want to apply it to C3:C6 as well, simply copy the cell C2 and paste it in C3:C6. This will copy the drop-down list and make it available in C3:C6 (along with the drop down, it will also copy the formatting). If you only want to copy the drop down and not the formatting, here are the steps: This will only copy the drop down and not the formatting of the copied cell. Caution while Working with Excel Drop Down List You need to to be careful when you are working with drop down lists in Excel. When you copy a cell (that does not contain a drop down list) over a cell that contains a drop down list, the drop down list is lost. The worst part of this is that Excel will not show any alert or prompt to let the user know that a drop down will be overwritten. How to Select All Cells that have a Drop Down List in it Sometimes, it ‘s hard to know which cells contain the drop down list. Hence, it makes sense to mark these cells by either giving it a distinct border or a background color. Instead of manually checking all the cells, there is a quick way to select all the cells that have drop-down lists (or any data validation rule) in it. This would instantly select all the cells that have a data validation rule applied to it (this includes drop down lists as well). Now you can simply format the cells (give a border or a background color) so that visually visible and you don’t accidentally copy another cell on it. Here is another technique by Jon Acampora you can use to always keep the drop down arrow icon visible. You can also see some ways to do this in this video by Mr. Excel. Creating a Dependent / Conditional Excel Drop Down List Here is a video on how to create a dependent drop-down list in Excel. If you prefer reading over watching a video, keep reading. Sometimes, you may have more than one drop-down list and you want the items displayed in the second drop down to be dependent on what the user selected in the first drop-down. These are called dependent or conditional drop down lists. Below is an example of a conditional/dependent drop down list: In the above example, when the items listed in ‘Drop Down 2’ are dependent on the selection made in ‘Drop Down 1’. Now let’s see how to create this. Here are the steps to create a dependent / conditional drop down list in Excel: Now, when you make the selection in Drop Down 1, the options listed in Drop Down List 2 would automatically update. Download the Example File
Next, navigate to ‘Data’ tab in the Excel Ribbon and then click the ‘Data Validation’ button.
Now, a ‘Data Validation’ window will open. In the ‘Allow’ dropdown, select the “List” option. And in the ‘Source’ textbox enter the values that you wish to have in your dropdown, these values should be separated by a comma (,). Also, please make sure that the checkbox ‘In-cell dropdown’ should be checked.After this hit the ‘OK’ button and your dropdown is ready to be used.Few Important things about Excel Drop downs:1. You cannot delete a dropdown by pressing delete key. It can only be deleted after selecting the dropdown, click ‘Data Validation’ option and in the ‘Data Validation’ window press “Clear All” button.2. The width of your dropdown list is not set automatically. You should manually adjust it according to the longest value in your dropdown.3. Excel dropdowns can have a maximum of 32,767 values.A better type of data source for dropdowns:As you have already seen that you can enter the values of a dropdown directly in the ‘Source’ textbox. This is fine if you are planning to create only small list boxes, but you have a large list of values that you want to populate in your drop down list then there is a better method.You can enter the values that you want to see in your dropdown as a table and then use the range of this table in ‘Source’ column. Below is a step by step procedure to do this:First with an Excel sheet opened, enter the values that you are planning to populate in your dropdown in a table.Next, select the cell on which you are planning to create a drop down.Now, navigate to Data > Data Validation.
In the ‘Data Validation’ window select “List” from the ‘Allow’ dropdown, check the ‘In-cell dropdown’ checkbox and in the ‘source’ textbox enter your table range (that we created in step 1). Hit “OK” and your dropdown is created.Cosmetic Tip: If you are using a drop down with a table of values as source, then try to have this table on a separate sheet which you can hide later. This makes your dropdowns look more natural and no one can meddle with your dropdown values.Bonus Tip: Instead of directly entering the source range in ‘source’ textbox you can also name your range and then use the same in ‘source’ textbox.So, this was all about making a drop down list in Excel.
Users click the drop-down arrow to display a list of items from A1:A4. If a user tries to enter something that isn’t in the list, Excel rejects the entry. To add this drop-down list to a sheet, do the following:Create the list in cells A1:A4. Similarly, you can enter the items in a single row, such as A1:D1. Select cell E3. (You can position the drop-down list in most any cell or even multiple cells.) Choose Validation from the Data menu. Choose List from the Allow option’s drop-down list. (See, they’re everywhere.) Click the Source control and drag to highlight the cells A1:A4. Alternately, simply enter the reference (=$A$1:$A$4). Make sure the In-Cell Dropdown option is checked. If you uncheck this option, Excel still forces users to enter only list values (A1:A4), but it won’t present a drop-down list. Click OK. You can add the drop-down list to multiple cells. Select the range of data input cells (step 2) instead of a single cell. It even works for noncontiguous cells. Hold down the Shift key while you click the appropriate cells. A few quick notes:You can only see the drop-down if you click on the cell.Your users can now only choose one of the options in the drop-down. If they try to enter their own data, then they’ll receive an error message.You can copy-and-paste this drop-down cell to any other cells in your spreadsheet, and you can create as many different drop-downs like this as you’d like.Also seeBuild your Excel skills with these 10 power tips (free PDF) (TechRepublic) 13 handy Excel data entry shortcuts (free PDF) (TechRepublic)10 Excel time-savers you might not know about (free download) (TechRepublic)10 things you should never do in Excel (TechRepublic)Software usage policy (Tech Pro Research)
Select the cell F6. Go to Data tab > Data Tools > Data Validation. 
Or use ALT + D + L shortcut keys for Data Validation In Settings group > Allow > List > Source. Change the old source with the new source name, and click on OK. 
When we will select the fruit name from the list in cell G6, we will have only fruits name as well with Vegetable names. This is the way we can edit in the dropdown list and change the list selection. Below you can find more example:- How to create drop down list? How to delete drop down list? How to apply Conditional Formatting in drop down list? How to create dependent drop down list? How to create multiple dropdown List without repetition using named ranges? If you liked our blogs, share it with your friends on Facebook. And also you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook. 
