Google Sheets Drop Down Menu Guide

[nerdslife_team]

Hey everyone, I wanted to share a quick guide on how to set up dropdown menus in Google Sheets. These are super handy for keeping your data clean and consistent, especially when you’re collaborating with others. A dropdown list lets you pick from a set of options, which cuts down on errors and makes data entry way faster.

When you’re working on a shared sheet, having everyone use the same terms in a column is crucial. Instead of relying on people to type things exactly the same way every time, a dropdown menu forces everyone to choose from the same set of options, keeping data consistent.

For example, if you’re tracking project tasks, you can make a dropdown to show the status, like “In Progress,” “Completed,” or “On Hold”. Let’s explore how to set these up in Google Sheets, and you’ll see how easy it is to create and manage them.

Setting Up a Dropdown Menu in Google Sheets

The dropdown feature uses Google Sheet’s data validation tool to ensure that only specific entries are allowed in the cells you choose. There are two primary ways to create your dropdown list: either by referencing a range of cells, or manually adding each item.

Method 1: Using a Range of Cells for your Dropdown

This method is great because it allows you to keep your dropdown options dynamic, meaning that they can change when the original data changes. Here’s the step by step guide:

1. First, in your Google Sheet, make a list of the options you want in your dropdown. For example, let’s use city names as branch locations.
   
   
2. Next, select the cells where you want the dropdown menu to show up. It doesn’t matter if this is on the same sheet or a different one.
   
   
3. Then, go to the “Data” menu at the top of the screen and select “Data validation”.
   
   
   
   You can also right-click the cells and find “Data validation” from the context menu.
4. In the “Data validation” window, you can customize the dropdown behavior.
   
   
5. The “Cell range” field should already show the cells you selected. If you want to change this range, click the grid icon to choose a new range. Under the “Criteria” section, pick “List from a range” from the dropdown menu. In the box below, add the range of cells that has your dropdown options. You can click the grid icon to select the range visually.
   
   
6. When the “Select a data range” window pops up, choose the cells with your list of items, then click “OK”.
   
   
7. Make sure the box for “Show dropdown list in cell” is checked. This shows a little arrow in the cells, so you know that it’s a dropdown.
   
   
8. Under “On invalid data,” you have options for what happens if someone types something that’s not in the list. Choose “Show warning” to flag the incorrect input, or “Reject input” to not allow anything that’s not on the list.
   
   
9. In the “Appearance” section, you can add a helpful message for users. Check “Show validation help text” and type what you want.
   
   
10. Finally, click “Save” to add your dropdown list.
    
    

Now you’ll have a dropdown menu in the cells you picked! When you click on the dropdown arrow, you’ll see your list of options. If you pick “Show warning” and someone types in something that’s not in the dropdown, the cell will have a small red triangle to show it’s an invalid entry.

When you hover over the cell with the invalid data, it’ll give you a message about why it’s incorrect.

Because your dropdown list is using a range, it’ll update whenever you change the source data, so your lists are always current.

Method 2: Manually Entering Items for Your Dropdown

If you want a dropdown with a fixed set of options that don’t need to change, you can enter the list items manually.

1. Select the cell or cells where you want to have the dropdown.
   
   
2. Go to “Data” and select “Data validation.”
   
   
3. Make sure the cell range is correct, then, under “Criteria” select “List of items.”
   
   
4. In the box, type your items, and separate each item with a comma. For example, you can type “Male,Female,Not Specified” for a gender dropdown.
   
   
5. Check the box for “Show dropdown list in cell”. If you want to be strict about input, choose “Reject input” under “On invalid data.”
   
   
6. Click “Save” to finalize your dropdown.

Now, your chosen cells will have a dropdown where you can pick from the options you entered.

If someone tries to put in something else, the entry will be rejected and an error message will appear.

This message will tell the user to pick one of the valid values.

Changing Your Dropdown List in Google Sheets

Sometimes, you’ll need to change your dropdown list. Here’s how to do that:

1. If your dropdown is based on a range of cells, you can modify that source list directly by adding, removing, or editing items.
   
   
   
   
   If your list was created manually, you can edit the list directly within the “Data validation” window.
2. After you update your original list, the dropdown menu will update to reflect those changes. Any existing cells with values that are no longer in the list will be flagged as invalid.
   
3. Just click the dropdown arrow to see the updated list of items.
   
   

If you add or remove items and expand or shrink the range of your list, you’ll need to update the range in the Data validation settings to make sure all the data is captured.

Copying Your Dropdown List in Google Sheets

If you want to add the same dropdown to more cells, you can easily copy and paste it.

1. Select the cell with the dropdown and copy it using right-click > “Copy” or by pressing Ctrl + C.
2. Select the cells you want to add the dropdown to.
3. Right-click the selected cells, go to “Paste special,” and choose “Paste data validation only.”
   
   

This will copy just the dropdown without messing with any other cell formatting.

Removing Your Dropdown List in Google Sheets

If you decide you don’t need a dropdown, you can remove it too.

1. Select the cells that contain the dropdown list you want to remove.
2. Go to “Data” and then “Data validation.”
   
   
3. In the “Data validation” window, click the “Remove validation” button at the bottom.
   
   
4. Click “Save” to remove the dropdown.
   
   

The dropdown will be gone, but the data that was entered using it will still be in the cells.

And that’s all there is to it! Dropdown lists are a great way to make your Google Sheets more efficient and easier to manage. They help ensure everyone uses consistent data, whether you’re collecting feedback, managing a project, or just organizing your information.