How to Add a Google Sheets Dropdown List

Key takeaways

Adding a Google Sheets dropdown can help enhance organization and collaboration, and provide a narrow range of options to collaborators. 

• Create a dropdown menu in just a few easy steps: open Google Sheets, click Insert from the menu, and select Dropdown to set the rules and use optional advanced options.

• To insert a dropdown, you can either click on the cell and enter @ to access a menu of preset options or click Insert and Dropdown. 

• You can edit your dropdown by selecting the cell you want to change, clicking on Data and Data validation, and making any necessary changes. 

Learn how to add a dropdown list in Google Sheets using the menu navigation or a keyboard shortcut. Then, if you’d like to continue exploring ways to use Google Workspace, consider enrolling in the Getting Started with Google Workspace Specialization. During this nine-course series, you’ll have an opportunity to develop skills in file management and data visualization and become more familiar with working with and configuring Google Workspace. Learn at a flexible pace while gaining a deeper understanding of products like Google Docs, Sheets, u Slides. 

Why add a Google Sheets dropdown menu

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. 

Read more: Google Sheets Dynamic Charts: How to Build Visuals That Update Automatically

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. 

Can you make a collapsible list in Google Sheets?

Yes, just open the sheet, select the rows  you want to collapse, right-click on them, and select Group rows [M-P]. After grouping them, click the minus sign (-) on the left-hand side of the group. It will collapse the rows and transform into a plus sign (+) that you can click to expand the rows when needed. Collapsible lists offer you an efficient way to organize and navigate large and complex data sets. It also enhances the presentation and aids both you and any collaborators in focusing on specific data points. 

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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