You can add a drop down list in a cell, to make it easy for people to enter data. It's really easy to make a simple drop down. Then, after you've made a basic list, experiment with fancier features, like hiding items that have been previously selected.

In a new worksheet, type the entries you want to appear in your drop-down list. Ideally, you’ll have your list items in an Excel table. If you don’t, then you can quickly convert your list to a table by selecting any cell in the range, and pressing Ctrl+T. Drop down list and Conditional formatting tools are very useful in Excel 2016, to view your data in a particular format manner. You can create a dropdown list in google sheets using the same method. You can create a dropdown list in google sheets using the same method. Here are the steps to create a drop-down list in Excel: Select the cell or range of cells where you want the drop-down list to appear (C2 in this example). Go to Data – Data Tools – Data Validation. In the Data Validation dialogue box, within the settings tab, select ‘List’ as Validation Criteria. In a new worksheet, type the entries you want to appear in your drop-down list. Ideally, you’ll have your list items in an Excel table. If you don’t, then you can quickly convert your list to a table by selecting any cell in the range, and pressing Ctrl+T.

Create Drop Down List In Excel For Mac

Make a Basic Drop Down List

It's easy to make a drop down list with Data Validation. In this example, people will pick the name of the printers that they use in the office.

List the Items

First, create a list of printers for the drop down

• List the printers on a different sheet, in a single column
• Then, to name the list, select all the cells, click in the Name Box, type a one-word name 'PrimaryList', and press Enter

Here is the name, 'PrimaryList', being typed in the Name Box.

Create the Drop Down List

Next, select the cell(s) where you want the drop down list to appear

• On the Excel Ribbon, click the Data tab
• Click the Data Validation command
• From the Allow drop down, select List
• Click in the Source box, and press the F3 key, to see a list of the names in the workbook
• Click on the PrimaryList name, and click OK. That name is added to the Source box, with an equal sign in front of it
• Click OK, to create the drop down list in the cell.

Select an Item

Now, when the cell is active, you can see an arrow at the right border. Click the arrow, and select your primary printer from the list.

That blue cell has also been named – PPSel (short for Primary Printer Selected)

Hide Used Items

Now it's time to make the data entry sheet a little fancier. We'll add two more drop down lists, where people can choose the names of the backup printers that they use.

How To Create A Dropdown List In Excel For Mac Shortcut

The list of printers is almost the same, but we don't want them to pick their primary printer again. That printer should be removed from the list.

Number the Unused Items

To check which printer was selected as the primary printer, we'll add a formula in the column beside the PrimaryList.

Flash Fill For Mac?

NOTE: I've formatted the list as a named Excel Table, so when I enter the formula in the first row, it will automatically fill down to the last row.

• The new column has the heading NotUsed.
• The formula in cell C4 is:

=IF(COUNTIF(PPSel,[@Printer]),',SUM(MAX(C$3:C3),1))

That numbers every row, except the one with the printer selected as the Primary Printer (PPSel)

List the Backup Printers

Next, create another named table, with a list of ID numbers from 1 to 10 (to match the number of printers)

In the column to the right, put the heading, 'Backup'

Put this formula in the first data row in that column:

=IF(E4>MAX(Table1[NotUsed]),', INDEX(PrimaryList, MATCH([@ID], Table1[NotUsed],0)))

How Do You Populate One Sheet With A Certain Value From ...

The formula:

• Checks the ID number, to see if it's greater than the MAX number in the NotUsed column
• If it is greater the result is an empty string
• Otherwise, it uses MATCH to find the position of that ID number, in the NotUsed column
• The INDEX function returns the printer name from that row.

Name the Backup List

Next, you'll create a dynamic named range with the list of Backup Printers.

• Select the cell F2, just above the 'Backup' heading cell
• On the Excel Ribbon, click the Formulas tab, and click Define Name
• Type 'BackupList' as the name
• In the Refers to box, enter the following OFFSET formula, and click OK

=OFFSET(Lists!$F$3,1,0,MAX(Table1[NotUsed]),1)

See Full List On Wikihow.com

The formula returns a range of cells, with the number of rows based on the maximum number in the NotUsed column. You can see that range outlined with a green dashed line, in the screenshot below.

Add the Backup Printer Drop Down Lists

As the final step, add two more drop down lists on the data entry sheet.

For these drop downs, use the named range that you just created – BackupList

After you select a Primary Printer, its name won't appear in the list for the Backup Printer selection cells.

Get the Sample Workbook

How To Make Drop Down List In Excel Macro

There are other examples, and the sample workbook for this example, on the Hide Used Items page of my Contextures site.

Excel 365 For Mac: Using Data Lists To Populate Drop Down ...

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