How to Create Drop-Down List in Microsoft Excel

Quick summary

A dropdown list in Microsoft Excel restricts cell input to a predefined set of options using the Data Validation tool. This step-by-step walkthrough shows you how to select cells, configure validation criteria, and link a source range to create a fully functional dropdown.

Steps

1. Open the Excel file where you want to create a dropdown list.
2. Select the cells where you want the dropdown list to be displayed.
3. On the Excel ribbon, click Data and select Data Validation.
4. Under Validation criteria, choose List as the allowed input type.
5. Click the up arrow in the Source field to open the cell range selector.
6. Select the cells you want to appear as options in the dropdown list, then click the down arrow to confirm.
7. Select the appropriate label for each employee you want to categorize using the dropdown.