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how do i fix a drop down list in excel

by Alia Bosco II Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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  • In a new worksheet, type the entries you want to appear in your drop-down list. ...
  • Select the cell in the worksheet where you want the drop-down list.
  • Go to the Data tab on the Ribbon, then Data Validation. ...
  • On the Settings tab, in the Allow box, click List.
  • Click in the Source box, then select your list range. ...

More items...

Edit a drop-down list with items that have been entered manually
  1. On the worksheet where you applied the drop-down list, select a cell that has the drop-down list.
  2. Go to Data > Data Validation.
  3. On the Settings tab, click in the Source box, and then change your list items as needed.

Full Answer

How do you delete a drop down box in Excel?

Remove a drop-down list

  • Select the cell with the drop-down list. If you have multiple cells with drop-down lists that you want to delete, you can use Ctrl+Left click to select them.
  • Click Data > Data Validation.
  • On the Settings tab, click Clear All.
  • Click OK

How do you modify a drop down list in Excel?

There are various ways of editing drop-downs lists in excel; they are:

  • Giving Drop Down Values Manually and using data validation.
  • Giving Drop Down Ranges and using Data Validation.
  • Creating a Table and using Data Validation.

How to pick from drop down list?

  • Switch to the worksheet containing the list items.
  • In the column next to the list items add their corresponding values to be used in the form cell (as shown in Figure 9). ...
  • Switch back to the worksheet containing the form.
  • Select the form cell that will contain the value associated with the selected drop-down item.

More items...

How do you delete a list in Excel?

We need to follow the below steps to delete name range:

  1. Click on the Formulas Tab
  2. Click on Name Manager.
  3. The shortcut Key is CTRL+F3 on your keyboard.
  4. Select the Name Range which you want to Delete
  5. Here we have already created the Named Range as “Months”
  6. Select the Name Range “Months”
  7. Click Delete
  8. Click on Close to close the Name Manager dialogue box

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How to Create An Excel Drop-Down List

On the whole, there are 4 ways to make a drop down menu in Excel, and all of them have their own strong and weak points. Below you will find a quic...

Creating A Drop-Down List from Another Workbook

You can make a drop-down menu in Excel using a list from another workbook as the source. To do this, you will have to create 2 named ranges - one i...

Excel Data Validation Does Not Work

The Data Validation option is greyed out or disabled? There are a few reasons why that might happen: 1. Drop-down lists can't be added to protected...

Additional Options For The Excel Drop-Down Box

In most cases, the Settings tab's options we've discussed above absolutely suffice. If they don't, two more options are available on the other tabs...

How to Edit An Excel Drop Down List

After you've created a drop-down list in Excel, you might want to add more entries to it or delete some of the existing items. How you do this depe...

How to Delete A Drop-Down List

If you no longer want to have drop-down boxes in your Excel worksheet, you can remove them from some or all cells. 1. Removing a drop-down menu fro...

How to edit drop down boxes in Excel?

all cells which have a drop-down box is applied, and you wanted to edit. From Excel Ribbon, click Data tab > Data Validation.

Why are drop down lists useful?

Excel drop-down lists are very useful to view a large amount of data in a small area. They also allow you to add limitations for users to make any additional changes other than recommended. There might be some situations where you, being a source, wanted to update the contents of drop-down lists.

Can you create a drop down list in Excel without a name?

However, it is also possible to create a drop-down list without providing the name to the range.

Can you edit a drop down list based on a table range?

The answer is yes! However, there is no conventional way to edit the drop-down list based on a Table Range. The reason behind it is, when we use Table as a source/range to a drop-down list, the range gets fixed under Name Manager. You can’t edit the range there.

Why do we use drop downs in Excel?

The main purpose of using drop down lists in Excel is to limit the number of choices available for the user. Apart from that, a dropdown prevents spelling mistakes and makes data input faster. How to create a drop-down list in Excel. Make a drop-down list from another workbook.

How to change the cell references in Excel?

Click Data Validation on the Data tab. In the Excel Data Validation window, on the Settings tab, change the cell references in the Source box. You can either edit them manually or click the Collapse Dialog icon. Click the OK button to save the changes and close the window.

How to select non-contiguous cells in Excel?

You can even select non-contiguous cells by pressing and holding the Ctrl key while selecting the cells with the mouse. 2. Use Excel Data Validation to create a drop-down list. On the Excel ribbon, go to the Data tab > Data Tools group and click Data Validation. 3. Enter the list items and choose the options.

Can you create a dynamic drop down menu in Excel?

If you often edit the items in the drop-down menu, you may want to create a dynamic drop down list in Excel. In this case, your list will get updated automatically in all the cells that contain it, once you remove or add new entries to the source list.

Can you edit drop down list in Excel?

By default, the drop-down list you create in Excel is non-editable, i .e. restricted to the values in the list. However, you can allow your users to enter their own values.

Can you edit a named range?

If you have created a named range based drop-down box, then you can just edit your range's items and then change the reference to the Named Range. All drop-down boxes based on this named range will get updated automatically.

Does dropdown list update automatically?

The dropdown list created in this way won't update automatically when you add or remove entries in the source list and you will have to modify the source list reference manually.

How to Edit Drop-Down List in Excel?

There are three methods explained on how to edit the drop-down list in excel:

Explanation of Edit Drop-Down List in Excel

I have already explained above why we need drop-down lists in our data. It helps guide a user to manually enter values in a cell with some specific values to choose from.

Things to Remember While Editing Drop-Down List in Excel

If we enter to drop down values manually or set ranges, then any newer entry needs to be inserted with a new drop-down list.

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to Edit Drop-Down List in Excel. Here we discuss how to Edit Drop-Down List in Excel along with examples and downloadable excel templates. You may also look at these useful functions in excel –

Why edit a drop-down list in Excel?

A drop-down list is a wonderful tool that many professionals use to create forms for colleagues to fill out or develop guidelines that are easy to understand. While using this feature can improve collaboration and streamline processes, you may want to occasionally update the items you include in a drop-down list to ensure they remain relevant.

How to edit a manually entered list in Excel

Here are some steps you can follow to edit a manually entered list in Excel:

Tips to edit drop-down lists in Excel

Here are some additional tips to help you stay organized and improve your efficiency when editing drop-down lists in Excel:

Community Q&A

How can I add a drop down list, but not show all of the items in each row?

Tips

After you finish creating your drop-down list, open the drop-down list to make sure all the items you entered display properly. In some cases, you may need to widen the cell in order to display all your items fully.

Warnings

You will not be able to access the "Data Validation" menu if your worksheet is protected or shared. In this case, make sure to remove the protection or unshare the document, and then try to access the Data Validation menu again.

About This Article

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards.

How to add drop down list in Excel?

Drop-down lists make it easier and more efficient to enter data into your spreadsheets. Simply click the arrow and select an option. You can add drop-down lists to cells in Excel containing options such as Yes and No, Male and Female, or any other custom list of options.

Where is the down arrow button in Excel?

When the cell containing the drop-down list is selected, you’ll see a down arrow button to the right of the cell. If you added an input message, it displays below the cell. The down arrow button only displays when the cell is selected. Click the down arrow button to drop down the list of options and select one.

What does "ignore blank" mean in Excel?

The “Ignore blank” check box is checked by default. This means that the user can select the cell and then deselect the cell without selecting an item. If you want to require the user to select an option from the drop-down list, uncheck the Ignore blank check box.

Can you have multiple drop down lists in Excel?

If you have many drop-down lists you need to add on a worksheet, you may want to put the lists of options on another worksheet in the same workbook. You can hide the worksheet containing your lists of options to prevent them from being changed.

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Example #2 – Editing Named Range Drop Down List

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What if you have created a drop-down list using named ranges? Suppose you have employee names recorded in alphabetical order in one column of excel. The range of Employee Names is named as Employees by you. Now, whenever you’ll be creating a drop-down list based on this range, you’ll use the range name “Employe…
See more on educba.com

Things to Remember About Drop Down List in Excel

  1. Excel drop-down lists based on Named Ranges provide a name to the drop-down range, which can be used while creating the drop-down list as a reference instead of giving a full cell reference (which...
  2. A drop-down list based on table ranges is the best source to create a drop-down list as it allows the drop-down list to update automatically as soon as we add the entries to the data t…
  1. Excel drop-down lists based on Named Ranges provide a name to the drop-down range, which can be used while creating the drop-down list as a reference instead of giving a full cell reference (which...
  2. A drop-down list based on table ranges is the best source to create a drop-down list as it allows the drop-down list to update automatically as soon as we add the entries to the data table. Which a...

Recommended Articles

  • This has been a guide to Drop Down List in Excel. Here we discussed How to Edit Drop Down List in Excel along with Examples and a downloadable excel template. You may also look at the following articles to learn more – 1. How to Create a Drop-Down List in Excel? 2. How to Edit Drop Down List in Excel? 3. Excel Drop Down List 4. Excel List Box
See more on educba.com

1.Videos of How Do I Fix a Drop Down List in Excel

Url:/videos/search?q=how+do+i+fix+a+drop+down+list+in+excel&qpvt=how+do+i+fix+a+drop+down+list+in+excel&FORM=VDRE

6 hours ago  · 8. Drop Down List is not Working After Copy Paste. In the earlier version of Excel, you may not copy and paste the Drop Down list keeping with the source formatting. Though you can simply use the CTRL+C (copy) and CTRL+V (paste) in the updated version of Excel. If you use the earlier version, select the Paste Special option while pasting the data.

2.Excel Drop Down List Not Working (8 Issues and Solutions)

Url:https://www.exceldemy.com/excel-drop-down-list-not-working/

29 hours ago On the Data tab, click Data Validation. Place the cursor in the Source box or click the Collapse Dialog icon, and select the range of cells to include in your drop-down list. The range may be in the same or in a different worksheet. If the latter, you simply go to the other sheet and select a range using a mouse.

3.How to Edit Drop Down List in Excel? - EDUCBA

Url:https://www.educba.com/how-to-edit-drop-down-list-in-excel/

29 hours ago  · Select the cell containing the drop-down list, go to the Data tab, and select “Data Validation” in the Data Tools section of the ribbon. In the Source box, either update the cell references to include the additions or drag through the new range of cells on the sheet. Click “OK” to apply the change.

4.Excel drop-down list – how to create, edit and remove …

Url:https://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/2014/09/24/excel-drop-down-list/

28 hours ago On the Settings tab, in the Allow box, click List. If you already made a table with the drop-down entries, click in the Source box, and then click and drag the cells that contain those entries. However, do not include the header cell. Just include the …

5.How to Edit a Drop-Down List in Microsoft Excel

Url:https://www.howtogeek.com/785408/how-to-edit-a-drop-down-list-in-microsoft-excel/

19 hours ago  · In the pop-up window that opens, click on the "Settings" tab. In the text box underneath the word "Source," add or remove your desired list items. Make sure each item in your list is separated by a comma. Click the "OK" button to …

6.How to Edit Drop-Down List in Excel? - WallStreetMojo

Url:https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/edit-drop-down-list-in-excel/

5 hours ago On the worksheet where you applied the drop-down list, select a cell that has the drop-down list. Go to Data > Data Validation . On the Settings tab, click in the Source box, and then change your list items as needed.

7.Create a drop-down list - support.microsoft.com

Url:https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-drop-down-list-7693307a-59ef-400a-b769-c5402dce407b

13 hours ago  · Step 1, Open the Excel spreadsheet file you want to edit. You can find and double-click a saved Excel file on your computer, or open Microsoft Excel and create a new worksheet.Step 2, Enter the list of values for your drop-down in a column. Make sure to enter each drop-down entry in a separate, consecutive cell in the same column. For example, if you …

8.How To Edit a Drop-Down List in Excel (With Step-by-Step …

Url:https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/edit-drop-down-list-excel

35 hours ago  · Now, select the cell into which you want to add a drop-down list and click the “Data” tab. In the Data Tools section of the Data tab, click the “Data Validation” button. The Data Validation dialog box displays. On the Settings tab, select “List” from the Allow drop-down list (see, drop-down lists are everywhere!).

9.Add or remove items from a drop-down list

Url:https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-or-remove-items-from-a-drop-down-list-0b26d3d1-3c4d-41f5-adb4-0addb82e8d2c

15 hours ago

10.How to Create a Drop Down List in Excel (with Pictures)

Url:https://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Drop-Down-List-in-Excel

20 hours ago

11.How to Add a Drop-Down List to a Cell in Excel - How-To …

Url:https://www.howtogeek.com/290104/how-to-add-a-drop-down-list-to-a-cell-in-excel/

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