In step 6 (the Source box), leave out the equal sign and just enter the choices. When they move to a different cell, the drop-down list disappears, but the selected value remains visible.Īs a side note, if you don't want to place your data list in a worksheet, then you can enter the choices directly into the Data Validation dialog box. The user can select one of the employees but cannot enter a different name. Clicking on the list provides a drop-down listing all the employees. Now, whenever someone selects the cell you used in step 1, they'll see a drop-down list arrow to the right of the cell. (This is the name you earlier gave to the employee list.) Don't forget the equal sign it is very important. Make sure the In-Cell Dropdown check box is selected.
On a new worksheet, enter the employee names in any manner desired. Read on to see how to create dependent dropdown lists in Excel. A better approach to entering dates in a list is to use a date control like the Microsoft Date and Time Picker. You can create this list almost anywhere, but for design purposes it is a good idea to put the list on a different worksheet than the one where the data entry will be.įor example, let's say that you want a list of employee names. You can use Data Validation to ensure that proper dates are entered into cells, but I would not recommend using a drop-down list, unless you know exactly the date range you want in the list. Start by creating a list of the values that you want available in the drop-down list. Once the user makes a selection and moves to a different cell, the arrow for the drop-down list disappears. This list allows users to select the cell and then select from a list of pre-defined values for that cell. One of the really cool uses for the data validation feature in Excel is the ability to create a single-use drop-down list.