Drop down list in excel manual#

Now imagine if we have a 1000 rows and there are slight differences in the format of the entry, no matter it was done by different people, we вЂll never be able to work on that and we might end up in correcting all the data wasting our time and resources. If we keep the field just open for the entry, if there are a number of people filling up that data, there are bright chances of format problems.

Drop down list in excel manual#

If we have to work on the manual entries after the data has been filled, it can cause so much trouble for us if the data is not in the perfect format. Many a times we have fields which have limited type of entries and which canвЂ™t be given to the user for manual entry. The data validation is a very important aspect of any data filling job.

It gives us the power to condition the values which can be entered and rejected into any cell. You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech CommunityВ or get support in the Answers community.Data validation means to check the data before entry. To delete a drop-down list, see Remove a drop-down list. If you decide you want to change the options in your drop-down list, see Add or remove items from a drop-down list. For example, you might want to check to see if Change the column width and row height to show all your entries.

If you donвЂ™t want a message to show up, clear the check box.ДЄfter you create your drop-down list, make sure it works the way you want. If you want a message to pop up when someone enters something that's not in your list, check the Show Alert checkbox, pick an option in Type, and type a title and message. If you donвЂ™t want a message to show up, clear the check box. If you want a message to pop up when the cell is clicked, check the Show message checkbox, and type a title and message in the boxes (up to 225 characters). You can also just type a list of entries in the Source box, separated by a comma like this: Just include the cells that should appear in the drop-down. 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. Go to the Data tab on the Ribbon, then click Data Validation. Select the cell in the worksheet where you want the drop-down list. Now is a good time to Sort your data in the order you want it to appear in your drop-down list. Why should you put your data in a table? When your data is in a table, then as you add or remove items from the list, any drop-downs you based on that table will automatically update. To stop people from entering data that isnвЂ™t in the drop-down list, click Stop. Information will show a message with this icon and Warning will show a message with this icon. To show a message that doesnвЂ™t stop people from entering data that isnвЂ™t in the drop-down list, click Information or Warning. Not sure which option to pick in the Style box?

If you want a message to pop up when someone enters something that's not in your list, check the Show error alert after invalid data is entered box, pick an option from the Style box, and type a title and message. If you want a message to pop up when the cell is clicked, check the Show input message when cell is selected box, and type a title and message in the boxes (up to 225 characters). If itвЂ™s OK for people to leave the cell empty, check the Ignore blank box.

Note that we left out the header row, because we don't want that to be a selection option: We put ours on a sheet called Cities, in range A2:A9. On the Settings tab, in the Allow box, click List.Д¬lick in the Source box, then select your list range. Unlock specific areas of a protected workbook or stop sharing the worksheet, and then try step 3 again. Note:В If you canвЂ™t click Data Validation, the worksheet might be protected or shared.