How to add a drop down list in Google Sheets

Are you a regular Google Sheets user? If so, adding drop-down lists to your workflow could save you a lot of time. This is especially true if you're building a spreadsheet that requires selecting from several options over and over. It's one thing if you have to type something a couple of times, but when you have to type those same items repeatedly, that repetition adds up. 

Also: How to add conditional formatting to a Google Sheets drop-down list

Or maybe you're sharing the new Sheet with other users, and you want to limit or simplify the data entry process as much as possible. 

Ergo… drop-downs.

Creating a drop-down in Google Sheets is actually much easier than you might think, thanks to a handy, built-in GUI. Let me show you two different methods for taking care of this handy task.

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And thus, without further ado, let's get to creating.

Requirements

The only thing you'll need to follow along is a Google account and the ability to create a new Sheet within either Google Drive or Google Docs. That's it, let's get to work.

Update: The easiest Sheets drop down method

Since writing this piece, Google has made adding drop downs even easier than it used to be. 

After configuring the drop down, click Done and it's ready to use.

Creating your Sheets drop down the old way

You might also check the box associated with Show Validation Help Text, as that will give the user help; should they input invalid data, they will get a warning.

After configuring your drop down list, click Save to save the information. 

Using the drop down list

After creating the drop down list, it'll appear in a sheet with a downward-pointing arrow. All a user has to do is click the drop down and select from the options you've made available (Figure 3).

You might also consider adding a cell either above or directly to the left of the drop down and add content to that new cell indicating what the drop down is used for.

And that's all there is to adding a drop down list in Google Sheets. And here you thought it was going to be a complicated task. Next time around, we'll learn how to add conditional formatting to your drop-down lists for even more spreadsheet fun.