An in-cell dropdown list in Google Sheets is a feature that provides a list of selectable options within a specified cell. This simplifies data entry for you enabling selecting from the list instead of manually inputting data, thereby maintaining uniformity and consistency.
The following is a set of instructions on how to create an in-cell dropdown list in Google Sheets.
Select the cells to which you want to add the in-cell dropdown list
In order to specify to which cells the dropdown list should be added in a Google Sheets document, select the relevant cells.
Insert the in-cell dropdown list
At the top, click on the “Insert” menu and then on “Dropdown.”
Add options to the in-cell dropdown list
On the Data validation rules panel, in the “Criteria” section, type the options you want to add to your in-cell dropdown list. For illustrative purposes, we chose “Option 1” and “Option 2,” but you can choose whatever text you want and you can click on “Add another item” to add more options. Once you’re done, click on “Done.”
Customize the in-cell dropdown list
The appearance of your in-cell dropdown list can be modified by automating changes in the color of the cells based on the selection option and by changing its display style. Let’s explore each option.
Change color of the cells based on the selected option
You make the color of a cell change based on the selected option of your in-cell dropdown list. In order to do so, on the Data validation rules panel, you can change the color of each option by clicking on the circle to the left of each one.
Change the display style of the in-cell dropdown list
Google Sheets offers three display styles for dropdown lists:
- Chip, which displays the options as small, rectangular buttons;
- Arrow, which displays the options as with a down arrow
- Plain text, which display the options as plain text
Save the in-cell dropdown list
Once you have finished setting up your in-cell dropdown list in Google Sheets, click on the “Done” button, found at the bottom of the Data validation rules panel. This final step ensures all the set up of your in-cell dropdown list is saved.
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