If the user selects 'Fruit', they see a list of fruits, if they select 'Nut', they see a list of nuts, and if they select 'Vegetable', they see a list of vegetables. In the example shown below, column B provides a dropdown menu for food Category, and column C provides options in the chosen category. Read on to see how to create dependent dropdown lists in Excel. This may sound complicated, but it is actually very simple, and a great example of how INDIRECT can be used. They are created with data validation, using a custom formula based on the INDIRECT function and named ranges.

These kind of lists are called dependent dropdowns, since the list depends on another value. Drop Down List in Excel is mainly used in an organization like data entry and medical transcription & data dashboards to choose and update the validation data in an easier way from the Drop Down list.

a list of foods that depends on category In excel drop-down list is a useful feature that enables us to choose the value from the list box.

In the Source box, type the list name, preceded by an equal sign, e.g.: MyList. As shown in the pic below, I have a created a drop-down list with country names. Select the cells where you want the drop down lists. In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a drop-down filter in Excel so that you can extract data based on the selection from the drop-down.

a list of models that depends on manufacturer Next, you can create one or more drop down lists, based on the name that you just created.

a list of flavors that depends on type of ice cream.

a list of cities that depends on the selected country.

But once you start to use dropdown menus to your spreadsheets, you'll inevitably run into a challenge: how can you make the values in one dropdown list depend on the values in another? In other words, how can you make a dropdown list dynamic? Dropdown lists make it easy for users to enter only data that meets your requirements.ĭropdown lists are easy to create and use. One of the most useful features of data validation is the ability to create a dropdown list that let users select a value from a predefined list. See also: Data validation overview | Data validation formulas

Excel drop down list