How to Create, Edit, and Delete Dropdown Lists in Google Sheets

Quick Tips

• Go to Data > Data Validation, select the cells, choose Dropdown under Criteria, and click on Add Rule.
• Now, enter all the values for the Dropdown list in cells. Customize your dropdown options by assigning colors for better visibility.
• You can update or remove dropdown lists in Data -> Data Validation. Edit the list, and click the trash icon to delete the entire list if it’s no longer needed.

How to Create a Dropdown List on Google Sheets

Here’s how to create a dropdown list on Google Sheets by manually adding the options.

Step 1: Click on the data option on the toolbar. Click on Data Validation.

Step 2: Select all the cells you want to add a dropdown list for. Click on the Dropdown under Criteria.

Step 3: Click on Add Rule.

Step 4: You will get to create an option. Enter the name for the option.

Step 5: To enter another option, click on Add another item.

Step 6: You can also add colors to the options. Click on the button indicating the color next to the option and select your desired color.

Step 7: In case you want to delete an option, simply click on the trash icon next to an option.

Step 8: You get a few more options to modify the dropdown list. Click on Advanced options.

Step 9: You get to add a warning or reject an invalid input, show help text for the dropdown menu, or change the display style of the dropdown menu.

If you do not want to manually add options to your dropdown list, here’s how you can use existing spreadsheet data and create a dropdown list on Google Sheets.

How to Create a Dropdown List from Existing Data on Google Sheets

Step 1: Click on Data on the toolbar, and select Data Validation.

Step 2: Select all the cells in which you want to add to the dropdown list. Click on Add Rule.

Step 3: Select Dropdown (from a range) under Criteria.

Step 4: Under the Criteria option, enter the cell range that contains the data for the dropdown list.

Step 5: The dropdown list will be created with an option from the range of cells that are selected.

Edit or Delete a Dropdown List on Google Sheets

Here’s how you can modify, or delete a dropdown list on Google Sheets.

Step 1: Click on the Data option on the toolbar. Click on Data Validation.

Step 2: Select the dropdown list from the sidebar, based on the range of cells displayed under the data validation rule.

Step 3: You will get all the options to edit or modify the dropdown list.

Step 4: In case you want to delete a dropdown list on Google Sheets, all you need to do is go to Data -> Data Validation and click on the trash icon next to the data validation rule for the list.

Copy a Dropdown List in Google Sheets

Here’s how you can copy a dropdown list on Google Sheets.

Step 1: Select all the cells of the dropdown list that you want to copy.

Step 2: Right-click and select Copy.

You can either paste the dropdown list as is or paste the dropdown list without the selection options. We’ll show you how to do the former.

Note: If you are unable to copy-paste on Google Sheets, download and install the Google Sheets Offline extension on your browser. (Chrome, Edge and Brave browser)

Click on Paste, and the dropdown list will be copied as it is, with the selected options.

Here’s what a copied dropdown list will look like.

However, if you want to paste the list without the selected options, click on Paste->Paste Special and select Data Validation Only.

The selected options will not apply to the newly copied dropdown list on Google Sheets.

Apply Conditional Formatting to a Dropdown List on Google Sheets

Conditional formatting lets you format data in a cell based on various specified conditions. For example, you might want to underline an option, add a background color to a specific option, or make a specific response bold in the dropdown list.

Here’s how you can apply conditional formatting to a dropdown list on Google Sheets.

Step 1: Select all the cells you want to add conditional formatting rules. Right-click and select Conditional formatting.

Step 2: Select the condition under the Format cells if option. Click to open the dropdown menu, and select the condition you want.

Step 3: Select the desired formatting style based on the condition.

Also Read: How to get dark mode in Google Sheets