how to create drop down list in excel

To create a drop-down list in Excel, follow these steps:

1. First, prepare the list of items you want to include in the drop-down list by typing them in a range of cells somewhere in your spreadsheet (e.g., on another sheet).
2. Select the cell or cells where you want the drop-down list to appear.
3. Go to the Data tab on the Excel ribbon and click on Data Validation in the Data Tools group.
4. In the Data Validation dialog box, under the Settings tab, choose "List" in the Allow field.
5. In the Source box, either type the items separated by commas (e.g., Complete, In Progress, Status Unknown) or select the cell range where your list items are located.
6. Make sure the "In-cell dropdown" checkbox is checked to show the drop-down arrow.
7. Click OK.

Now the selected cell(s) will have a drop-down list from which you can select one of the predefined options. This method works for a single cell or multiple cells at once. You can also hide the sheet containing your list if you do not want users to access it. For more dynamic lists, you can use Excel tables or named ranges as the source for the drop-down list, allowing the list to update automatically when items are added or removed. This method is applicable to Excel desktop and Microsoft 365 versions.