Follow the steps below to create a drop-down list using data validation in Excel. If you want to add a message pop up, you can click the Input Message tab and check the checkbox for “Show input ...

To the right, you see labels and formats in preparation for creating the Excel drop down list. To create the Region list, do the following: Select H2.

Figure A We’ll add a data validation control to this sheet. Click the Data tab, and then, click Data Validation in the Data Tools group. In the resulting dialog, choose List from the Allow dropdown.

You can easily create a drop-down list in Excel to limit the values that can be entered in a column. This data validation helps prevent mistakes, such as misspellings.