Need to add a drop-down list to your spreadsheet? This can be useful for forms, tracking sheets, and more.

The simplest way to create a drop-down list in Excel 2013/2016 involves listing the choices in a dialog box. This method works best if you are going to create just a few cells with drop-down lists, because in order to change the choices you would have to modify every cell where it appears. But for simple situations, it’s a great method.

Follow the steps in the video above, or:

1. From the DATA tab, select Data Validation.
2. Click Data Validation in the drop-down list.
3. In the dialog box, select List from the Allow drop-down menu.
4. In the source field, type the choices you’d like your drop down menu to include, separated by commas. (Note: leave “Ignore blank” checked if you want blank cells to be allowed.)
5. Click OK.

Now, spreadsheet users will be prompted to select from the drop-down menu when entering data into that cell. Copy the empty box to other cells to include the drop-down menu there.