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

1. Prepare your list items
   Enter the items you want to appear in the drop-down list in a column on your worksheet or a separate sheet. For example, list "Complete", "In Progress", "Status Unknown" in cells A1:A3.

2. Select the cell(s) for the drop-down
   Click the cell or select the range of cells where you want the drop-down list to appear.

3. Open Data Validation
   Go to the Data tab on the Ribbon, then click Data Validation in the Data Tools group.

4. Set up the drop-down list
   In the Data Validation dialog box, on the Settings tab, choose List from the Allow dropdown.

5. Specify the source

   • If you prepared your list in cells, click the Source box, then select the range containing your list items (e.g., A1:A3).
   • Alternatively, type the list items directly in the Source box, separated by commas, e.g., Complete,In Progress,Status Unknown.

6. Configure options

   • Make sure In-cell dropdown is checked so the drop-down arrow appears.
   • Optionally, check Ignore blank if you want to allow empty entries.

7. Click OK
   Your drop-down list is now created. Click the arrow in the cell to see and select from your list.

Additional tips:

• If your list is in a table, the drop-down will update automatically when you add or remove items from the table.
• You can add input messages or error alerts in the Data Validation dialog to guide users.
• To edit the list later, go back to Data Validation and modify the Source.
• To remove the drop-down, clear the Data Validation from the cell(s).

This method works in Excel desktop and Microsoft 365 versions

. Example for quick entry in Source box:
Fruit,Vegetables,Grains,Dairy,Snacks Example for using a range on another sheet:

• Put list items on Sheet2!A1:A5
• In Source box, enter: =Sheet2!A1:A5

This creates a neat, user-friendly drop-down list for data entry and helps prevent errors