
To insert a Combo Box (Form Control), click on DEVELOPER tab > Insert > Combo Box (Form Control) There are two types of Combo Box: Form Control and ActiveX Control, both are very similar.Ĭlick here if you want to know the difference between ActiveX Control and Form Control.Ĭlick here if you cannot find the Developer tab. In that case, you can consider using Combo Box (Form Control) or Combo Box (ActiveX Control). Note carefully that users can bypass data validation by copying and pasting a Cell to the data validation Cell. You can customize the error message / message box in Input Message / Error Alert tab. If you type a value not in the list, an error message will prompt.

If you use Name Range for Source, use INDIRECT Function. Under Settings, select List for Allow, and then select the data Range in Source. In worksheet “Sheet1”, select Cell A1, select tab DATA > Data Validation You can also create a dynamic Name Range with number of row expanding depending on number of data you have input. Lets say we want to create a drop down box that only allow users to choose fruit name.Ĭreate a worksheet named “data” in which we put our Combo Box values inside, type the fruit name in column A. – Combo Box (Active X Control) Excel Data Validation

There are three kinds o f drop down box in Excel (in order of difficulty) If you want to design an Excel template to restrict users to input specific values instead of free text, you need to create a drop down box for users to choose values from.

This Excel tutorial explains how to create Data Validation (drop down box) and Combo Box (Form Control / ActiveX Control).Įxcel Indirect Function to convert text to ReferenceĮxcel difference between Form Controls vs ActiveX Controls Excel Data Validation and Combo Box
