How to Delete a Drop Down List in Excel
Microsoft Excel: How to Remove a Drop-Down List
- Small Business |
- Accounting & Bookkeeping |
- Excel
Excel's drop-down menus are useful for creating order forms and navigation for larger files like records of sales. The options in the menus are references to cells elsewhere on the spreadsheet. Sometimes these references are entered purely for use in the menu, while at other times times they are in use elsewhere. This means that in the former case, you'll need to find and delete these options to remove the drop-down completely. The data in the cells remains intact even after you've removed the drop-down data constraints.
When to Keep Drop-Down Options
If you're drawing your menu options from a part of the spreadsheet that is in active use, such as the headers in a table, or as options for another menu, you should not delete them. Likewise, if you think you'll need to recreate this menu again in the future, you should keep them menu options to save yourself from having to type them out again. However, if you entered them solely to use in the menu, you can delete them to keep your spreadsheet tidier and smaller in file size.
Deleting Menu Options
Launch your spreadsheet and click the cell containing the drop-down menu. Click the "Data" tab and then click "Data Validation." Click the icon to the right of the "Source" text box. The Data Validation window minimizes and you go to the location of the menu options. Delete them all from the spreadsheet.
Deleting Single Menu Items
In some circumstances you might want to delete some of your menu items but not the entire menu. Go to the Data Validation dialog menu in the same way as if you were deleting the menu options, but instead of deleting them all, simply delete only the ones you want to remove. You may also have to cut and paste the remaining options so that there are no gaps in the list. When you're done, select the remaining options and click the source button again.
Deleting the Drop-Down Menu
Be sure that you want to delete the menu before you proceed, as you'll be removing it and any options associated with it from the spreadsheet. If you've just deleted your menu items, you should now be back at the Data Validation dialog box. If you skipped that step, click the cell that contains the menu and then click "Data Validation" from the "Data" tab. Click the "Clear All" button in the lower-left corner of the dialog window and then click "OK." The drop-down menu is removed from the cell.
References
Writer Bio
Warren Davies has been writing since 2007, focusing on bespoke projects for online clients such as PsyT and The Institute of Coaching. This has been alongside work in research, web design and blogging. A Linux user and gamer, warren trains in martial arts as a hobby. He has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in psychology, and further qualifications in statistics and business studies.
How to Delete a Drop Down List in Excel
Source: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/microsoft-excel-remove-dropdown-list-75089.html