Drop-Down Menus are a great way to sort and organize your data. Sometimes, you have a lot of typing that has to be done as you conduct your analysis, and a Drop-Down Menu will allow you to quickly and accurately fill in your desired columns.
Step #1: Create a Reference Column
The first step will be to create a column of all the options that you want to appear in the Drop-Down Menu. Simply make a column and put it somewhere off to the side of your actual table.
This will help you later when you want to quickly reference all of the items that you want to have access to in your Drop-Down Menu.
In this case, it will be a list of fictional grocery stores that we will be visiting.
Step #2: Highlight the Cells
Next, you will select the cells that you wish to apply the Drop-Down Menu to.
I personally like to highlight the cells, but you could always remotely reference the cells for later, if you are good at that.
Step #3: "Data Validation"
In the "Data" menu, you will find the tool labeled "Data Validation", which will be the tool with which you will create the Drop-Down Menu.
Step #4: "Data Validation" Menu
The "Data Validation" box will be where you actually create the Drop-Down Menu. First, you will reference where you want the menu to appear; we already did this by preliminarily highlighting the Column.
Next, you will enter the range of items that you wish to appear in your menu. You can do this by referencing the range manually, or by just highlighting that column, as well.
Step #5: Test it!
Your last step will be to test the menu and see if it works. As you can see from the example shown above, the list of grocery stores ported perfectly into the Drop-Down Menu, and you will now be able to fill out the column with ease.
And that is how you set up and use a Drop-Down Menu in Google Sheets.