Drop-down lists can be very useful to create in Google Sheets when you want to show a specific list of items for users to select from.
In Google Sheets, you can also create dependent drop-down lists. This means that when a user makes a selection in the first list, the second list will only display relevant values depending on what they selected.
In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a dependent drop-down list in Google Sheets.
Creating a Dependent Drop Down List
Here is what you need to do to create a dependent drop-down list in Google Sheets:
1. The first thing you need to do is create the lists that contain the values you want in your drop-down lists. An important thing to note is that your header rows cannot contain any spaces. This is important because we will be creating named ranges with them.
10. In any cell, we need to now create an INDIRECT formula that references the cell our first drop-down list is in. In my example, I am using cell D1, so my INDIRECT function is =INDIRECT(D1)
Closing Thoughts
We have known shown you the basics of creating a conditional drop-down list. Whatever you select in the first list will change the options in the second list.
This is just scratching the surface of what is possible. Your drop-down list options are dynamic, so if your values in your ranges ever change, your options in the drop-down list will also change.
One tip that you might find useful is to leave a much larger range in step 13. This will allow room for your values to grow so your list stays dynamic.
You can also use this method and create lists from another sheet, you will just have to change your cell references to pull from a different sheet. This can be useful if you dont want your list and all the options to appear on the same sheet.
More Google Sheets Tutorials:
How to Transpose Data
How to Create Dynamic Named Ranges
How to Use the IMPORTRANGE Function