How to create a Multiselect Dropdown List in Excel Online

Question

Is there a way to create a multi-select drop-down list in Excel Online? Need a feature similar to Google Sheets Smart Chips

Answer 1

Excel Online does not currently support creating a multi-select drop-down list directly within the application. However, you can create a choice column in Power Apps, which allows for multi-selection functionality. This feature is useful for ensuring data consistency and can be implemented in forms where users can select multiple values from a dropdown list.

For more advanced features similar to Google Sheets' Smart Chips, you might consider using Power Apps or other Microsoft 365 tools that offer more flexibility in form design and data entry options.

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References:

• Types of columns
• Create a choice
• Excel for the web
• Create and use a List slicer (preview)
• Create a list box with option buttons or check boxes

Answer 2

Dear Jerome Perumal,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A. 

Thank you for your question and for sharing your requirement. Based on my understanding, at this time Excel Online does not support creating a multi-select drop-down list natively. This is because the Data Validation feature in Excel only allows single selections per cell, and multi-select functionality is not built into the web version.

However, if you have access to Excel Desktop, you can achieve this using VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). VBA allows you to customize the behavior of drop-down lists so that users can select multiple items in the same cell.

Here are some detailed guides you can refer to for Excel Desktop:

• How to Create Multiple Selections Drop Down List in Excel - Spreadsheeto
• How to create multi-select drop down list in Excel

Note: Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. The sites are not controlled by Microsoft. Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please make sure that you completely understand the risk before retrieving any suggestions from the above link 

 

Multi-select dropdowns are a highly requested feature for Excel Online, but as of now, it’s not available natively. If this feature is critical for your workflow, I recommend submitting feedback via the Microsoft Feedback Portal or using the Help > Feedback option in Excel Online.

I hope this information helps point you in the right direction. If you run into any issues while trying the steps, or if something still doesn’t feel quite right, please don’t hesitate to reach out again. I’ll do my best to support you however I can.  

Looking forward to hearing back from you with any updates or additional details. 

Warm regards, 

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