I am attempting to add additional names to a drop down (see attachment) to a spreadsheet that someone else created in excel.

Question

[Moderator note: personal info removed] 

I am attempting to add names to the Patient Service Representative (Column G). I am not even sure if this is possible. If not, what formula do I use to recreate this spreadsheet? Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi @Bonita Wright,  

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Thank you very much for reaching out regarding adding names to the Patient Service Representative column. I appreciate your patience and the details you provided. 

The dropdown menu shown in your screenshot is the column filter, which is designed only for sorting and filtering existing values. This menu will display names that already exist in Column G, but it does not allow new names to be added directly from there. 

To add or manage Patient Service Representative names, one of the methods below will work best, depending on how you’d like the spreadsheet to function. 

Option 1: Manual entry  

If you only need to add names occasionally: 

1. Click into any empty cell in Column G (Patient Service Representative). 
2. Type the representative’s name directly into the cell. 
3. Press Enter. 

Once the name exists in Column G, it will automatically appear in the filter list. 

Option 2: Dropdown List 

Use a dropdown to prevent typos and keep names standardized. Build the source as an Excel Table so the list can grow automatically as you add names. 

1/ Create the source list 

• Enter each name in a single column > go to Insert > Table (check My table has headers). 
• Name the table Reps and the column header Name. 
  Using a Table allows the list to expand automatically when new names are added. 

2/ Create a Named Range pointing to the Table column 

• Go to Formulas > Name Manager > New 
• Name: RepList 
• Refers to: =Reps[Name] 

3/ Apply Data Validation to the entry column 

• Select the cells where names should be entered (for example, Column G) 
• Go to Data > Data Validation > Allow: List > Source: =RepList 
  The dropdown will update automatically when new names are added to the Reps table. 

Alternative (if you don’t want to use a Named Range), you can set source to: 

=INDIRECT("Reps[Name]") 
(Update the text if the table or column name changes.) 

Option 3: Automatically populate using a formula 

If the Patient Service Representative should be filled in automatically based on another value (such as an ID or location), a lookup formula can be used. 

Example using XLOOKUP (Excel 365 / Excel 2021+): 

If: 

• Column A contains an ID 
• A separate table named Roster contains ID and Representative 

=XLOOKUP([@ID], Roster[ID], Roster[Representative], "") 
My recommendations: If your main goal is to keep names consistent and easy to manage, the dropdown list option is generally the best approach. If assignments should happen automatically based on existing data, the lookup formula option would be ideal. 

For additional information, you can refer to these articles:  

• How to Create a Drop Down List in Excel (the Only Guide You Need) 
• How to Add Item to Drop‑Down List in Excel (5 Simple Ways) - Excel Insider 

Please note that this information is being provided by the moderator solely for your convenience. The referenced sites are not managed or overseen by the moderator, and therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy, security, or suitability of any software or content available there. We recommend reviewing all information carefully and ensuring you understand any associated risks before following suggestions from the provided link. 

I hope this information is helpful.  Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to reach out.     

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.   

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