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How to add a drop-down list in Google Sheets to group and organize data in your spreadsheet

Google Sheets
It's easy to add a drop-down list in your Google Sheets in order to sort and organize data. Shutterstock
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Google Sheets is basically a free, collaborative version of Microsoft Excel. 

And even though free usually means you can't do as much, Google Sheets does still allow you to add drop-down lists to your spreadsheets. 

Here's how to do it. 

How to add a drop-down list in Google Sheets

1. Open your Google Sheets project, or create a new one by going to sheets.new.

2. Select the cell, or cells, where you want to add a drop-down list.

3. Right-click into one of these cells. 

4. Select "Data Validation."

1 HOW TO ADD DROPDOWN LIST GOOGLE SHEETS
Click on Data validation.  Devon Delfino/Business Insider

5. Click into the "Criteria" section and select either "List from a range" or "List of items" and add your items, as appropriate.

2 HOW TO ADD DROPDOWN LIST GOOGLE SHEETS
Format your drop-down list and click Save.  Devon Delfino/Business Insider

6. Make sure that "Show dropdown list in cell" is ticked, and then click "Save."

3 HOW TO ADD DROPDOWN LIST GOOGLE SHEETS
Check the box and click Save.  Devon Delfino/Business Insider

After that, you should see a down-carrot appear within the cell, or cells, you specified. 

When you click into that, you'll see the options you added — either a list from a range or a list of items — and you can then select from those options to set that cell.

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Devon Delfino is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist specializing in personal finance, culture, politics, and identity. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Business Insider, and CNBC. Follow her on Twitter at @devondelfino.