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Next, choose the range for your data from the Data dropdown menu. We chose whole number. We also left the checkmark in the Ignore Blank box, because it is okay for a cell to be left blank. Choose the type of data that you want to ALLOW in the cell or range of cells. We have already entered our criteria in this box however, let's review it.Ĭlick the Allow dropdown menu. Next, we go to the Data tab then go to Data Validation dropdown arrow, and select Data Validation. To do this, we are going to select the column we want to apply these restrictions to.
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We want to prohibit any more than five characters being entered into these cells. What is more, we want to prevent letters from being added. This is because all of our fictional product IDs are exactly five characters long. In addition, they are only numbers. In our PRODUCT ID column, all of our product IDs contain five characters. In other words, you have to create criteria that must be met in order for the data to be permitted. In order to make data validation work, you have to tell Excel what type of data you want to allow in a cell or range of cells.
#How do you set up a drop down menu in excel 2016 zip#
In addition, you can create messages that will tell users what type of data should be entered into a specified cell, then provide instructions for correct input.įor example, you can restrict the number of characters permitted in a cell. If you have a column that is for zip codes, you can restrict the number of characters to five to prevent typos and other errors. Data validation in Excel allows you to define what type of data should be entered into a cell and allows you to prevent invalid data from being entered.