Read our blogs, tips and tutorials
Try our exercises or test your skills
Watch our tutorial videos or shorts
Take a self-paced course
Read our recent newsletters
License our courseware
Book expert consultancy
Buy our publications
Get help in using our site
418 attributed reviews in the last 3 years
Refreshingly small course sizes
Outstandingly good courseware
Whizzy online classrooms
Wise Owl trainers only (no freelancers)
Almost no cancellations
We have genuine integrity
We invoice after training
Review 30+ years of Wise Owl
View our top 100 clients
Search our website
We also send out useful tips in a monthly email newsletter ...
You can learn more about this topic on the following Wise Owl courses:
In Excel, if you need to restrict users to a short choice of options in a cell, you can use Data Validation to allow only the options contained within the cells of your range name:

Users are restricted to choosing (or typing in) a breakfast choice contained within cells D3:D14 which has been named Breakfast_Choices.
Users are made to choose one of the drop-down list choices held in the named range Breakfast_Choices (cells D3:D14).
To restrict a cell's contents to a list of choices that exist in a named range, select the required cell and from the ribbon choose Data | Data Validation.

Choose Data Validation...
Choose the Settings tab and choose to allow a List. When you click in the Source box you can press F3 to display your named ranges:

You can press F3 to choose your range name in the Source box.
Choose the range name that contains the choices you want to display in your drop down list (note that if you type in the range name you must start with '=').
From now on users will see a drop down arrow on the cell which displays your list of breakfast choices. Note that users can still type in the name of their breakfast choice (as long as it exists and they spell it correctly - not case sensitive).

The breakfast choices display when users click on the drop-down arrow.
Note that if you add more breakfast items for your list by inserting new rows/cells that are within the original range, in this example cells D3:D14; they will be included in the drop-down list. Any items added outside of cells D3:D14 will not display in the drop-down list choices. You will need to edit the settings for your range name to include the additional cells.
You can learn more about this topic on the following Wise Owl courses:
Kingsmoor House
Railway Street
GLOSSOP
SK13 2AA
Landmark Offices
99 Bishopsgate
LONDON
EC2M 3XD
Holiday Inn
25 Aytoun Street
MANCHESTER
M1 3AE
© Wise Owl Business Solutions Ltd 2026. All Rights Reserved.