Dependent drop down list in Google forms

A drop down list in Google Sheets can be usedwhen you want to show a list of options and the user can select from it. It helps in speeding up data entry and makes it more reliable.

In real life, there would be a need to create a dependent drop-down list where once you make a selection in a drop-down menu, the next drop-down only shows relevant options based on the first selection.

Below is an example of a

dependent drop-down list in Google Sheets (also called conditional drop-down list):

In the above example, you can see that the options in Drop Down 2 changes based on what is selected in Drop Down 1. It happens as Drop Down 2 is dependent on Drop Down 1.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a dependent drop-down list in Google Sheets (also called conditional drop down list).

Related: Creating a Dependent Drop Down List in Excel.

Creating a Dependent Drop Down List In Google Sheets

Below is the dataset that I will use to create a dependent drop down list:

Here are the steps to create a dependent drop down list in Google Sheets:

• Select the cells that have the fruits (A2:A5).
• Go to Data > Named Ranges.
• In the Named ranges pane, enter the name for this named range. Note that the name needs to be exactly the same as its parent category. In this case, it would be Fruits.
• Click on Done. This will create the first named range with the name Fruits that would refer to the cells that have the fruit names.
• Now click on the Add a range option and use the same steps shown above to create a named range for Vegetables. You need to create as many named ranges as many options you want to show in the first drop down list.
• Now its time to create the first drop down list that shows Fruits/Vegetables as the options. Select the cell where you want to create it and go to Data > Data Validation.
• In the Data Validation dialog box, select the Criteria as List from a range and specify the cells that contain the names (Fruits/Vegetables).
• Make sure Show dropdown list in cell is checked and click on Save.
• This will create a drop-down list in cell D3.
• Now before we create the second drop-down, go to any empty cell in the worksheet, or create another worksheet if you want, and enter the formula =INDIRECT(D3). This would list all the items from the category selected in Drop Down 1. This is a dynamic dependent drop-down list and if you change the drop-down in cell D3 from Fruits to Vegetable, the list would change and show the list of vegetables.
  
• Now the last step is to create a drop down list in E3 (which is our Drop Down 2). To do this, select cell E3 and go to Data > Data Validation.
• In the Data Validation dialog box,select the Criteria as List from a range and specify the cells that contain the result from the INDIRECT function. It is possible that the number of items in different lists are different (for example Fruits categoryhas 4 items and Vegetables has 10 items). To handle this, select an appropriate cell range that should suffice all the categories.For example, in this case, I select 10 cells in case the list grows in future.
• Click Save.

Now when you make a selection is Drop Down 1, you will notice that the items in Drop Down 2 changes accordingly.

Important Notes While Creating a Dependent Drop Down List In Google Sheets

Here are a couple of important points to note while creating a dependent drop down list in Google Sheets:

• The named range could only be a single word. In case it more than one word, use underscore to join the words while creating the named range. For example, if the category is Seasonal Fruits instead of Fruits, when you create a named range, name it Seasonal_Fruits.
• While I create the Indirect formula right below the list, as a best practice, create it in a different worksheet. You can then hide the worksheet if needed.
• When you select a category and an item within it (for example you select Fruits and then Mango), and then you change the Main category (for example selecting Vegetables), the dependent drop down list wouldnt change. This means that it can happen that Drop Down 1 shows Fruits as the category and Drop Down 2 has a vegetable name in it. However, Google Sheets will warn you by showing a red triangle at the top right of the cell. If you hover the cursor over that cell, you will see the warning as shown below:

So this is how you can create a conditional drop-down list in Google Sheet (i.e., a drop-down list based on another cells selection)