How to create drop down list with multiple selections or values in Excel?

By default, you can only select one item per time from a data validation drop-down list in Excel. How to make multiple selections from the drop-down list as below screenshot shown? The methods in this article can help you solve the problem.

Create drop down list with multiple selections with VBA code
Easily create drop down list with multiple selections with an amazing tool
More tutorial for drop down list...

Create drop down list with multiple selections with VBA code

You can apply the below VBA code to make multiple selections from the drop-down list in a worksheet in Excel. Please do as follows.

1. Open the worksheet you have set data validation drop-down list, right click on the sheet tab and select View Code from the context menu.

2. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, copy the below VBA code into the code window. See screenshot:

VBA code: drop down list with multiple selections

Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
    'Updated by Extendoffice 2019/11/13
    Dim xRng As Range
    Dim xValue1 As String
    Dim xValue2 As String
    If Target.Count > 1 Then Exit Sub
    On Error Resume Next
    Set xRng = Cells.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeAllValidation)
    If xRng Is Nothing Then Exit Sub
    Application.EnableEvents = False
    If Not Application.Intersect(Target, xRng) Is Nothing Then
        xValue2 = Target.Value
        Application.Undo
        xValue1 = Target.Value
        Target.Value = xValue2
        If xValue1 <> "" Then
            If xValue2 <> "" Then
                If xValue1 = xValue2 Or _
                   InStr(1, xValue1, ", " & xValue2) Or _
                   InStr(1, xValue1, xValue2 & ",") Then
                    Target.Value = xValue1
                Else
                    Target.Value = xValue1 & ", " & xValue2
                End If
            End If
        End If
    End If
    Application.EnableEvents = True
End Sub

3. Press the Alt + Q keys to close the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.

Now you can select multiple items from the drop-down list in current worksheet.

Notes:

• 1. Duplicate values do not allow in the drop-down list.
• 2. When closing the workbook, the VBA code will be removed automatically, and the multiple selection is unusable anymore. Please save the workbook as an Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook in order to keep the code working in the future.

Easily create drop down list with multiple selections with an amazing tool

Here highly recommended the Multi-select Drop-down List feature of Kutools for Excel for you. With this feature, you can easily select multiple items from the drop-down list in a specified range, current worksheet, current workbook or all opened workbooks as you need.

Before applying Kutools for Excel, please download and install it firstly.

1. Click Kutools > Drop-down List > Multi-select Drop-down List > Settings. See screenshot:

2. In the Multi-select Drop-down List Settings dialog box, please configure as follows.

• 2.1) Specify the applying scope in the Apply to section. In this case, I select Current worksheet from the Specified Scope drop-down list;
• 2.2) In the Text Direction section, select an text direction based on your needs;
• 2.3) In the Separator box, enter a delimiter which you will use to separate the multiple values;
• 2.4) Check the Do not add duplicates box in the Options section if you don’t want to make duplicates in drop-down list cells;
• 2.5) Click the OK button. See screenshot:

3. Please click Kutools > Drop-down List > Multi-select Drop-down List to enable the feature.

Now you can select multiple items from the drop-down list in current worksheet or any scope you have specified in step 2.

  If you want to have a free trial ( 30-day) of this utility, please click to download it, and then go to apply the operation according above steps.

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