How to only allow certain values input or enter in Excel?

In Excel, we can protect cells for limiting users doing some special edit, but it cannot limit users to only input certain values. In this article, I introduce some tricks on only allowing certain values input in some cells in Excel.

Only allow certain values input with Data Validation

Only allow certain characters input with Kutools for Excel

The Data Validation function in Excel can help you to only allow certain values input in a selection.

1. Firstly, you need to enter the values you allow input in a list of cells. See screenshot:

2. Then select the cells you want to limit only the certain values input, and click Data > Data Validation. See screenshot:

3. Then, in the Data Validation dialog, under Settings tab, select List from the drop down list under Allow section, and click to select the list of values you have edited in step 1 to the Source box. See screenshot:

4. Click OK. Now the selection is only allowed to input with certain values. See screenshot:

If you enter other values which are not in the list, there will be an alert pops out.

If you want to only allow certain characters input in a selection, you can try Kutools for Excel – a handy and multi-functional tool, with it Prevent Typing utility, the selection will be only allowed to enter certain characters you specify.

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After free installing Kutools for Excel, please do as below:

1. Select the cells you want to limit, and click Kutools > Prevent Typing > Prevent Typing. See screenshot:

2. In the popping dialog, check Allow to type in these chars option, and enter the characters you allow input into the below text box, and check Case sensitive option. See screenshot:

3. Click Ok, and a dialog pops out to remind it will remove the Data Validation and click Yes to go to next remind dialog, and click OK to close it. See screenshot:

Now the Selection only can be allowed to type in A, B, C, D, E characters.

Tip: If you uncheck Case sensitive option, the selection can be input A, B, C, D, E, a, b, c, d, e.

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