How to make Excel drop down list with multiple selections

The article shows how to create an Excel drop down that allows users to select multiple items with or without duplicates.

Excel has come a long way since its inception and introduces more and more useful features with each new release. In Excel 365, they've added the ability to search within data validation lists, which is a huge time-saver when working with large sets of data. However, even with this new option, out-of-the-box Excel still only allows selecting one item from a predefined list of options. But fear not, as there is a solution. By using VBA, you can create drop-down lists with multiple selections. With the ability to prevent duplicates and remove incorrect items, this feature can streamline data input and improve accuracy in your Excel spreadsheets.

Excel drop down list with multiple selection

How to make Excel drop down with multiple selections

Creating a multi-select drop down list in Excel is a two-part process:

  1. First, you make a regular data validation list in one or more cells.
  2. And then, insert the VBA code at the back end of the target worksheet.

It also works in the reverse order :)

Create a normal drop-down list

To insert a drop down list in Excel, you use the Data Validation feature. The steps slightly vary depending on whether the source items are in a regular range, named range, or an Excel table.

From my experience, the best option is to create a data validation list from a table. As Excel tables are dynamic by nature, a related dropdown will expand or contract automatically as you add or remove items to/from the table.

For this example, we are going to use the table with the plain name Table1, which resides in A2:A25 in the screenshot below. To make a picklist from this table, the steps are:

  1. Select one or more cells for your dropdown (D3:D7 in our case).
  2. On the Data tab, in the Data Tools group, click Data Validation.
  3. In the Allow drop-down box, select List.
  4. In the Source box, enter the formula that indirectly refers to Table1's column named Items.

    =INDIRECT("Table1[Items]")

  5. When done, click OK.
Create a data validation list from a table.

The result will be an expandable and automatically updatable drop-down list that only allows selecting one item.

Tip. If the method described above is not suitable for you for some reason, you can create a dropdown from a regular range or named range. The detailed instructions are here: How to create Excel data validation list.

Insert VBA code to allow multiple selections

This is the core part of the process that does the magic. To turn a regular single-selection picklist into a multi-select dropdown, you need to insert one of these codes in the back end of your target worksheet:

To add VBA code to your worksheet, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Visual Basic Editor by pressing Alt + F11 or clicking the Developer tab > Visual Basic. If you don't have this tab on your Excel ribbon, see how to add Developer tab.
  2. In the Project Explorer pane at the left, double-click on the name of the worksheet that contains your drop-down list. This will open the Code window for that sheet.

    Or you can right-click the sheet's tab and choose View Code from the context menu. This will open the Code window for a given sheet straight away.

  3. In the Code window, paste the VBA code.
  4. Close the VB Editor and save your file as a Macro-Enabled Workbook (.xlsm).
Insert VBA code to select multiple items in dropdown list.

That's it! When you go back to the worksheet, your drop-down list will allow you to select multiple items: Excel drop-down list to select multiple items.

VBA code to select multiple items in dropdown list

Below is the code to make a data validation list that allows selecting multiple items, including repeated selections:

VBA code to select multiple items in Excel dropdown
Option Explicit Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Destination As Range) Dim DelimiterType As String Dim rngDropdown As Range Dim oldValue As String Dim newValue As String DelimiterType = ", " If Destination.Count > 1 Then Exit Sub   On Error Resume Next Set rngDropdown = Cells.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeAllValidation) On Error GoTo exitError   If rngDropdown Is Nothing Then GoTo exitError   If Intersect(Destination, rngDropdown) Is Nothing Then 'do nothing Else Application.EnableEvents = False newValue = Destination.Value Application.Undo oldValue = Destination.Value Destination.Value = newValue If oldValue = "" Then 'do nothing Else If newValue = "" Then 'do nothing Else Destination.Value = oldValue & DelimiterType & newValue ' add new value with delimiter End If End If End If   exitError: Application.EnableEvents = True End Sub   Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)   End Sub

How this code works:

  • The code enables multiple selections in all drop down lists on a particular sheet. You do not need to specify the target cell or range reference in the code.
  • The code is worksheet specific, so be sure to add it to each sheet where you want to allow multiple selections in drop down lists.
  • This code allows repetition, i.e. selecting the same item several times.
  • The selected items are separated with a comma and a space. To change the delimiter, replace ", " with the character you want in DelimiterType = ", " (line 7 in the code above).

Note. The same character cannot be used as both the delimiter and part of the dropdown items. In our code, the default delimiter is a comma followed by a space (", "), so this combination of characters should not appear anywhere within the dropdown items themselves to avoid conflicts. If you change the delimiter to a single space (" "), bear in mind that the code will only function correctly for single-word items, failing to handle multi-word items containing spaces.

Excel multi-select dropdown without duplicates

When selecting from a large list, users can sometimes pick the same item more than once without noticing. The code below solves the problem of duplicates in a multi-selection data validation drop down list. It lets users pick a particular item only once. If you try to select the same item again, nothing will happen. Pretty cool, right?

VBA code to create multi-select drop down with no repeats
Option Explicit Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Destination As Range) Dim rngDropdown As Range Dim oldValue As String Dim newValue As String Dim DelimiterType As String DelimiterType = ", "   If Destination.Count > 1 Then Exit Sub   On Error Resume Next Set rngDropdown = Cells.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeAllValidation) On Error GoTo exitError   If rngDropdown Is Nothing Then GoTo exitError   If Intersect(Destination, rngDropdown) Is Nothing Then 'do nothing Else Application.EnableEvents = False newValue = Destination.Value Application.Undo oldValue = Destination.Value Destination.Value = newValue If oldValue <> "" Then If newValue <> "" Then If oldValue = newValue Or _ InStr(1, oldValue, DelimiterType & newValue) Or _ InStr(1, oldValue, newValue & Replace(DelimiterType, " ", "")) Then Destination.Value = oldValue Else Destination.Value = oldValue & DelimiterType & newValue End If End If End If End If   exitError: Application.EnableEvents = True End Sub   Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)   End Sub

Multi-selection dropdown with item removal

When users need to select multiple options but can make mistakes or change their minds during the selection process, a multi selection dropdown that allows for the removal of incorrect items can be a lifesaver.

Consider a scenario where you need to assign multiple tasks to team members using a drop-down list. With Excel's default functionality, the only way to remove an incorrectly assigned task is by clearing the entire contents of the cell and starting over. With the ability to remove individual items from the selection, the team can effortlessly modify task assignments without confusion or errors.

The code below implements the item removal functionality in a simple and intuitive way: the first click on an item adds it to the selection, and a second click on the same item removes it from the selection.

VBA code to create multi-select drop down that allows removing selected items
Option Explicit Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Destination As Range) Dim rngDropdown As Range Dim oldValue As String Dim newValue As String Dim DelimiterType As String DelimiterType = ", " Dim DelimiterCount As Integer Dim TargetType As Integer Dim i As Integer Dim arr() As String   If Destination.Count > 1 Then Exit Sub On Error Resume Next   Set rngDropdown = Cells.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeAllValidation) On Error GoTo exitError   If rngDropdown Is Nothing Then GoTo exitError   TargetType = 0 TargetType = Destination.Validation.Type If TargetType = 3 Then ' is validation type is "list" Application.ScreenUpdating = False Application.EnableEvents = False newValue = Destination.Value Application.Undo oldValue = Destination.Value Destination.Value = newValue If oldValue <> "" Then If newValue <> "" Then If oldValue = newValue Or oldValue = newValue & Replace(DelimiterType, " ", "") Or oldValue = newValue & DelimiterType Then ' leave the value if there is only one in the list oldValue = Replace(oldValue, DelimiterType, "") oldValue = Replace(oldValue, Replace(DelimiterType, " ", ""), "") Destination.Value = oldValue ElseIf InStr(1, oldValue, DelimiterType & newValue) Or InStr(1, oldValue, newValue & DelimiterType) Or InStr(1, oldValue, DelimiterType & newValue & DelimiterType) Then arr = Split(oldValue, DelimiterType) If Not IsError(Application.Match(newValue, arr, 0)) = 0 Then Destination.Value = oldValue & DelimiterType & newValue Else: Destination.Value = "" For i = 0 To UBound(arr) If arr(i) <> newValue Then Destination.Value = Destination.Value & arr(i) & DelimiterType End If Next i Destination.Value = Left(Destination.Value, Len(Destination.Value) - Len(DelimiterType)) End If ElseIf InStr(1, oldValue, newValue & Replace(DelimiterType, " ", "")) Then oldValue = Replace(oldValue, newValue, "") Destination.Value = oldValue Else Destination.Value = oldValue & DelimiterType & newValue End If Destination.Value = Replace(Destination.Value, Replace(DelimiterType, " ", "") & Replace(DelimiterType, " ", ""), Replace(DelimiterType, " ", "")) ' remove extra commas and spaces Destination.Value = Replace(Destination.Value, DelimiterType & Replace(DelimiterType, " ", ""), Replace(DelimiterType, " ", "")) If Destination.Value <> "" Then If Right(Destination.Value, 2) = DelimiterType Then ' remove delimiter at the end Destination.Value = Left(Destination.Value, Len(Destination.Value) - 2) End If End If If InStr(1, Destination.Value, DelimiterType) = 1 Then ' remove delimiter as first characters Destination.Value = Replace(Destination.Value, DelimiterType, "", 1, 1) End If If InStr(1, Destination.Value, Replace(DelimiterType, " ", "")) = 1 Then Destination.Value = Replace(Destination.Value, Replace(DelimiterType, " ", ""), "", 1, 1) End If DelimiterCount = 0 For i = 1 To Len(Destination.Value) If InStr(i, Destination.Value, Replace(DelimiterType, " ", "")) Then DelimiterCount = DelimiterCount + 1 End If Next i If DelimiterCount = 1 Then ' remove delimiter if last character Destination.Value = Replace(Destination.Value, DelimiterType, "") Destination.Value = Replace(Destination.Value, Replace(DelimiterType, " ", ""), "") End If End If End If Application.EnableEvents = True Application.ScreenUpdating = True End If   exitError: Application.EnableEvents = True End Sub   Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)   End Sub

The below demo highlights how the multi selection dropdown with removal functionality works in Excel. The users can select multiple options from the data validation list and make adjustments on the fly. A streamlined and effective approach to managing selections!
Select and remove multiple items in Excel dropdown.

How to make a multiple selection dropdown with custom delimiter

The character that separates items in the selection is set in the DelimiterType parameter. In all the codes, the default value of this parameter is ", " (a comma and a space) and it is located in line 7. To use a different separator, you can replace ", " with the desired character. For instance:

  • To separate the selected items with a space, use DelimiterType = " ".
  • To separate with a semicolon, use DelimiterType = "; " or DelimiterType = ";" (with or without a space, respectively).
  • To separate with a vertical bar, use DelimiterType = " | ".

For example, if you change the delimiter to a vertical slash, your multi-select picklist will look as follows: A multi-selection dropdown with a custom delimiter

How to create dropdown with multiple selections in separate lines

To get each selection in a separate line in the same cell, set DelimiterType to Vbcrlf. In VBA, it is a constant for the carriage return and line feed characters.

More precisely, you change this code line:

DelimiterType = ","

to this one:

DelimiterType = vbCrLf

As a result, each item that you select from the dropdown list will appear in a new line: A dropdown list with multiple selections in separate lines

How to create multi-select dropdown for specific columns, rows, cells and ranges

All the codes described in this tutorial work across an entire sheet. However, you can easily modify any of the codes, so it only applies to specific cells, rows, or columns as needed. For this, find this line of code:

If rngDropdown Is Nothing Then GoTo exitError

Add immediately after it, add a new line specifying where to allow multiple selections, as explained in the below examples.

Multi-select drop-down for specific columns

To allow selecting multiple items in a certain column, add this code:

If Not Destination.Column = 4 Then GoTo exitError

Where "4" is the number of the target column. In this case, the multi-select dropdown will be only enabled in column D. In all other columns, dropdown lists will be limited to a single selection.

To target several columns, specify their numbers using this code:

If Destination.Column <> 4 And Destination.Column <> 6 Then GoTo exitError

In this case, the multi-select dropdown will be available in columns D (4) and F (6).

Multi-selection dropdown for certain rows

To insert multiple drop-downs in a specific row, use this code:

If Not Destination.Row = 3 Then GoTo exitError

In this example, replace "3" with the row number where you want to enable multi-select dropdowns.

To target multiple rows, the code is as follows:

If Destination.Row <> 3 And Destination.Row <> 5 Then GoTo exitError

Where "3" and "5" are the rows where selecting multiple items is allowed.

Multiple selections in specific cells

To enable multiple selections in particular cells, add one of the below code lines.

For a single cell:

If Not Destination.Address = "$D$3" Then GoTo exitError

For multiple cells:

If Destination.Address <> "$D$3" And Destination.Address <> "$F$6" Then GoTo exitError

Just remember to replace "$D$3" and "$F$6" with the addresses of your target cells.

Multi-select drop-down for specific range

To limit your multi-select dropdown to a particular range, replace this line of code:

If Intersect(Destination, rngDropdown) Is Nothing Then

with this one:

If Intersect(ActiveCell, Range("C3:D10")) Is Nothing Or Intersect(Destination, rngDropdown) Is Nothing Then

The range of interest is specified directly in the code (C3:D10 in the above example). This modification offers a more efficient approach to handing ranges - instead of individually listing 16 cells, you use a single range reference.

How to enable multi-selection functionality in protected sheet

To enable a multi-select dropdown functionality in a protected worksheet, simply insert the following code into the sheet where you've added the primary code. This "protected sheet" code should be added after the main code.

VBA code to allow multiple selections in protected sheet
Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range) ActiveSheet.Unprotect password:="password" On Error GoTo exitError2 If Target.Validation.Type = 3 Then Else ActiveSheet.Protect password:="password" End If Done: Exit Sub exitError2: ActiveSheet.Protect password:="password" End Sub

Before adding this code to your worksheet, remember to replace "password" with the actual password you used to protect the sheet. And this is the only change that needs to be made. The code will automatically detect the presence of a dropdown list in a given cell and allow editing of that cell. In all other cells, editing will remain restricted.

Note. Please be aware that including your real password in the code could lead to a security risk. To ensure the safety of your workbook, store it in a secure location that is protected against unauthorized access or use.

So, there you have it - an Excel dropdown list with multiple selections. Adding this awesome feature to your spreadsheets will increase the accuracy of your data input and help you get your work done faster!

Practice workbook for download

Multi-selection dropdown - examples (.xlsm file)

Table of contents

622 comments

  1. Hi Alexander
    Thanks for your comprehensive useful post. Is there any way to allow multi-select from a dropdown list on excel online? For example, if I wanted to select more than one employee for a project.

    Thanks in advance!

    • Hi! Excel Online does not support VBA. Therefore, no macros or custom functions work there. We have already written about it in the comments above.

  2. Thanks so much for this - I used this to put together a spreadsheet for my boss. I noticed one issue - if I try to delete one item from my cells that have the multiple selection options, it will just copy all the options again. I have to delete all the contents of the cell if I make one mistake. I wonder if there is a way around that.

    • Hi! Your explanation of the problem is not quite clear. Multi-selection dropdown with item removal removes only one item from a cell.

  3. I have copied the code exactly as posted with no success.

    I then downloaded and opened the example document and enabled macros, even that file doesnt do it. Is there something I am missing or maybe a further excel setting that is disabling macros?

  4. This was super helpful and instructed me how to do exactly what I wanted. However, I am now running into a new issue. I want to count the number of unique occurrences for all selections made from the multi-selection list. Whenever I use a count function, it does not count any occurrences in cells that have multiple selections. Is there a way that I can make it count all occurrences, whether it be a singular selection or part of a multi-selection cell?

    • Hi! A multiple choice drop-down list creates a text string in the cell that consists of all the values that have been selected. To determine if text strings partially match, use these instructions: How to find substring in Excel. To count all occurrences, try a formula:

      =SUMPRODUCT(--ISNUMBER(SEARCH("zzzz",A1:A100)))

      • Hi. I have successfully applied your methods in a worksheet, it is really clear and helpful, thank you very much.

        I noticed when I copied the answer to this question, Excel initially gave an error message, which I could resolve after changing the "," to an ";" (as in
        =SUMPRODUCT(--ISNUMBER(SEARCH("zzzz";A1:A100))).

  5. thank you for this wonderful lessons. however, i was able to create a dropdown list but could not enable multiple selections. i copied and paste the VBA code but i keep getting error . saying compile error invalid outside procedure.
    i dont know what to do.

  6. Hi Alex,
    When I input the code from the "How to enable multi-selection functionality in protected sheet" section, I get the error message: Ambiguous name detected: Worksheet_SelectionChange." Any ideas on how to fix this?

  7. Love this and your thorough steps! Can this be used on a call that uses "offset" data validation? I've copied and pasted the code and it doesn't seem to still work. Wondering if that could be the problem?

  8. Nice in theory; however, I feel like there must be some details missing in your explanation, as I can't even get past the first step. I even tried replicating your exact example on a new spreadsheet (created shorter Table/list) and typing literally what you had down to brackets/no spaces/double quotes/square brackets/etc. (=INDIRECT("Table1[Items]") And I got an error message "The source evaluates to an error, do you want to continue"? Generally, I am highlighting/selecting a column or series of rows for the 'Source' field. Were the "Table1[Items]" just a placeholder for highlighting/selecting that actual options? I tried that too but always get the same error message.

  9. Hi Alexander,

    This page is amazing! Thank you so much!

    I'm trying to make it so that in certain columns, the options selected are separated by a comma, while in certain columns the options are separated by line breaks. However, when I try to run it, I receive an error message saying: Ambiguous name detected.

    • I figured out if you do an "If Destination.Column = 4 Then / DelimiterType = "/" ...lines copied from section of website you want... End If" You can define a new delimiter for each column. You have to do it individually though. I couldn't group multiple columns into one if loop.

      • Hi! You can set a different type of separator for a column. Here is an example of how you can set different separators for columns D and F.

        If Destination.Column = 4 Then
        DelimiterType = "; "
        End If
        If Destination.Column = 6 Then
        DelimiterType = " - "
        End If

  10. Great article. I only have one comment for possible refinement of instructions.

    Your example has the look up and the data on the same sheet. I often put look ups on a separate sheet.

    You instructions on where to put the VS code should say "Select the sheet where you'll be selecting from your look up". As it's worded, it's initially unclear whether to paste the code into the sheet with the look up or the data entry.

    • Hi! The article notes that the code is worksheet specific, so be sure to add it to every worksheet where you want to allow multiple selections in dropdowns.

  11. Can the VBA scripts somehow we specified in module within a workbook rather than within specific worksheets of the workbook?

  12. Alexandr, you are the best! Spasibo :)

  13. Hi, Alexander. Your material is super! Just one question, a bit more complex :)
    I've created an Excel table with multiselection dropdown in a specific column. Based on this table, I've created a pivot table with several slicers, one of these slicers refers to the column D with multiselection dropdown.
    When in a certain cell in the column D several options are selected, but in another cell only one of these options is selected, in my slicer I see different options for filtering. For example: "X", "Y", but also "X,Y,Z". Is it possible to create a slicer that shows unique options only but allow filter them in all cells in column D regardless if in the same cell other options are selected together with the one I want to filter?
    How this could be done?
    Thanks in advance, Natalia

    • Hi! "X,Y,Z" is a text string. You cannot search for unique elements within a text string. To do this, you must split the elements of the text string into separate cells. I hope I answered your question. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

  14. This was super useful! One thing i noticed about using the VBA for multiple selections is that is removes the ability to start typing the item name when searching for a dropdown item. I am working with a very long dropdown list, so this functionality really comes in handy. Is there any way to have the ability added back into the sheet?

    • Hi! To create searchable drop-down lists in Excel, use data validation and named ranges. The steps are described below:
      1. Enter data into Excel columns. For example, if you want to create a searchable drop-down list of products, enter the product name in one column and the corresponding code in another column.
      2. Highlight the column with the data and click the “Formulas” button on the ribbon at the top of the screen. There, click “Define Names” button and name the named range. For more details on how to create a named range, read in this article: Excel names and named ranges: how to define and use in formulas.
      3. Highlight the cells for which you want the drop-down list to appear and click the “Data” button on the ribbon at the top of the screen. From there, select the “Data Validation” option.
      4. In the Data Validation dialog box, select “List” as the validation condition. In the Source field, enter the named range you created in step 2.
      5. Select the “Dropdown in cells” and “Ignore whitespace” check boxes.
      6. Click “OK” to close the dialog box.
      Now, when you click on a cell with a dropdown, a list of all the elements in the named range will be displayed. To search for specific items, you can type multiple letters and Excel will filter the list accordingly. Select an item and the corresponding value will appear in the cell.
      We hope this is helpful to you!

  15. Is there something that can be added to the code to also allow there to be 0 selections with item removal?

  16. Should the ability to select multiple items from the drop list remain if the cell with the drop list is unlocked but the sheet itself is protected? (It doesn't in my case. The celll reverts to only the last item selected.)

    • My apology!! You have instructions for this--and they work like a charm!!!

    • Hi! Pay attention to the following paragraph of the article above: How to enable multi-selection functionality in protected sheet.
      It covers your case completely.

  17. Unbelievable! This works like a charm, and I know nothing about VBA. Thank you sooooo much!

    Can you tell me how to retain formatting of dates when multiple items are selected? The options are, for example, Aug-23, Sep-23, etc., but when multiple options are selected, the format changes to 8/1/2023 and 9/1/2023. I've tried date formatting and custom formatting to no avail.

      • Oh my word. You're a genius. Thank you for your quick response!

  18. Multiple selection worked in Excel 2016, but next to each row with multiple selection it throws an yellow error icon to its left saying:
    "The value in this cell is invalid or missing. ".
    It wants the value to match one of the listed items (eg. not multiple selection)

    • The delimiter is comma+space. Nothing protected or locked.
      Source: Jhon, Dave, Jim (any of these is fine but adding more than one, Excel complains with the yellow error symbol. The selection functionality works though. Tried all 3 vba options - same complaint

  19. Hey Alex, this is amazing, thank you!!

    I am a teacher, I have given my students 4 stations to attend each week - they get to choose where they go - but once they have chosen that specific station, I don't want them to be able to see that choice again - does this make sense? and if it does, how do I do that? I have all the kids names on the left, then the choices in 4 columns across the top.

    example:
    Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
    THIS IS NOW Drop down choice (4 of them) Drop down choice (4 of them) Drop down choice (4 of them) Drop down choice (4 of them)
    THIS IS WANT Chooses 1 Only sees 3 remaining choices Only sees 2 remaining choices Only sees last choice available

    and then I want to be able to clear their choices and start fresh the following week.

    I hope this makes sense and I am not even sure if what I am asking for makes any sense, but I have it does.

    If I am really pushing my luck, I would LOVE for the students to access this by scanning a QR code so I am the only one that sees what they picked for that day so their "friends" can't see what they picked, and in a perfect world, I would love to only allow a certain number to choose that station each day - but I think that is asking for something that doesn't exist, hahaha.

    Anyway, I appreciate in advance, any help you can give me!!!

    Thanks,
    Tracy

  20. Thanks Alexander.

    Could you please suggest the code changes for using the multi-select drop-down to a specific Excel table Column? That is instead of identifying and using the column number of the Excel table column in the code, can the code be modified to use Table Name and the specific Column Name (Header).

    Appreciate your support.

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