Skip to content
Free Excel Tutorials
  • Home
  • Excel For Beginners
  • Excel Intermediate
  • Advanced Excel For Experts

Data Analysis

  • How to Create One and Two Variable Data Tables in Excel
  • Filter Data Based on Date in Excel
  • How to Create Column Chart in Excel
  • Randomize/ Shuffle List in Excel
  • How To Create Frequency Distribution in Excel

References

  • How to get address of first cell in range in Excel
  • To count total rows in a range in Excel
  • MATCH function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
  • How to use Excel OFFSET function
  • How to use Excel FORMULATEXT function

Data Validations

  • Excel Data validation don’t exceed total
  • Excel Data validation whole percentage only
  • Excel Data validation require unique number
  • Excel Data validation allow uppercase only
  • Excel Data validation specific characters only

Excel Data validation exists in list

by

Using the example below, this tutorial shows how to create Data validation exists in list in Excel.

Formula

=COUNTIF(list,A1)>0

Explanation

Note: Excel has a built-in data validation rules for dropdown lists. This page explains how to create a your own validation rule for lists when you don’t want the dropdown behavior.

To allow only values from a list in a cell, you can use data validation with a custom formula based on the COUNTIF function.

In the example shown, the data validation applied to C5:C9 is:

=COUNTIF(colors,C5)>0

How this formula works

Data validation rules are triggered when a user adds or changes a cell value.

In this case, the COUNTIF function is part of an expression that returns TRUE when a value exists in a specified range or list, and FALSE if not.

The COUNTIF function simply counts occurrences of the value in the list. Any count greater than zero will pass validation.

Note:  Cell references in data validation formulas are relative to the upper left cell in the range selected when the validation rule is defined, in this case C5.

Post navigation

Previous Post:

COSH function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation

Next Post:

Excel Data validation require unique number

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Learn Basic Excel

Ribbon
Workbook
Worksheets
Format Cells
Find & Select
Sort & Filter
Templates
Print
Share
Protect
Keyboard Shortcuts

Categories

  • Charts
  • Data Analysis
  • Data Validation
  • Excel Functions
    • Cube Functions
    • Database Functions
    • Date and Time Functions
    • Engineering Functions
    • Financial Functions
    • Information Functions
    • Logical Functions
    • Lookup and Reference Functions
    • Math and Trig Functions
    • Statistical Functions
    • Text Functions
    • Web Functions
  • Excel VBA
  • Excel Video Tutorials
  • Formatting
  • Grouping
  • Others

Logical Functions

  • Not Equal To ‘<>‘ operator in Excel
  • SWITCH function example in Excel
  • AND function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
  • OR function Examples in Excel
  • OR function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation

Date Time

  • How to calculate Day of the Year in Excel
  • DAYS360 function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
  • Display the current date in Excel
  • Calculate years between dates in Excel
  • Get fiscal quarter from date in Excel

Grouping

  • Group times into unequal buckets in Excel
  • If cell contains one of many things in Excel
  • Categorize text with keywords in Excel
  • How to randomly assign data to groups in Excel
  • Group times into 3 hour buckets in Excel

General

  • How to calculate percent of students absent in Excel
  • Subtotal by invoice number in Excel
  • How to set or clear a print area in Excel Worksheet
  • Freeze and Unfreeze Panes in Excel
  • How to calculate percent sold in Excel
© 2025 xlsoffice . All Right Reserved. | Teal Smiles | Abbreviations And Their Meaning