What you will build

Repair a Status dropdown whose expected choices do not appear. You will verify B2:B4, inspect the Data validation rule, confirm Done, Working, and Planned are configured, test a visible choice, and restore the sample.

Learning objectives

Open the practice workbook

HANDS-ON PRACTICE

Practice in your own copy

Make your own Google Sheets copy with the same data, formulas, formatting, filter and frozen header. The original remains unchanged.

Make a Google Sheets copy (access required) ↗View original

Sign in to Google. If the original is not publicly shared, download the full workbook and import it into Google Sheets, or paste the example data into your own sheet.

Initial Task and Status table in the live Google Sheets result workbook.

Hands-on practice

Step 1: Select B2:B4, the Status cells in the data rows, and leave the header B1 out of the selection.

Range B2:B4 selected without the Status header.

Step 2: Choose Data > Data validation. Inspect the rule for B2:B4 and confirm Criteria is Dropdown with the three expected options: Done, Working, and Planned. If an expected option is missing, add it to this rule rather than changing unrelated cells.

The Data menu is open while B2:B4 remains the target range.

Step 3: Open the dropdown in one Status cell and choose another allowed option to confirm the choices are visible, then restore that cell to its original sample value.

The Data validation rules view is open for the selected Status range.
A Status-cell dropdown is open so the configured choices can be checked.
The sample is restored to Done, Working, and Planned after the validation test.

Checkpoint

TaskStatus
BriefDone
DatasetWorking
QAPlanned

Checkpoint for “Fix dropdown options not appearing”: the Task, Status columns and sample records must still match this table after the lesson action.

Common mistakes and fixes

Correction: reopen Data > Data validation, inspect the rule for B2:B4, restore any missing option, test the dropdown, and then restore the original sample values.

Independent practice

Add one row with the same schema, repeat the action, verify the new row behaves correctly, then remove it to restore the sample.

Key takeaways

  • ✓Repair a Status dropdown whose expected choices do not appear by inspecting the live validation rule.
  • ✓Select B2:B4 and leave the Status header out of the rule range.
  • ✓Use Data > Data validation and confirm the Dropdown contains Done, Working, and Planned.
  • ✓If choices are missing, check both the applied range and the configured option list before changing anything else.
  • ✓Test one allowed choice and restore the sample so the checkpoint remains unchanged.
QUICK CHECK

Check your understanding

Answer four questions about the practice sheet.

1. Which range should you inspect first when the Status dropdown options are missing?
2. Where do you inspect the dropdown configuration in Google Sheets?
3. Which options should the Status dropdown contain in this sample?
4. What should you do after testing another allowed dropdown choice?

Next lesson

Continue in recommended learning order with Add safe dropdowns to Book collection.