Hi. In this tutorial we'll go over how to add interactive check boxes in Excel. This is something that you can use
when making to do lists, task lists, chore lists or when you want to create forms where someone has to check off options.
In this example we're going to create a task list. We'll look at a couple of options to do this. We'll first create check boxes that include the
to-do item as the check box title
and then we'll create a list with the task in one column and the interactive check boxes in the column adjacent to it. The process for both is
pretty similar and there's pros and cons to each option. So let's get started so you can see what I mean.
The first thing you'll want to make sure of is that your Developer tab is visible.
If you don't see it, take a moment and go here to your File menu /
Options /
Customize Ribbon /
and here, to the right, make sure that Developer is checked off.
The Developer tab contains tools that you can use to create interactive forms in Excel – like check boxes. On the screen you see that we
have a short task list with 3 items listed in column B. We're going to create check boxes labeled with these task items.
So, in the Developer tab,
we'll choose Insert, and under Form Controls, choose the button with the checked box and click on that.
And once you do that, you'll notice that your cursor now turns into a small +
So, holding down your left mouse button, just drag your cursor
to create a small rectangle.
And this will be your first check box.
So, now that we've created our first check box, we need to rename it so that it reflects the name of our first task. So, to do that, right click
on the check box and choose Edit Text. And then you'll simply type over "Check Box 1" with your new task.
"Create new template". And move your cursor outside of the box. So the next thing we need to do is position our check box. So, to do that,
I'm going to right click on the check box and I'm going to click Escape
so we get rid of the dialog box. And now I can drag this to wherever I want. So I'm going to place it over cell D4. And notice that I'm
saying over the cell because it's not actually an item inside the cell, it's just sort of hovering there. But, nonetheless, I want it to fit within
the parameters of that cell. So, to do that, I'm going to expand Column D
so that now the check box is within what would be the parameters of cell D4.
So once you do that, click Escape to unselect the check box and then you want to place your cursor
in the cell. And, on the bottom right corner of the cell, where you see this little square, we're just going to drag this down and this will copy
our check box for however many cells we drag down to. So, then just rename each check box. So, to do that, just right click,
Edit Text, and change the name just like you did for that first box. The other option we'll go over is to just type your list of items,
as I did here, on column B, and then insert only the check boxes. So, to do that, we'll go back
into the Developer tab / Insert / we'll click on check boxes again and we'll insert
our check box. Now, this time
we'll right click and Edit Text and, instead of the renaming Check Box 1, we're going to delete that. So then now we just have a check
box. And we're going to right click again to select it, Escape to get rid of the box and we're going to position this like we did the other
ones. And, then we're going to come here again, to the bottom right of the cell, and just drag this down to create check boxes for the
other ones. And this created an extra one, so we'll just right click/select and delete that.
And this creates only check boxes next to the items. So, doing it this way, it's faster to create the boxes and you also have the flexibility to
format your task list as you normally would in Excel. So, if you want to bold it, highlight it, any of those things, you can do that. Now, you
can't really do this with our first option, but, by using the first option, you're able to hide any items you don't want to see.
And you would do this by going back to your Home tab,
and in the Editing section, choose Find & Select and, from here, Selection Pane. And this brings up this box that you see here to the
right of my screen. And you're going to notice one thing is that each check box is listed by number, not by the task name that we created.
So you kind of have to remember the number of each one of the check boxes. Another thing you'll see here is something that looks like
eyes. Well, when you click on these, these let you hide individual check boxes.
So, for example, if you want to hide "Create new template", that was our Check Box 1, we can click this eye and now we no longer see
the check box. Where if we want to hide this, this box, which was Box 4, it only hides the box, but you can still read the text. So
depending on what it is so you're working on, you would just choose the option that works best for you, for how to create your interactive
check boxes in Excel. So, I hope you found this tutorial helpful to learn
how to make a list with interactive check boxes in Excel. If you enjoyed it, please make sure to give it a Like and don’t forget to subscribe to
this channel. Thanks!