Insert Dropdown List in WPS helps you create preset or custom option menus in spreadsheet cells; this guide covers 4 core tasks, with 4 available without membership and 0 membership-related items.
At a Glance
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core tasks | 4 | Matches the number of rows in the How-to Index |
| Available without membership | 4 | Matches the number of Free rows in the index |
| Membership-related items | 0 | Matches the number of membership-related rows in the index |
| Version limit | None stated | No version threshold is specified for this feature |
| Membership limit | None stated | No membership requirement is specified for this feature |
About This Feature
Overview
Insert Dropdown List is a built-in WPS Spreadsheet feature on Windows for creating selectable options inside cells. It helps standardize data entry, reduce typing mistakes, and keep spreadsheet values consistent.
Key capabilities include:
- Apply existing dropdown lists for common choices such as Yes/No, status labels, and grade levels.
- Create a custom dropdown list by adding, reordering, and deleting options.
- Open More Settings to configure a title and message for invalid input.
- Clear a dropdown list from selected cells while keeping existing cell content.
This feature is useful for task tracking, status management, category entry, and repeated form filling. With dropdown lists, spreadsheet values stay more consistent for filtering, review, and collaboration.
System Requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Operating system | A Windows device that can run WPS Office normally |
| App version | The latest version of WPS Office is recommended |
| Network | No mandatory internet connection is required for local dropdown list editing; internet access is needed for download and installation |
| Other | You need to open WPS Spreadsheet files and have permission to edit the target cells |
Download & Installation
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Official download | WPS Office Free Download |
| Installation notes | Download and install WPS Office for Windows, then open WPS Spreadsheet to access this feature |
| Check after installation | Start WPS Spreadsheet, select a cell, and check whether the Dropdown List entry is available on the Insert tab |
Source: WPS download page
Compare with Alternatives
| Dimension | WPS | Microsoft | Notion | Adobe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capability Summary | In WPS Spreadsheet, you can apply preset dropdown templates, create custom options, enable multi-select and colors, configure invalid-input prompts, and clear dropdown lists. | Excel supports cell dropdown lists through Data Validation, including list sources, input messages, and error alerts. | Google Sheets emphasizes collaborative spreadsheet creation, data management, permissions, and analysis on its official product page. | Notion provides Select, Status, and Multi-select database properties for option-based input and categorization. | Acrobat supports form fields such as list boxes in PDF forms and lets users set field options and properties. |
| WPS Advantages | Advantage: preset templates, custom options, color settings, multi-select, prompt settings, and clear actions are grouped in one spreadsheet workflow for structured cell entry. | Compared with WPS: Excel uses the Data Validation workflow and its official guide focuses on list sources, input messages, and error alerts. | Compared with WPS: Google Sheets highlights cloud collaboration and spreadsheet management more than a dedicated dropdown-list setup flow on the cited page. | Compared with WPS: Notion option fields are designed for database properties rather than traditional spreadsheet cell dropdown workflows. | Compared with WPS: Adobe list fields are designed for PDF forms, so the usage scenario differs from spreadsheet-based batch data entry. |
| Official Source | — | Create a drop-down list | Google Sheets product page | Database properties | Work with form fields |
Overall Conclusion: If your main goal is to standardize spreadsheet input directly in cells, WPS Insert Dropdown List fits that workflow well. Microsoft Excel also provides mature dropdown list controls, while Notion and Adobe are better aligned with database properties or PDF form design.
Use Cases
| No. | Scenario | Suitable for | Main challenge | How this feature helps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Task status tracking | Project members and team leads | Status values are entered inconsistently | Apply an existing template such as Not Started/In Progress/Completed |
| 2 | Registration or survey forms | Admin staff, operations teams, teachers | Manual typing creates inconsistent wording | Create fixed custom options for controlled input |
| 3 | Category or rating entry | Finance, sales, and data staff | Grade fields can be mixed or misspelled | Use options such as A/B/C to standardize entries |
| 4 | Multi-tag records | Spreadsheet maintainers tracking multiple attributes | One cell needs more than one selectable value | Enable multi-select in a custom dropdown list |
| 5 | Data validation reminders | Template designers | Invalid values are hard to catch early | Configure a title and message in More Settings |
Membership & Benefits
Free vs WPS Premium
| Capability | Free users | WPS Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Insert Dropdown List usage | ✅ Available | ✅ Available |
| Preset templates and custom options | ✅ Available | ✅ Available |
| Other advanced WPS Office benefits | Depends on current account benefits | May include more advanced features and services |
| Cloud storage and some extended benefits | Basic quota | Higher quota or more services |
Source: WPS Office pricing page
Recommendations
| Usage scenario | Recommended plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You mainly need to create and maintain dropdown lists in spreadsheets | Free | No membership requirement is stated for this feature |
| You also need more cloud storage or broader advanced office features | WPS Premium | Better suited to users who need more than this single spreadsheet feature |
How to Subscribe
- WPS membership: Subscribe now
Source: WPS Office pricing page