How to Insert a Checkbox in MS Excel

Checkboxes are great if you want to give two options to users. It’s great for assigning tasks, shopping lists, to-do lists, etc. 

You can check a checkbox by just selecting it and making a tick mark inside the checkbox. You can select it again to uncheck the checkbox.

You can quickly insert a checkbox in MS Excel using the below method.


Inserting Checkboxes Using Form Controls

Step #1: Open your Excel spreadsheet

Open a new Excel workbook or an existing one. 

Step #2: Select ‘Options’ 

Select File from the main menu bar.

Now you can see a list of options on the extreme left. Click on Options close to the bottom.

Step #3: Add ‘Developer’ to the ribbon

The Excel Options dialog box will open. 

On the extreme left, you can see a vertical menu bar. Click on ‘Customize Ribbon’

From this new window, you will see the ‘Customize the Ribbon’ at the top right, with a drop down field beneath it.

Ensure that ‘Main Tabs’ has been selected.

From all the options that display beneath it, check the Developer checkbox.

When you see the tick mark in place, click on the OK button.

Step #4: Select a cell

Select a cell by clicking on it. You can see the selected cell’s name in the Name Box in the top left corner.

Step #5: Go to the Developer tab

Select Developer from the main menu bar.

From the new ribbon select the ‘Insert’ icon. 

From the dropdown Form Controls menu that appears, select the checkbox icon.

Now you will see a plus icon. 

Place the plus icon wherever you want to insert the checkbox.

Step #6: Resize the checkbox

Once your checkbox has been placed, you can resize it with the six handles – these are tiny circles on the corners of your checkbox.

After resizing, you can also edit the text. 

Right-click on the checkbox and select Edit Text.

Rename the checkbox as per your preference.

You can now check the checkbox by just clicking on it, or pressing once on your spacebar.


The Bottom Line

Wondering how to insert a checkbox in MS Excel? By following the above steps, you can quickly insert checkboxes in your Excel workbook. They are very handy and useful features which you can use anywhere, once you have added ‘Developer’ to your main menu bar.

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