I have a spreadsheet that already has "drop down" arrows on every cell in a
column data to select from. I was able to find the data that is supposed to
be used for the "drop down" menu and that the data name range assigned to it.


The problem I'm having is that when I go to the menu bar and select Data,
the Validation option is greyed out.

How can access the data validation menu when it is greyed out? The entire
file is unprotected.

Thank you for your help!

Tom

The sheet is protected?

The workbook is shared?

You have more than one sheet selected?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:04:01 -0700, TomP
wrote:

I have a spreadsheet that already has "drop down" arrows on every cell in a
column data to select from. I was able to find the data that is supposed to
be used for the "drop down" menu and that the data name range assigned to it.


The problem I'm having is that when I go to the menu bar and select Data,
the Validation option is greyed out.

How can access the data validation menu when it is greyed out? The entire
file is unprotected.

Thank you for your help!

Tom

From looking at the Protection menus, the only option I have from the Tools
menu is to "Protect Shared Workbook". All other options are greyed out.

Thank you for your help!

Tom

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

The sheet is protected?

The workbook is shared?

You have more than one sheet selected?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:04:01 -0700, TomP
wrote:

I have a spreadsheet that already has "drop down" arrows on every cell in a
column data to select from. I was able to find the data that is supposed to
be used for the "drop down" menu and that the data name range assigned to it.


The problem I'm having is that when I go to the menu bar and select Data,
the Validation option is greyed out.

How can access the data validation menu when it is greyed out? The entire
file is unprotected.

Thank you for your help!

Tom

Just to let you know, the workbook was passed to me to use. I know there
has to be something simple to access the data validation menu from the menu
bar. The data list is stored in a separate worksheet and need to be
modified.

Thank you!


"TomP" wrote:

From looking at the Protection menus, the only option I have from the Tools
menu is to "Protect Shared Workbook". All other options are greyed out.

Thank you for your help!

Tom

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

The sheet is protected?

The workbook is shared?

You have more than one sheet selected?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:04:01 -0700, TomP
wrote:

I have a spreadsheet that already has "drop down" arrows on every cell in a
column data to select from. I was able to find the data that is supposed to
be used for the "drop down" menu and that the data name range assigned to it.


The problem I'm having is that when I go to the menu bar and select Data,
the Validation option is greyed out.

How can access the data validation menu when it is greyed out? The entire
file is unprotected.

Thank you for your help!

Tom

That indicates the workbook is shared.

Go to ToolsShare Workbook and unshare it.


Gord

On Thu, 4 Sep 2008 05:10:13 -0700, TomP
wrote:

From looking at the Protection menus, the only option I have from the Tools
menu is to "Protect Shared Workbook". All other options are greyed out.

Thank you for your help!

Tom

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

The sheet is protected?

The workbook is shared?

You have more than one sheet selected?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:04:01 -0700, TomP
wrote:

I have a spreadsheet that already has "drop down" arrows on every cell in a
column data to select from. I was able to find the data that is supposed to
be used for the "drop down" menu and that the data name range assigned to it.


The problem I'm having is that when I go to the menu bar and select Data,
the Validation option is greyed out.

How can access the data validation menu when it is greyed out? The entire
file is unprotected.

Thank you for your help!

Tom

That did the trick! :-) Thank you so much for your help!

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

That indicates the workbook is shared.

Go to ToolsShare Workbook and unshare it.


Gord

On Thu, 4 Sep 2008 05:10:13 -0700, TomP
wrote:

From looking at the Protection menus, the only option I have from the Tools
menu is to "Protect Shared Workbook". All other options are greyed out.

Thank you for your help!

Tom

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

The sheet is protected?

The workbook is shared?

You have more than one sheet selected?


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:04:01 -0700, TomP
wrote:

I have a spreadsheet that already has "drop down" arrows on every cell in a
column data to select from. I was able to find the data that is supposed to
be used for the "drop down" menu and that the data name range assigned to it.


The problem I'm having is that when I go to the menu bar and select Data,
the Validation option is greyed out.

How can access the data validation menu when it is greyed out? The entire
file is unprotected.

Thank you for your help!

Tom

Hi Tom,

If the Data Validation option is greyed out, it could be due to a few reasons. Here are some possible solutions:

1. Check if you have selected a cell or range of cells that already have data validation applied to them. If so, you won't be able to access the Data Validation option until you remove the existing validation. To do this, select the cell(s) and go to Data Data Validation Settings, and then click on the Clear All button.
   
2. Check if the worksheet is protected. If the worksheet is protected, you won't be able to access the Data Validation option until you unprotect the worksheet. To unprotect the worksheet, go to Review Unprotect Sheet, and then enter the password if prompted.
   
3. Check if the workbook is protected. If the workbook is protected, you won't be able to access the Data Validation option until you unprotect the workbook. To unprotect the workbook, go to Review Unprotect Workbook, and then enter the password if prompted.
   
4. Check if the file format is correct. If the file format is not correct, you may not be able to access certain features, including Data Validation. To check the file format, go to File Save As, and then select the correct file format from the dropdown list.

I hope one of these solutions works for you. Let me know if you have any other questions!