Insert Multiple checkboxes at once.

[JRees405]

Hi,

I'm finding this very frustrating; I have an Excel 365 sheet of around 400 lines which I am constantly adding new columns to.

I wish some of these new columns to be populated by checkboxes that I can then run filters on.

After much searching online I have enabled the developers tab, but this only seems to allow me to draw one check box at a time, and these new boxes do not seem to be linked to the cells i draw them over.

I want a way to select a large range of cells and turn them all into checkboxes with a single action.

Why has the very simple task of turning a range of cells into checkboxes become so difficult and convoluted?
If I hadn't already shared this sheet with other people, i would have migrated everything over to googlesheets.

[#2]

@JRees405 

That many check boxes would be difficult to manage anyway.

I'd let the user enter an "x" or something like that in the relevant column.

You can then filter on "x" or on "<>x".

By the way, if everyone has Microsoft 365 version 2408 or later, they should be able to use the new in-cell check box:

It's easy to insert multiple in-cell check boxes: select a range and click Checkbox on the Insert tab of the ribbon.

[#3]

Not sure why it would be difficult to manage and who would it be difficult for?
This has been standard practice for me for years across dozens of sheets, not too difficult in any way, shape, or form.

And if it is too difficult to manage, why is it a simple 2 button click to implement in the browser version?

Your answer was literally:
- It's too difficult (not sure for who).
- Here's a cheap and nasty work around that doesn't have the same visual appearance or useability.
- By the way, this thing we said was too difficult, can actually be done really simply if you use the browser version.

Now here's the kicker, the Excel 365 version doesn't seem to know what to do with these new checkboxes, and so when i open the sheet in the desktop Excel all the lines change back from checkboxes to the text 'FALSE'

Guess my future work will be done in googlesheets as much as possible, at least they can handle a simple Boolean checkbox.

How is it that Microsoft have developed two versions of the same program, designed to run in parallel but which aren't fully compatible with each other?
And why have they removed such a simple thing as inserting a checkbox from one of these programs?

[#4]

@JRees405 

The in-cell check box works in the desktop version of Excel if your version of Microsoft 365 is recent enough.

Clicking it sets the value of the cell it is in to TRUE/FALSE.

[#5]

So the function was removed from some previous version, only to be readded later?

How do io find out if my version of 365 is recent enough?
 
I simply want to make it so that someone can change the value of each cell from false to true with a single click.

Yes, I realise that another work around could be a dropdown box with a true/false condition, but that turns a single click into 2 clicks interspaced with a precise mouse movement.
More effort, more time, and more chance of someone screwing up.
Multiplied by 400 lines this is a lot of opportunity for screwups, not to mention to time and frustration added.

[#6]

@JRees405 

How do io find out if my version of 365 is recent enough?

Assuming you are on Windows, in Excel check File->Account. If you are on Current channel checkboxes shall be available.