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EveSC1300's avatar
EveSC1300
Copper Contributor
Jul 12, 2021

Inserting a checkbox into Excel Online

Hello, is there any way to insert a checkmark box in the Online version of Excel, which doesn't have access to the Developer tab? Thank you!

  • jesseph's avatar
    jesseph
    Copper Contributor

    EveSC1300 

    Best workaround I have for the moment is to format the cell to WINGDINGS font, and type in 'x' for the check. It'll come out with this character ☒ which I think it's visibly acceptable and feels just as intuitive as clicking on a Google-style checkbox.

     

    Just means you'll end up with an array of 'x' and they're not boolean TRUE FALSE values but still very workable.

  • EveSC1300 

    I believe the new check boxes, that are more like conditional formats rather than form controls, do work online.  On the desktop they are set using 

    > Insert / Cell Controls / Checkbox

    The checkbox appears as formatting within a cell that actually contains TRUE/FALSE.  Applying further condition formatting can achieve other effects such as the red/green cells shown in the picture.  Clicking on the cell still toggles the setting.

  • yphichdok's avatar
    yphichdok
    Copper Contributor

    Hi, EveSC1300 , I was facing the same problem as you after I researched and found a solution for this problem, I hope it will help you, the check box is not checked box by ticking, but you can create it this way as a drop list: 

    Step 1: Click on the Spreadsheet field you want to add the check box.



    Step 2: From the ribbon menu click on Data --> Data validation.

     

    Step 3: Click on Setting --> Allow --> List --> Source copy this "☐, ☑" and paste it inside the field --> click Ok.

     

     

    Step 4: Align the text into the center, now you can see, that it is worked.

     

     

    Good luck! :xd: 

     

     

  • EveSC1300 

    If it is the functionality you need, rather than the appearance, I believe Slicers can be used to restrict the categories presented within a Pivot Table.  The list could then be used within FILTER to down-select tabular data..

  • pkozuchowski's avatar
    pkozuchowski
    Copper Contributor
    As a workaround, it's possible to use checkbox characters - just copy paste:
    ☐ ☒
  • Matt_Driver's avatar
    Matt_Driver
    Copper Contributor

    This would be very useful in 365. We have some projects sat in excel as a record of what to do and next steps. So many people have the file open that you can't pull the copy locally to add more information with check boxes. 

  • edurshpek's avatar
    edurshpek
    Brass Contributor
    This is a bummer. With the move to office 365, teams and other web based applications, you would think this would have a solution; especially considering that Google Sheets supports this. We're migrating all of our business documents and forms off of Google into Microsoft and are finding these shortcomings all over the place.
    • Ian_A_casey's avatar
      Ian_A_casey
      Copper Contributor

      SergeiBaklan et al.

       

      I just found out that the Boolean checkbox feature is at the Beta stage, and it hasn't been rolled out as yet!

      Like many, I used the checkbox in Google Sheet as common a row or column.

      I was so shocked on learning that this feature is beta in Excel!

       

      In VB/VBA this option is native, but you'll have to load a form first!

       

      Let's Microsoft rollout an update soon!

       

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