How to create check boxes in an Excel spreadsheet

A check box can be very useful in a spreadsheet for many reasons. Adding a check box to an Excel spreadsheet takes only a few steps, but requires you to change a setting in Excel to view the option for adding a check box.

Follow the steps below to enable the Developer tab in Excel and add a check box to a spreadsheet.

Enable the Developer tab

If the Developer tab is already visible in your Excel program, skip to the next section to add a check box.

Excel 2010 and later

1. Open Microsoft Excel.
2. Click the File tab at the top-left of the Excel window.
3. Select Options in the left navigation pane.
4. In the Excel Options window, click the Customize Ribbon option on the left.
5. Under the Customize the Ribbon section on the right, check the box for Developer and click OK.

Excel 2007

1. Click the Office button (looks like an orb) at the top-left of the Excel window.
2. Click the Excel Options button near the bottom right of the pop-up window.
3. In the left navigation pane, select Popular.
4. On the right side, check the box for Show Developer tab in the Ribbon.

Add a check box to the spreadsheet

Repeat the following steps to add multiple check boxes to a spreadsheet.

1. In the Ribbon bar, click the Developer tab.
2. In the Controls section, click the Insert option.
3. In the pop-up menu, under Form Controls, click the check box icon.

4. Click in the spreadsheet where you want to add the check box. You can also move it to another location by dragging and dropping it.
5. After adding the check box, you can change the text of the check box. To change the text later, right-click the check box and select Edit Text.
6. To change the properties of the check box, right-click the check box and select Format Control. You can change the line and fill color, the size, and the alternative text for the check box.