You can create drop down lists on a worksheet with Excel’s data validation feature, and they make data entry much easier – usually! Sometimes things go wrong though, like missing drop down arrows in Excel 2013. Have you seen that problem?
Drop-Down List Arrow
In the screen shot below, there is a drop down in cell B3, and you can select Yes or No from the list.
That list is working well, but data validation does have its quirks. In fact, it has so many quirks that I’ve got a whole page on my website explaining what they are, and how to work around them.
And recently, I found another oddity to add to that list – missing arrows in Excel 2013.
“Missing arrows” is a fairly common problem, and usually they can be fixed by using the keyboard shortcut to show objects — Ctrl + 6
Unfortunately, that trick didn’t work this time. There are a few more fixes for missing data validation arrows on my website, and none of those worked either.
Paste a Linked Picture
Here’s how I discovered the new problem, and added a new workaround to that missing arrows page.
Last week, I was updating a file in which you can select a company name from a drop down list. Based on the company name that was selected, a company logo appears on an invoice sheet in the workbook.
The logo is in a linked picture:
- Copy a cell that contains a logo, or another shape
- Select another cell in the workbook
- On the Ribbon’s Home tab, click Paste, then click Linked Picture
Linked Pictures and Arrows Don’t Mix
As soon as I pasted that linked picture, the drop down arrow disappeared. I thought the workbook might be corrupted, so I tried the same thing in a different workbook. The drop down arrow disappeared there too.
The arrow appeared briefly if I pressed the mouse button when selecting the cell, but vanished as soon as I let go. The same file worked without problems in Excel 2010.
Vanishing Arrow Workaround
I’m using Excel 2013, on Window 8, so if you’re using a different operating system, it might not be a problem. However, if you run into this issue, here’s a kludgy workaround. If you find a better solution, please let me know.
- Select the cell with the data validation list
- Click outside of the Excel window (e.g. click on the Desktop, or click in your browser window)
- Click on the Excel window, and the arrow will appear, and you can select an item from the list.
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Bingo! Turning back on the ‘show all objects’ worked for me in Excel 2013. Thanks!
I’m having the same problem with Excel 2013 32-bit on Windows 7 64-bit. Data validation dropdowns worked fine until I added shapes with hyperlinks, but now I have the mysterious disappearing arrows. So far none of the solutions I’ve found work and I even tried deleting the shapes. I have found I can still select the dropdown if I move my cursor just to the right of the active cell. I watch for the cursor to change from the default Excel select mode to the northwest arrow pointer. It works, but is annoying and I certainly couldn’t expect a client to find this acceptable.
What you have described is the exact problem I have. List button is there but is invisible. Did you ever manage to fix it?
I have the same issue with Excel 2013 file. I have “Set Print Area” enabled to start on the column to the right of the dropdown list – my dropdown box arrow disappears. If I edit the “Set Print Area” to be a column not directly beside my dropdown box – it works again – VERY FRUSTRATING
I have the same issue, very frustrating. I find if I click on the cell and then click save, the arrow reappears for that selection only. Does anyone have a perminant fix? Excel 2013
Sheana is awesome.
million thanks