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

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

Excel 2007

  • Click the Office button (looks like an orb) at the top-left of the Excel window.
  • Click the Excel Options button near the bottom right of the pop-up window.
  • In the left navigation pane, select Popular.
  • 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.

  • In the Ribbon bar, click the Developer tab.

  • In the Controls section, click the Insert option.

  • In the pop-up menu, under Form Controls, click the check box icon.

  • 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.

  • After adding the check box, you can change the text of the check box. If you want to change the text later, right-click the check box and select Edit Text.

  • 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.

  • See our check box, Excel, and spreadsheet definitions for further information.
  • Microsoft Excel help and support.