How to Edit a Dropdown List in Smartsheet
Dropdown columns keep Smartsheet data consistent — until the option list needs to change. Here is the built-in way to edit a dropdown list, what it does (and does not do) to data already in the column, and how to update the same dropdown across many sheets without opening each one.
Edit a dropdown list manually
To change the options of a dropdown column in a single sheet:
- Open the sheet and right-click the dropdown column's header (or double-click it), then choose Edit Column Properties.
- Make sure the column type is Dropdown (single select) or Dropdown (multi select).
- Edit the list in the Values box — one option per line. Add, remove or reorder lines; the order here is the order users see.
- Optionally tick Restrict to list values only (Limit to list values only in Table View) so new entries must come from the list.
- Click OK to save. Forms that use this column pick up the new options automatically.
What editing the list does not do
Changing the option list does not touch values already in the column. If a cell contains "On Hold" and you remove "On Hold" from the list, the cell keeps its old text — it just no longer matches any current option. If you renamed an option, you still have to find-and-replace the old value in the cells yourself.
The bigger cost shows up at scale: the same dropdown often exists in dozens of sheets and intake forms. If those are plain, unlinked dropdowns, keeping them in step means opening and editing each one by hand, and a typo in one sheet quietly forks the list.
Update dropdowns across many sheets at once
Smartsheet now has a native answer for the recurring case: Linked Dropdown Columns (Pro, Business and Enterprise) tie a column's options to a source sheet, so editing the source updates every linked dropdown automatically. If your dropdowns will keep changing, that is the tidiest fix and worth setting up first.
For what Linked Dropdown Columns do not cover — a one-off correction pushed to plain, unlinked dropdowns across many existing sheets, or standardising columns that were never linked — edit it once and push it everywhere with our Sync Dropdown tool, in a single reviewable pass with a preview before anything is written.
And if the master list already lives in a sheet column, Master Dropdown takes the distinct values of that column and applies them as the dropdown options for a named column across every sheet you select — merge into the existing options or replace them outright.
Do it in one pass instead
Update Smartsheet dropdown list values from your source data in one reviewable pass. Stop hand-editing huge dropdowns across forms and sheets.
Try Sync Dropdown FreeFrequently asked questions
Does editing a dropdown list change values already in the cells?
No. Existing cell values are left as-is, even if they no longer appear in the option list. Renaming an option means separately updating the cells that hold the old value.
How do I edit the same dropdown list across many Smartsheets at once?
For dropdowns you will keep changing, Smartsheet’s Linked Dropdown Columns (Pro and up) tie the options to a source sheet so every linked dropdown updates automatically. For a one-off push to plain, unlinked dropdowns across many existing sheets, a bulk tool applies a master option list to the same column across every sheet you select, with a preview before anything is written.
Do Smartsheet forms update when I edit the dropdown?
Yes. Forms read the column's current option list, so once the column is saved the form shows the new options automatically.