Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 11, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Custom lists are a rather esoteric Excel feature that allows you to specify ordered lists of information for virtually any purpose. For instance, a list might include a series of classes or workshops, or it might include a series of employee names. Custom lists can be used when sorting data tables, and they can be used by the AutoFill feature.
How you create a custom list from scratch has been covered in other issues of ExcelTips. Rather than creating a list from scratch, however, you might find it easier to import a list from a series of cells already in your worksheet. Follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Custom Lists dialog box.
You can now use the custom list as you would any other custom list in Excel.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6243) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Importing Custom Lists.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
Sort your data and you may be surprised at what Excel does to your formatting. (Some formatting may be moved in the sort ...
Discover MoreOne way you can easily work with data in a worksheet is to sort it into whatever order you find most helpful. Excel ...
Discover MoreNeed to sort your data based on the color of the cell or the color of the text within the cell? Excel makes it easy to do ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-12-11 10:30:19
J. Woolley
My Excel Toolbox includes the dynamic array function ListCustomLists(), which simply lists all of Excel's Custom Lists (built-in plus user-defined) as an array with 1 column and N rows. You can use it like this:
=ListCustomLists()
In older versions of Excel you can use it with the SpillArray function like this:
=SpillArray(ListCustomLists())
See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox/
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments