How to Make To Do List in Excel with Checkbox (with Quick Steps)

In this article, we will make a To Do list in Excel with the checkbox. We use a To Do list to keep track of our daily tasks. You can find many applications to create a To Do list nowadays. But we can quickly build one with the checkbox in Excel. Today, we will demonstrate the steps first and in the following, we will show 2 ideal examples. So, without further delay, let’s start the discussion.

To explain the steps, we will use a dataset that contains some tasks. We will add checkboxes in the Status column. You can also add dates, times, and remarks to this dataset according to your needs.

STEP 1: Adding Developer Tab to Excel Ribbon

Generally, we add a checkbox from the Developer tab in Excel. Sometimes, the Developer tab is not visible in the ribbon. To make the Developer tab visible, follow the procedures below.

• First of all, go to an empty space in the ribbon and right-click on the mouse. A menu will occur.
• Select Customize the Ribbon from there. It will open the Excel Options window.

• Secondly, select Main Tabs in the Customize the Ribbon section and check Developer.

• After clicking OK, you will see the Developer tab in the ribbon.

STEP 2: Inserting a Checkbox to Make To Do List

Now, we will learn to insert a checkbox to make a To Do List.

• In the first place, go to the Developer tab and select Insert. A drop-down menu will occur.
• Select the Checkbox icon from the Form Controls field.

• After that, put the cursor in the cell where you want to insert the checkbox. The cursor will change into a plus (+) sign.

• Now, click on the cell and the checkbox will appear.

STEP 3: Removing Text from Checkbox

In the following steps, we will learn to remove the text from the checkbox.

• To do so, press Ctrl and select the checkbox.
• Then, right-click on the mouse to open the Context Menu.
• Select Edit Text from there.

• Now, select the text with the mouse and press the Backspace key on the keyboard.

STEP 4: Copying Checkbox to More Cells

To insert checkboxes in other cells, you need to use the Copy-Paste option.

• To copy a checkbox, select the cell that contains the checkbox and press Ctrl + C on the keyboard.
• Now, select the cells where you want to paste the checkbox. We have selected Cell C6 to C10.

• After that, press the Ctrl + V key to paste the checkbox.

STEP 5: Linking Checkbox to Cell

Another important thing is linking the checkboxes to cells. Follow the steps to know how you can link the checkboxes.

• Firstly, press Ctrl and select the first checkbox.

• In the next step, go to the Formula Bar and type =.
• Then, select Cell C5.

• After that, press Enter to link the first checkbox to Cell C5.
• Repeat the procedures for other checkboxes. Or use the macro described in the next step to link all checkboxes at the same time.

STEP 6: Using VBA Macro to Link Multiple Checkboxes

You can’t link all cells manually at the same time. You need to repeat the procedure for each checkbox. But with macro, you can link all checkboxes within a few seconds. Let’s pay attention to the procedures below.

• To insert a macro, you need to press Alt + F11 to open the Visual Basic window.
• You can also do this from the ribbon. Just select Developer >> Visual Basic.
• In the Visual Basic window select Insert and then, Module to open the Module window.

• Now, type the code in the Module window:

Sub Link_Check_Boxes_to_Cells()
Dim icheck As CheckBox
Dim xcol As Long
xcol = -1
For Each icheck In ActiveSheet.CheckBoxes
  With icheck
    .LinkedCell = _
    .TopLeftCell.Offset(0, xcol).Address
  End With
Next icheck
End Sub

Here, xcol = -1 indicates one column to the left of the checkboxes. If you want to add one column to the right, type xcol = 1. And if you want to add two columns to the right, type xcol = 2.

• Press the Ctrl + S key to save the code.
• In the next step, press the F5 key to run the code. It will open the Macros dialog box.
• Select Run from there.

• After closing the Visual Basic window, you will see that all checkboxes are linked.

STEP 7: Applying Rule to Delete Tasks from To Do List

In the final step, we will add Conditional Formatting to make the To Do list more understandable.

• In the first step, select all the cells.

• Secondly, go to the Home tab and select Conditional Formatting. A drop-down menu will occur.
• Select New Rule from there.

• Select the last rule type ‘Use a formula to determine which cells to format‘ in the New Formatting Rule window.
• Then, type the formula:

• After that, select Format.

• In the Format Cells window, select Strikethrough and change the color.
• Then, click OK.

• In the end, hide Column C and check the completed task to see results like the picture below.

How to Make To Do List with Checkbox and Drop Down List in Excel

In this section, we will show an example of a To Do list with checkboxes and drop-down lists. Here, you will see the same dataset will have slight changes. We have added a status section that tells if the task is completed and still processing.

Let’s pay attention to the steps below to learn the example.

STEPS:

• In the first place, select Cell C5 to C10.

• Secondly, go to the Data tab and select Data Validation.

• In the Data Validation dialog box, select List in the Allow field.
• Then, put the cursor inside the Source field.
• After that, select the cells that contain the status of the tasks and click OK. We have selected cells F3 and F4.

• After clicking OK, you will be able to add status from the drop-down list.

• In the following step, add status to all tasks.

• Next, go to the Developer tab, select Insert, and select the Checkbox icon.

• Add checkboxes in all cells.

• After adding the checkboxes, you can apply a rule.
• For that purpose, go to the Home tab and select Conditional Formatting. A drop-down menu will appear.
• Select New Rule from there.

• Now, select the last rule type ‘Use a formula to determine which cells to format‘ in the New Formatting Rule window.
• and then, type the formula:

• Select Format.

• In the Format Cells window, select Strikethrough, change the color, and click OK.

• Finally, you will see a To Do list like the screenshot below.

How to Create Interactive To Do List with Checkbox in Excel

We will create an interactive To Do list with Checkbox in Excel. In this example, the list will show the number of completed tasks and the remaining tasks. To explain this easily, we have already added checkboxes to the To Do list.

Let’s observe the steps below to know more.

STEPS:

• First of all, insert a column to link the checkboxes.
• Secondly, press the Ctrl key and select the first checkbox.
• Thirdly, type = in the Formula Bar.
• Then, select Cell D5.
• After that, press Enter to link the cell to the first checkbox.

• Repeat the process or use the macro described above to link all the checkboxes.

• Now, type the formula in Cell C12:

• Hit Enter to see the result.

Here, the COUNTIF function counts the number of completed tasks and displays the result.

• In the following step, type the formula in Cell C13:

• Press Enter.

Here, 6 represents the number of tasks. You need to change if your To Do list contains more tasks.

• If you complete more tasks, the result will automatically update.

• Finally, you can hide Column D to make the To Do list easily readable.

How to Delete Checkbox from Excel To Do List

Deleting a checkbox becomes tricky if you don’t know the correct way. Follow the steps below for that.

STEPS:

• To delete a checkbox, press Ctrl and then, select the checkbox.

• After that, just press the Delete key on the keyboard.

• To delete multiple checkboxes, press Ctrl, select multiple checkboxes, and then, press the Delete key on the keyboard.

How to Fix Position of Checkbox in To Do List in Excel

It is essential to fix the position of a checkbox in your Excel dataset. Otherwise, it will look bizarre. Here are the steps.

STEPS:

• To fix the position, press Ctrl and select the checkbox.
• After that, put the cursor inside the rectangular box.
• The cursor will show a four-directional arrow sign.
• Then, move the cursor to the position you want to place the checkbox.

Download Practice Book

Download the practice book here.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have demonstrated step-by-step guidelines to Make a To Do List in Excel with Checkbox. Moreover, you have also discussed 2 ideal examples to make a To Do list. I hope this demonstration will help you to understand the method very easily. Furthermore, the practice book is also added at the beginning of the article. You can also download the practice book to exercise more. Last of all, if you have any queries or suggestions, feel free to ask in the comment section below.

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