Simon Sez IT

Online software training and video tutorials for Microsoft, Adobe & more

  • Course List
    • Adobe
      • Dreamweaver
        • Dreamweaver CC
        • Dreamweaver CS6
        • Dreamweaver CS5
        • Dreamweaver CS4
      • Flash
        • Flash CS5
      • InDesign
        • InDesign CS6
        • InDesign CS5
      • Photoshop
        • Photoshop CS6
        • Photoshop CS5
        • Adobe Photoshop CS4
      • Photoshop Elements
        • Photoshop Elements 2022
        • Photoshop Elements 2019
        • Photoshop Elements 2018
        • Photoshop Elements 15
        • Photoshop Elements 14
        • Photoshop Elements 13
        • Photoshop Elements 12
        • Photoshop Elements 11
        • Photoshop Elements 10
        • Photoshop Elements 9
        • Photoshop Elements 8
    • Microsoft
      • Access
        • Access 2021 Beginners
        • Access 2019
        • Access 2019 Advanced
        • Access 2016
        • Access 2016 Advanced
        • Access 2013
        • Access 2013 Advanced
        • Access 2010
        • Access 2010 Advanced
        • Access 2007
      • Excel
        • Data Analytics in Excel
        • Excel 2021 Advanced
        • Excel 2021 Intermediate
        • Excel 2021 Beginners
        • PivotTables for Beginners
        • Excel Dashboards
        • Advanced Formulas in Excel
        • Excel for Business Analysts
        • Advanced PivotTables
        • Power Pivot, Power Query and DAX in Excel
        • Excel 2019 Beginners (Mac)
        • Excel 2019 Beginners
        • Excel 2019 Advanced
        • Excel 2016 Beginners
        • Excel 2016 Intermediate
        • Excel 2016 Advanced
        • Excel 2013
        • Excel 2013 Advanced
        • Excel 2010 Beginners
        • Excel 2010 Advanced
        • Excel 2007
      • OneNote
        • OneNote Desktop and Windows 10
        • OneNote 2016
      • Outlook
        • Outlook 2021
        • Outlook 2019
        • Outlook 2016
        • Outlook 2013
        • Outlook 2010
        • Outlook 2007
      • Power Automate
        • Introduction to Power Automate
      • Power BI
        • Power BI
        • Power BI Intermediate
      • PowerPoint
        • PowerPoint 2021
        • PowerPoint 2019
        • PowerPoint 2016
        • PowerPoint 2013
        • PowerPoint 2010
        • PowerPoint 2007
      • Project
        • Project 2021 Beginners
        • Project for the Web
        • Project 2019
        • Project 2019 Advanced
        • Project 2016
        • Project 2016 Advanced
        • Project 2013
        • Project 2013 Advanced
        • Project 2010
        • Project 2010 Advanced
      • Publisher
        • Publisher 2013
      • SharePoint
        • SharePoint Online
        • SharePoint Foundation 2013
        • SharePoint Server 2013
        • SharePoint Foundation 2010
      • Teams
        • Microsoft Teams
      • VBA
        • Macros and VBA for Beginners
        • VBA for Excel
        • VBA Intermediate Training
      • Visio
        • Microsoft Visio 2019
        • Visio 2016
        • Visio 2013
        • Microsoft Visio 2010
      • Windows
        • Windows 11
        • Windows 10 (2020 Update)
        • Windows 10
        • Windows 8
        • Windows 7
        • Windows Vista
      • Word
        • Word 2021
        • Word 2019 Advanced
        • Word 2019
        • Word 2016
        • Word 2013
        • Word 2010
        • Word 2007
    • QuickBooks
      • QuickBooks
        • QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2022
        • QuickBooks Pro 2021
        • QuickBooks Online Advanced
        • QuickBooks Online
        • QuickBooks Canada
        • QuickBooks Pro 2020
        • QuickBooks 2019
        • QuickBooks 2018
        • QuickBooks Pro 2017
        • QuickBooks Pro 2016
        • QuickBooks Pro 2015
        • QuickBooks Pro 2014
        • QuickBooks Pro 2013
        • QuickBooks Pro 2012
        • QuickBooks Pro 2011
        • QuickBooks Pro 2010
        • QuickBooks Pro 2009
    • Web Development
      • AngularJs
        • AngularJS Crash Course
      • Dreamweaver
        • Dreamweaver CC
        • Dreamweaver CS6
        • Dreamweaver CS5
        • Dreamweaver CS4
      • Bootstrap
        • Bootstrap Framework
      • Html/CSS
        • HTML/CSS Crash Course
        • HTML5 Essentials
      • Python
        • Python Object-Oriented Programming
        • Pandas for Beginners
        • Introduction to Python
      • Java
        • Java for Beginners
      • JavaScript
        • JavaScript for Beginners
        • jQuery Crash Course
      • MySql
        • MySQL for Beginners
      • PHP
        • PHP for Beginners
        • Advanced PHP Programming
      • XML
        • XML Crash Course
    • Data Analysis
      • Financial Modeling
        • Financial Risk Management
        • Financial Forecasting and Modeling
      • Alteryx
        • Alteryx Advanced
        • Introduction to Alteryx
      • Power BI
        • Power BI Intermediate
        • Power BI
      • Qlik Sense
        • Qlik Sense Advanced
        • Qlik Sense
      • R Programming
        • R Programming
      • Tableau
        • Tableau Desktop Advanced
        • Tableau Desktop
      • Python
        • Python Object-Oriented Programming
        • Pandas for Beginners
        • Introduction to Python
    • Work Productivity
      • Google Sheets
        • Google Sheets for Beginners
      • Confluence
        • Introduction to Confluence
      • Monday
        • Getting Started in Monday.com
      • Asana
        • Asana for Employees and Managers
        • Introduction to Asana
      • Jira
        • Getting Started in Jira
  • For Business
  • About Us
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
    • FAQ
    • Membership
    • About Us
  • Pricing
  • Free Resources
  • Sign In
  • Get Started
Home > Microsoft Excel > How to Insert Radio Buttons in Excel? A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Insert Radio Buttons in Excel? A Step-by-Step Guide

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

(Note: This guide on how to insert radio buttons in Excel is suitable for all Excel versions including Office 365)

In addition to being used for data entry and retrieval, Microsoft Excel can also be used to create fillable forms. When you take a poll, create a survey, or make a quiz to understand others’ perceptions, these fillable forms help you in a variety of ways. One important element of a fillable form is the radio button, also called the Options button.

Radio buttons are often confused with checkboxes. Using the checkboxes, you can select multiple options from the given list.  Whereas, a radio button is used to select or pinpoint any one particular option from a list of choices.

In an Excel worksheet, there can be any number of radio buttons. But, only one button can be checked based on the user inputs. Also, radio buttons in Excel help the user to create, view, and perform operations on the data in two different ways.

In this article, I will tell you how to insert radio buttons in Excel. You’ll also learn how to group and delete them.

You’ll Learn:

  • How to Insert Radio Buttons in Excel?
    • Enable the Developer Option in the Ribbon
    • Insert a Radio Button 
    • Link a Radio Button
    • Group Radio Buttons Together
  • Deleting Radio Buttons in Excel
    • By Pressing the Delete Key
    • Delete Radio Buttons from the Whole Worksheet
Download Sample Workbook for How to Insert Radio Buttons in Excel
Download Sample Workbook for How to Insert Radio Buttons in Excel

Related Reads:

How to Insert a Checkbox in Excel? 3 EASY Examples

How to Remove Dropdown in Excel? 3 Easy Methods

How to Find and Replace in Excel? A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Insert Radio Buttons in Excel?

Enable the Developer Option in the Ribbon

This is one of the foremost requirements when you insert radio buttons in Excel. By default, Excel does not have the Developer ribbon enabled. You can enable it manually when you need it.  The Developer tab contains options relating to Macros, VBA, Add-ins, and XML.

  • To enable the developer tab, open the Excel worksheet and right-click on the ribbon. Make sure to click between the ribbon option rather than the space after the options.
  • Select Customize the Ribbon.
Click on Customize the Ribbon
Click on Customize the Ribbon
  • This opens the Excel Options dialog box.
  • In the dialog box, check the checkbox for Developer and click OK.
Select Developer
Select Developer
  • You can now see the Developer option in the Ribbons tab.

Insert a Radio Button 

Once the developer tab is enabled, let us see how to insert radio button in Excel.

  • To insert a radio button, navigate to the Developer tab. Under the Controls section, click on the dropdown from Insert and click on the Option Button.
Click on the Option button
Click on the Option button
  • This changes the default mouse pointer to a crosshair-like pointer. Using that, left-click and drag to outline the Option button (Radio button). Or, you can easily just left-click and the radio button populates with a default width.

You can see that the populated button has two names: one in the Alt text which is visible on the worksheet which you can click and rename it. The other name can be seen in the Name Box, called the backend name which does not change even after you rename the radio button.

Move or Resize the button
Move or Resize the button
  • Hold the Ctrl key and click on the radio button. This outlines the button. You can then use the anchor points to move or resize the radio buttons. 
  • You can double-click on the text to rename the text. When you move or resize the button, you can hold the ALT to snap the radio button to the dimensions of the gridlines.
  • Now, click away. This exits the selection mode.
  • Hereafter, you can now click on the radio button to check it. 
How to Insert a Radio Button in Excel
How to Insert a Radio Button in Excel

This inserts one radio button. If you want to add multiple radio buttons, there are two easy ways to do so.

  • Use the Developer tab. You can use the above-mentioned methods to insert the radio button, resize, move to the desired position and rename it. 
  • Enter the selection mode and copy the particular radio button. Now, paste that button any number of times to create multiple radio buttons.

Suggested Reads:

How to Merge Cells in Excel? 3 Easy Ways

How to Hide Formulas in Excel? 2 Different Approaches

How to Wrap Text in Excel? With 6 Simple Methods

Link a Radio Button

Inserting the radio button only adds the button on the screen. There is no validation or data to serve as a value for the selected radio button. 

In this case, linking a radio button provides definite data in the referenced cell based on your selection. This acts as a cue to collect data using which you can perform any function. 

Consider the above example which has four options. When the user selects one of the four options, the value corresponding to the selected radio button populates the selected cell. In this case, you can use the particular value from the cell C3 in any of the formulas.

  • To link the radio buttons to the cell, right-click on a radio button and select Format Control.
  • Navigate to the Control tab. You can see if the radio button is checked or unchecked from the Value option. 
  • To link a cell, enter any cell number in the Cell link text box. Or, you can click on the small upward and select the cell. In this case, let us select the C3 to be the reference cell.
Link a cell and click OK
Link a cell and click OK
  • Click OK.
  • This makes cell C3 the reference cell. When you select any option, the corresponding option number populates in cell C3. Here, there are 4 options. When you select Option 3, the number 3 populates cell C3. And if you select Option 2, the number 2 populates in cell C3.
The cell shows the selected option
The cell shows the selected option

Group Radio Buttons Together

Excel can have any number of radio buttons linked to a particular cell reference. What if there are multiple questions each with a different answer? Consider an example of a quiz, the end-user has to select an option in the 2 questions consisting of 4 options each. 

Randomly creating the radio buttons makes it look less aesthetically appealing, but on the other hand, when you group questions and options, it makes the radio buttons more up to the purpose.

Another advantage of grouping the cells is that when you create or copy radio buttons to use in multiple places, clicking on one button changes the selection on another button. When you group options together, the selection will only pertain to that particular option and not the other options in the other cell.

Let us now see how to group options in Excel. 

  • Navigate to the Developer ribbon. From the Insert dropdown, click on the Group Box option.
Click on the Group Box
Click on the Group Box
  • This changes the default pointer to a crosshair. Now, outline the options that you want to group together.
  • Change the name of the group by double-clicking on the cells or right-clicking and selecting Edit Text.
  • Now, select all the options including the grouping box, then right-click on it and select Group.
  • Then using the above-mentioned methods create the radio buttons, create a group box, link the cell to a reference cell, and finally, right-click to group the cells.
Link and group the options
Link and group the options
  • This way you can independently select the options from different groups and they’ll reflect in the referenced cell.

Deleting Radio Buttons in Excel

In case you are not satisfied with the option listed for the radio button or you want to delete the whole options radio button, there are a couple of easy methods to do that. 

By Pressing the Delete Key

  • To delete a radio button, you have to first select the option by holding the Ctrl key. This highlights the radio button instead of just selecting the radio button. 
  • If you want to highlight all the options in the radio button. Select one option and press Ctrl + A.  
  • Now, press Delete to delete the selected options.

Delete Radio Buttons from the Whole Worksheet

There is another easy method to delete particular radio buttons throughout the whole worksheet. 

  • To see all the radio options in the whole worksheet, navigate to Home. 
Click on Selection Pane
Click on Selection Pane
  • This opens the selection pane towards the right of the worksheet. You can either choose to hide by clicking on the eye button. If you want to delete that particular option, you can just select the option and press Delete. 
Delete any option
Delete any option

Also Read:

How to Create an Excel Slicer? 2 Easy Ways

How to Convert Excel to Word? 2 Easy Methods

How to Print Gridlines in Excel?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we insert radio buttons in Excel?

Yes, you can insert radio buttons in Excel. By navigating to the Developer tab and selecting the Options button, you can insert the radio button in the desired location.

What is the easiest method to create multiple options for the radio buttons in Excel?

After inserting a radio button, you can create multiple options for the radio buttons in two ways. You can either click on the Developer tab or click on the ‘Option’ button from the Insert dropdown again and again. Or, you can copy and paste one radio button to create multiple radio buttons. 

Why can’t I find the Developer option in Excel?

In most cases, Excel does not have the Developer tab enabled in the ribbon by default.  To enable the Developer tab, right-click on the ribbons and select Customize the Ribbon. In the Excel Options dialog box, check the checkbox for the Developer tab and click OK. 

Closing Thoughts

Radio buttons are different from checkboxes and provide unique functionalities of their own. They are a useful feature to know the user validation and use it to perform certain functions and operations.  

In this article, we saw how to insert radio buttons in Excel. We also saw how to link the radio button, group them and delete the radio buttons.

Want more high-quality guides for Excel? Check out our free Excel resources centre. 

Click here to access in-depth Excel training courses and master in-demand advanced Excel skills. 

Simon Sez IT has been teaching critical IT software for over ten years. For a low, monthly fee you can get access to 130+ IT training courses by seasoned professionals.

Simon Calder

Chris “Simon” Calder was working as a Project Manager in IT for one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious cultural institutions, LACMA. He taught himself to use Microsoft Project from a giant textbook and hated every moment of it. Online learning was in its infancy then, but he spotted an opportunity and made an online MS Project course - the rest, as they say, is history!

Most Popular Posts

  • Kanban vs Scrum: Project Management Methodologies and Their Differences [2022]
  • How to Insert a Checkbox in Excel? 3 EASY Examples
  • How to Autofit Excel Cells? 3 Best Methods
  • XLOOKUP Google Sheets – 4 Best Alternatives!
  • Dashboards in Excel Using Pivot Tables, Pivot Charts and Slicers
  • Free Microsoft Project Training Course
  • Free Microsoft Access Tutorial for Beginners (3.5 Hours Video)
  • How to Use Blending Mode With Layers in Adobe Photoshop Elements 15

Similar Posts

How to Add Bullet Points in Word? 4 Easy Methods

How To Setup Company Preferences in QuickBooks Pro 2017 Part 2

Jira Dashboard – An Easy Guide [2022]

How to Create a Timeline in PowerPoint? 2 Proven Methods

Using the Windows 8 Control Panel and PC Settings

Preferences in QuickBooks 2019 – Part 2

Course Categories

  • Adobe
  • Data Analysis
  • QuickBooks
  • Microsoft
  • Web Development
  • Work Productivity

About Us

  • About Us
  • Free Resources
  • Affiliates
  • Become an Instructor

Products

  • Pricing and Plans
  • Business Pricing
  • Government Discounts
  • Non-Profit Discounts

Support

  • FAQ’s
  • Contact Us
  • DVD support

Connect

YoutubeFacebookLinkedIn
© 2023 Simon Sez IT, Inc.
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
888.817.6665 Monday thru Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (ET)