How To Create a Printable Checklist in Excel

Many of us may struggle to keep track of all of our random thoughts, things happening around us, and tasks we need to complete. But instead of relying on your memory, you can make a checklist to let you quickly know what’s left on the agenda and what’s coming up.

One popular way to create a printable checklist is using Microsoft Excel. This program is highly user-friendly, and you’ll figure out the basics in minutes. Read on to start making your unique checklist in Excel.

Making a Printable Checklist in Excel on a PC

Checklists are helpful for many events, such as the following.

• Weddings
• Projects at work
• Daily tasks

While you can always use pen and paper to make one, it can take too much time. You can also change your mind, but the ink is already on the paper. Therefore, using Excel for this list is much better in the long term as you can enter and change items at will.

To start with, you should have the Developer tab enabled on Microsoft Excel for the method we’ll use. If it’s already there, you can skip this part. If not, here’s how to enable it.

1. Launch Microsoft Excel on your computer.
   
2. Create a new project.
   
3. Right-click anywhere on the Access Bar.
   
4. Select “Customize The Ribbon.”
   
5. Go to the “Customize Ribbon” tab.
   
6. Click on “Popular Commands.”
   
7. Look for the “Developer” option.
   
8. Enable it and save your settings.
   

The Developer Tab will now appear on the ribbon.

Next, you’ll be preparing a bulleted list. This is simple since you only need to type all the tasks and categories onto the project. Take your time to prevent making mistakes.

Your list can be anything you want: a grocery list, a to-do daily tasks list, or wedding plans. For the latter, you can add more categories for precise management.

Once the list is complete, you can start on the next section. You’ll be inserting the checkboxes.

1. Click on the Developer Tab.
   
2. Click on “Insert.”
   
3. Select the “Check Box” option.
   
4. Insert it in a cell.
   
5. Delete the “Check Box” text that’s created when you insert the object.
   
6. Click and drag on the cell with the check box.
   
7. Select the plus sign.
8. Drag the sign over the cells to which you want to copy the check box.
   
9. The list is complete.
   

You technically don’t need to enable Developer Mode if you want a simple checklist. This type of box is clickable on Excel, but if you want to print the list, don’t click on any of them.

Here’s the more accessible alternative.

1. Click on an empty cell.
   
2. Select the “Insert” tab.
   
3. Pick “Symbol.”
   
4. Look for “Wingdings” from the “Font” list.
   
5. Scroll down until you find an empty box.
   
6. Click on the cell with the box and then click on the plus sign.
   
7. Hold and drag the box down.
   
8. Now, all the cells you highlighted will have empty boxes.
   

Using Templates

Though it’s great to create your own checklist, you can always download a template and make a list easily. There are many free templates available on the internet.

1. Open Microsoft Excel.
   
2. Click on “New.”
   
3. Type “Checklist” in the search bar.
   
4. Open any template you like.
   
5. Start creating your personal checklist.

Using templates is that simple.

Follow these steps if you want to download a custom template and then make it available in Excel.

1. Download any custom checklist template.
   
2. Copy the file.
   
3. Go to the C Drive.
   
4. Click on “Users” and your username.
   
5. Navigate to “Documents.”
   
6. Open “Custom Office Templates.”
   
7. Paste the custom template there.
   
8. Open Microsoft Excel.
   
9. Find your template and start making a checklist.
   

You can use community-made lists as they are or make some changes. It’s all up to you and the situation.

Additional FAQs

How do I make a checklist template?

Once you create a checklist with Excel, you can save it as a template. Here are the steps.

1. Create your checklist.

2. Click on the “File” button.

3. Select “Save As.”

4. Name the file.

5. In the format list, select “Excel Template.”

6. Save the file.

7. You can now use this template for future projects.

All Done

Checklists are easy to create in Microsoft Excel. The tools for doing so may not be there initially, but once you enable the Developer Tab, everything comes together nicely. You can even use templates made by other people.

What do you use your checklists for? Do you have a favorite template? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.