How to Insert and Customise Dropdown Menus in Google Docs

Collaborative project proposals, editorial schedules, and procedural checklists in Google Docs often require team members to assign task statuses, priority ratings, or department ownership. Previously, collaborators typed plain text status labels manually, leading to inconsistent naming conventions (such as “In Progress”, “WIP”, and “Pending”). Google Docs now features native interactive dropdown chips. These sleek, clickable menus allow reviewers to select pre-configured, colour-coded values directly within any document table or paragraph.

Inserting a Preset Dropdown Menu in Google Docs

Google Docs provides built-in dropdown templates designed for immediate project tracking and review workflows.

1. Open your document in Google Docs (docs.google.com).
2. Place your cursor where you want the dropdown chip to appear (such as inside a table cell).
3. Click the Insert menu on the top toolbar and select Dropdown.
4. Choose one of Google’s preset dropdown templates:
   • Project Status: Includes pre-configured labels: Not Started (Grey), In Progress (Blue), and Completed (Green).
   • Review Status: Includes pre-configured labels: Not Started (Grey), In Progress (Blue), Under Review (Orange), and Approved (Green).

The interactive chip will immediately embed in your document. Anyone with editing or commenting permissions can click the chip and select a status from the drop-down overlay.

Creating a Customised Dropdown Menu with Tailored Colours

If the default presets do not fit your specific tracking requirements, you can build custom dropdown menus with arbitrary labels and custom palette colours.

1. Go to Insert > Dropdown and click + New dropdown.
2. In the configuration modal that appears, enter a descriptive title under Template name (e.g. Priority Level or Department Owner).
3. In the option rows below, type your custom text labels (for example: High Priority, Medium Priority, Low Priority).
4. Click the small circular colour palette icon beside each option to assign a distinct background colour to the chip.
5. To add more options, click + Add option. To rearrange the sequence, click and drag the six-dot grab handle beside each row.
6. Click Save.

Quick Insertion Using the “@” Smart Canvas Menu

You can embed dropdown chips dynamically while typing without touching the top toolbar menus:

1. Type the @ character anywhere in your document.
2. Type dropdown immediately following the at-symbol.
3. Press Enter to open the dropdown selector menu instantly.

Using dropdown chips standardises project documentation, eliminates typo variations, and delivers an intuitive, professional interface for multi-user collaboration.