Updating data validation for a group of cells

Question

I have a spreadsheet where a particular group of cells has defined drop down values to choose from, using data validation rules to get the list from a seperate sheet.

How do I update all of the cells using this validation to use a new formula? (when changing the sheet/cells where possible values are stored)

To explain further; I have a document where some cells are validating w.r.t. a group of values in another sheet. When copying this 1st sheet to another file, I lose the validation that pulls info from sheet #2. Now, in this particular case the cells were all in one column - so I could select multiple and change data validation to refer to a different set of addresses.

However, what if the validating cells were scattered throughout a sheet, and I wasn't aware of their locations? Hence, what I am asking is given a particular validation, how could I update it in all cells that refer to it (of if this is not possible)

Answer 1

I'm not 100% sure what the issue is, but if it is a question of how to change the range of options in data validation:

When using Data Validation, the drop downs will update automatically if you change the source-list of values that appear.

The only time you will need to re-configure the validation is if the range of the possible selections changes, or you start using a different range/sheet to validate the input cells.

Example:

options = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Drop down shows:

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

If you want to add a value (like 6), you will need to re-do the validation because this will change the range of the options.