Removing a dropdown rule and deleting the value are separate tasks. Use the validation controls when you want ordinary cell content to remain after the dropdown is removed.
Inspect what you intend to keep
Select a representative populated cell and note its current value. Open Data > Data validation and inspect the rule’s range. A single rule may cover many more cells than the selected one.
If only a small section should lose validation, first plan how to preserve the rule on the other cells. Keep a recoverable version before making a broad structural change.
Remove the relevant rule
Use Remove Rule in the validation panel for the intended scope. Do not press Delete on populated cells as a substitute; that action can remove content you meant to retain.
If the goal is only to hide the chip styling, inspect Display Style instead. Changing a dropdown to a plain-text display is different from removing its validation requirements altogether.
Verify values and remaining controls
Check that the original values remain in the target cells. Test one cell inside and one outside the edited scope. Verify that unrelated dropdowns, formulas, and conditional formatting still behave as intended.
Removing validation allows future arbitrary entry, so confirm that this is acceptable for downstream summaries and integrations. If the original source range is shared with other dropdowns, leave it intact unless its separate removal is authorized. Document whether you changed validation, presentation, or content; those operations can look similar to a reader but have different effects on later data quality and maintenance.
References
Reviewed against the linked official product guidance on November 3, 2026. Features, limits, screen labels, and access can vary by account, platform, region, and organization policy.