Show the Developer tab
If the developer tab isn’t already visible, see Show the Developer tab.
Make your list
-
Type the list.
-
Go to Developer and select the Check Box Content Control at the beginning of the first line.
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To change the default X to something else, see Make changes to checkboxes.
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Copy and paste the check box control at the beginning of each line.
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Select a checkbox to put an X (or other character) in the check box.
Add hanging indentation
If some list items are more than one line long, use hanging indents to align them.
-
Select the list. Bullets or numbers won’t look selected.
-
Go to Home and select the Paragraph dialog box launcher .
-
Under Indentation, in the Left box, type 0.25.
-
Under Special, choose Hanging.
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For By, Word sets a default value of 0.5 inches. Change this if you want your additional lines indented differently.
-
Select OK when finished.
Lock the text and controls to prevent changes
-
Select the list and checkboxes.
-
Go to Developer >Group > Group.
To unlock the list, select the list and choose Group > Ungroup.
Create a print only list
-
Go to Home and select the down arrow next to the Bullets button.
-
In the drop down menu, select Define New Bullet.
-
Select Symbol and find a box character. If you don’t initially see one, change Font to Wingdings or Segoe UI Symbol.
-
Select OK twice, and create your list.
Make a checklist you can check off in Word
To create a list that you can check off in Word, add content controls for checkboxes to your document.
Show the Developer tab
For more info if the developer tab isn’t already visible in Word, see Show the Developer tab.
Make your list
-
Create your list.
-
Place you cursor at the start of the first line.
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Go to the Developer tab, and then click Check Box.
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If you want a space after the check box, press Tab or Spacebar.
Use a Tab character if you want to format the list item with hanging indentation, like Word applies to bulleted lists.
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Select and copy (⌘ + C) the check box and any tabs or spaces.
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Place the cursor at the start of the each list item, and paste (⌘ + V ) the copied check box and characters.
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Paste the checkbox at the start of each line in your list.
Add hanging indentation
If some of the list items are longer than one line, use hanging indentation to align them.
-
Select the list.
-
Go to Format and select Paragraph.
-
Under Indentation, type 0.25 in the Left box.
-
In the Special list, choose Hanging.
For By, Word sets a default value of 0.5 inches. Change this if you want your additional lines indented differently.
Make a print only check list
You can replace the bullets or numbers in a list with another symbol, such as a box can be checked on a printed version of your document.
-
Select the entire list.
-
Select Home and select the arrow next to Bullets.
-
Select Define New Bullet.
-
Select Bullet, and choose a symbol from the table of symbols.
For more choices, in the Font box choose a symbol font, such as Wingdings.
-
Select a symbol to use, such as an open box () or a three-dimensional box ().
-
Select OK, and then select OK again.
Word for the web supports only the on-paper form of checklist.
-
Write your list, and then select it.
-
On the Home tab, choose the down-arrow next to the Bullets list to open the bullet library, and then choose the checkbox symbol.
First, you need to customize Word’s ribbon and enable the “Developer” tab to show the option to add check boxes. Then, select “Developer” and click the “Check Box Content Control” button to insert a check box into your document. You can also transform Word’s bullets into checkboxes.
When you create surveys or forms with Microsoft Word, check boxes make the options easier to read and answer. We’re covering two good options for doing just that. The first is ideal for documents that you want people to fill out digitally within the Word document itself. The second option is easier if you’re planning to print documents like to-do lists.
Option 1: Use Word’s Developer Tools to Add the Check Box Option for Forms
In order to create fillable forms that include checkboxes, you first need to enable the “Developer” tab on the Ribbon. With a Word document open, click the “File” drop-down menu and then choose the “Options” command. In the “Word Options” window, switch to the “Customize Ribbon” tab. On the right-hand “Customize the Ribbon” list, select “Main Tabs” on the dropdown menu.
On the list of available main tabs, select the “Developer” check box, and then click the “OK” button
Notice that the “Developer” tab is added to your Ribbon. Just position your cursor in the document where you want a check box, switch to the “Developer” tab, and then click the “Check Box Content Control” button.
You should see a check box appear wherever you placed your cursor. Here, we’ve gone ahead and placed a check box next to each answer and, as you can see, those check boxes are interactive. Click a box to mark it with an “X” (as we’ve done for answers 2, 3, and 4) or select the whole form box (as we’ve done for answer 4) to move the check box around, format it, and so on.
RELATED: How to Create a Fillable Form With Microsoft Word
Option 2: Change Bullets to Check Boxes for Printed Documents
If you’re creating a document to print out—like a to-do list or printed survey—and just want check boxes on it, you don’t have to mess around with adding Ribbon tabs and using forms. Instead, you can create a simple bullet list and then change the bullets from the default symbol to check boxes.
In your Word document, on the “Home” tab, click the small arrow to the right of the “Bullet List” button. On the dropdown menu, select the “Define new bullet” command.
In the “Define New Bullet” window, click the “Symbol” button.
In the “Symbol” window, click the “Font” dropdown and choose the “Wingdings 2” option.
You can scroll through the symbols to find the empty square symbol that looks like a check box, or you just type the number “163” into the “Character Code” box to automatically select it. Of course, if you see a symbol you like better—like the open circle (symbol 153)—feel free to choose that instead.
When you’ve selected your symbol, click the “OK” button to close the “Symbol” window, and then click the “OK” button to close the “Define New Bullet” window, too.
Back in your Word document, you can now type your bullet list. The check boxes appear instead of the regular bullet symbol.
And the next time you need the check box symbol, you don’t have to navigate through that whole set of windows. Just click that small arrow to the right of the “Bullet List” button again, and you’ll see the checkbox listed under the “Recently Used Bullets” section.
Again, this method is really only useful for documents you want to print out. The check box symbols are not interactive, so you can’t check them off inside a Word document.
If you’re also creating spreadsheets and presentations, you may want to learn how to insert checkboxes in Excel and add checkboxes to PowerPoint too.
RELATED: How to Add a Check Mark or Tick Mark in Word
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- › How to Add a Drop-Down List to a Word Document
- › How to Create a Fillable Form With Microsoft Word
- › How to Create a Basic Survey in Microsoft Word
- › How to Count Checkboxes in Microsoft Excel
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In Microsoft Word, you can create digital forms, surveys, to-do lists, and printable forms. And you might need to add a checkbox in these forms so your respondents can select certain options.
In this tutorial, I will show you how to insert an interactive checkbox in Microsoft Word for softcopy documents, and a non-interactive checkbox for hardcopy (printed) documents. Then you can start using them in your forms, surveys, and lists.
I will be using the Microsoft Word 2016 desktop app in this guide because it’s my personal preference. If you are using a different version, things may not be entirely the same, but you can still follow along.
How to Insert a Checkbox in Softcopy Documents like Digital Forms and Surveys
To insert a checkbox in a softcopy document (like forms and surveys that you want respondents to fill out digitally within the Word document), you’ll use the Developer tab in the menu bar.
Unlike other tabs such as File, Home, Insert, Design, and so on, the Developer tab doesn’t appear in the menu bar by default. So I will start this guide by walking you through how to show the Developer tab in the menu bar.
How to Show the Developer Tab
To show the Developer tab in the menu bar, first click on “File”:
Next, click “Options”:
Then select “Customize Ribbon” in the pop up that shows up:
Under “Main Tabs”, check the “Developer” option:
Finally, click “Ok”:
How to Insert the Checkbox in your Word Document
First, place the cursor where you want to insert the checkbox.
Next, click on the Developer tab in the menu bar. You will see options such as Add-ins, XML Mapping Pane, and some others (you will not see their names until you hover on them).
Hover on the one that has a checkmark and select it.
This will insert your checkbox.
How to Change the Icon of the Checked State of the Checkbox
The checkbox becomes interactive immediately after you insert it. The only problem is that an «X» appears by default in the checked state, and you might want a checkmark instead of this.
So now I’m going to show you how to change the X to a checkmark.
Step 1: Select the checkbox, or place the cursor right next to it:
Step 2: Click on the Developer tab and select “Properties”:
Step 3: You will see the default symbols for checked and unchecked symbols. Right next to the “Checked Symbol”, click “change”.
Step 4: In the popup that shows up, look for “winding2” under font and select it. You will see the common checkmark icons used for the checked state of checkboxes. Just select one of them and click “Ok”, then “Ok” again.
Below is a gif demonstrating how to change the checked icon:
You can follow the same process to change the unchecked state, as I’ve shown below:
How to Remove the Bounding Box of the Checkmark
Another way you can make the checkbox look better and make it user-friendly is to remove the bounding box that appears when it is checked or unchecked, and when the cursor is placed on it.
Step 1: Place the cursor on the checkbox.
Step 2: Select the Developer tab in the menu bar and click on “Properties”.
Step 3: Right next to “Show as”, click the dropdown and select “None”.
Thee 3 steps above are demonstrated in the animated gif below:
How to Insert a Checkbox in Hardcopy (Printed) Documents
If you are dealing with printed documents, you don’t need to dabble around with the Developer tab to insert a checkbox. Instead, you can define a custom bullet point for the purpose.
Step 1: Make sure you are on the Home tab of the menu bar.
Step 2: Click the Bullets dropdown icon:
Step 3: Click “Define new bullet”:
Step 4: Select «Symbol» in the popup that shows up:
Step 5: Select «Winding2» as the font.
Step 6: Choose the checkmark Icon and click “Ok”, then “Ok” again:
This is how its all done:
How to Create a Shortcut to Add an Interactive Checkbox in Word
If you want to continue inserting more interactive checkboxes, you don’t need to waste time by doing it from the Developer tab all the time. You can create a shortcut with the steps below.
Step 1: Make sure the checkbox is being shown as a bounding box.
Refer to the steps under the «Remove the Bounding Box” part of this tutorial to get a refresh on how to do this.
Step 2: Highlight the checkbox and click on the File tab of the menu bar:
Step 3: Click on “Options”:
Step 4: Select “Proofing” in the popup that comes up and click on “Autocorrect Options”:
Step 5: You should see several options checked. Make sure “Replace text as you type” is checked too.
Step 6: In the editor under “Replace”, type in the shortcut you would like to use to insert checkboxes and click “Add”. Click “Ok” and “Ok” again.
Now, to insert a checkbox, you can simply type the word you entered in step 6 and hit the space bar.
Conclusion
Checkboxes often play a crucial role in data collection using softcopy and printed documents. I hope this tutorial helped you understand how they work.
In this guide, you learned how to insert an interactive checkbox for fillable digital documents such as forms and surveys, and insert a non-interactive checkbox in printed documents.
Thank you for reading, and have a nice time.
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Adding checkboxes to your Microsoft Word document gives you the functionality of a check list. Ticking off line items as they are complete, actioned or done.
Inserting a check list into your Word document is incredibly handy, most commonly used when creating surveys in word.
There are two ways to insert check boxes into Word, the first being more suitable for digital marking within Word itself and the second more suited to documents being printed and then checked off, such as a to do list.
In this post, we will show you how to insert both types of check boxes into your document with ease.
Inserting a tick-box in Microsoft Word
Option 1: Best for Digital Marking in Word itself
- Open Word
- Check that ‘Developer’ is turned on
- How to Turn Developer on
- Select the Customize Quick Access Toolbar dropdown
- Select More Commands
- Select Developer Tab
- Select Tick Box
- Press Insert
- How to Turn Developer on
- Once the Developer Tab has been activated:
- Place your cursor where you would like to insert the tick box
- Select the Tick Box in your Quick Access Short Cuts
- Repeat for each line that you would like a tick box added in front of
Option 2: Best for Printing
- Open Word
- Highlight your list
- Click the Bullet Point button
- Click Define New Bulletpoint…
- Click Bulletpoint…
- Change Font to Wingdings 2
- Select the Square Symbol
- Press OK
You have now successfully inserted check boxes in front of all highlighted lines.
Is Version Control causing issues for you? We have a solution!
If you are collaborating on a Microsoft Word Document with others and are required to keep each version saved away for future reference, it is likely you are facing the same version control pain points that every other company is.
A very cluttered shared drive or cloud, one where each new version is saved every time one of your colleagues makes an edit. Leaving you with a shared drive full of documents looking something like ReportV4_updated_final_FINAL1 and no idea if that is actually the final version or not.
Then you face the challenge of naming your new document, do you add another _FINAL2 or is _JDsedits enough for everyone else to understand what’s going on?
If it wasn’t for the ability to sort your files in date order, I’m sure most of us would have given up on the search for the most recent file a decade ago and just rolled the dice on what looked like it was most recent. It must be _final_FINAL2_FINALFINAL right?
Or those days you don’t have shared drive access and do the drag and drop to your desktop and hope you remember to take that file back over into the shared drive next time you are in the office.
Its risky business. There must be an easier way!
Lucky for us all there is, companies such as Simul Docs offer purpose built tools to help us collaborate better and manage our version control for us.
Yep thats right, Simul docs will manage the version control for you. When you open your file, from the moment you start making edits Simul will save the document as the newest version giving it a version number such as 0.0.2 or 0.0.3.
You can then refer back to any version with ease, knowing at a glance which version is the most recent (goodbye _FINAL2_Updated) and hello simple numbered versions and clearly marked authors next to each.
Its version control bliss!
Not only that, but Simul Docs allows you to access your Word Document from anywhere, anytime. There is no need for remote shared drive access or the old clunky desktop saving. Simul gives you access to every version, anywhere, all you need is an internet connection.
Now that you have accessed your document from the comfort of the airport or your own home, you can add your tracked changes and comments, press save and let Simul notify the other collaborators that you have made some changes and they should probably jump in and check them out.
That means, no more emailing Word Documents back and forth with every edit.
Did your shared drive and inbox get a little lighter just thinking about these possibilities?
There really isn’t a downside to collaborating better with Simul Docs.
With free entry level packages on offer, its worth checking out.
На чтение 3 мин Опубликовано 24.07.2015
Когда Вы создаёте опросы или формы в Microsoft Word, то для удобства можно добавить флажки (чек-боксы), чтобы было проще выбрать и отметить один из вариантов ответа. Для этого есть два основных способа. Первый отлично подходит для документов, которые нужно заполнять в электронном виде, второй удобен для печатных документов (таких как списки дел).
- Способ 1 – Элементы управления для электронных документов
- Способ 2 – Флажки для печатных документов
Способ 1 – Элементы управления для электронных документов
Чтобы создавать заполняемые формы с флажками (чек-боксами), сперва нужно активировать вкладку Developer (Разработчик). Для этого откройте меню File (Файл) и нажмите кнопку Options (Параметры). Перейдите на вкладку Customize Ribbon (Настроить ленту) и выберите из выпадающего списка Customize the Ribbon (Настроить ленту) вариант Main Tabs (Основные вкладки).
Поставьте галочку в строке Developer (Разработчик) и нажмите ОК.
На Ленте появилась новая вкладка с инструментами для разработчиков.
Теперь Вы можете добавить в документ элемент управления — Check Box (Флажок). Это просто: запишите вопрос и варианты ответа на него, откройте вкладку Developer (Разработчик) и кликните значок Check Box Content Control (Элемент управления содержимым «флажок”) .
Теперь повторите тот же приём для всех вариантов ответа. Как видно на рисунке ниже, рядом с каждым ответом появится чек-бокс.
Способ 2 – Флажки для печатных документов
Второй способ подходит для создания документов, которые нужно распечатать на бумаге. Он потребует вставки маркеров. Откройте вкладку Home (Главная), и Вы увидите кнопку для вставки маркеров в разделе Paragraph (Абзац).
Просто нажмите маленькую стрелку рядом с этой кнопкой и выберите команду Define New Bullet (Определить новый маркер). Обратите внимание, что там уже есть несколько вариантов на выбор, но среди них нет нужного значка.
Чтобы определить новый маркер, в открывшемся диалоговом окне выберите вариант Symbol (Символ).
Когда откроется окно выбора символов, Вы увидите множество различных вариантов. В верхней части окна находится выпадающий список. Кликните по нему и выберите Wingdings 2.
Теперь введите в поле Character Code (Код знака) код 163, чтобы автоматически перейти к лучшему варианту чек-бокса в Word.
Запишите варианты ответов маркированным списком:
В следующий раз, когда Вам понадобится вставить такой символ, просто кликните по маленькой стрелке рядом с кнопкой выбора маркеров, и Вы увидите его в одном ряду с символами по умолчанию.
Попробуйте сами поэкспериментировать с настройкой маркеров, используя символы. Возможно Вы найдёте варианты лучше, чем привычный чек-бокс. Наслаждайтесь, создавая опросы и документы с использованием флажков.
Оцените качество статьи. Нам важно ваше мнение:
Contents
- 1 How to Insert a Checkbox in Word using Developer Tools
- 2 How to Create a Checklist in Word for Printed Documents
- 3 Extra: How to use Double Spacing in Word
- 4 Extra: How to Customize the Ribbon in Microsoft Word
Check boxes are an important Word processing feature for anybody creating surveys or forms. We’re going to cover how to add check boxes in Word for both printed and digital documents so that you can add extra clarity to your questions.
Inserting a Check Box in Word Is Still Possible!
Though Microsoft has tucked the Word check box feature away, it is entirely functional and works great. When sent the document, users can view the checklist in Word, tick any boxes that apply to them, and save the changes to the document.
Alternatively, writers can switch bullet points out for a check box square that is non-interactable, but easier to implement and larger for printed documents. Here’s how to insert a checkbox in Word using either method:
How to Insert a Checkbox in Word using Developer Tools
For some strange reason, Microsoft has hidden the Microsoft Word checkbox feature behind the developer tab of the ribbon, which you have to enable manually in settings. This makes creating a checklist in Word finicky the first time you do it, but once you get into the flow of things, it’s quite simple. Here’s how to enable and use the check box tool:
- Open your Word document and press “File” in the top left
- Press “More… > Options” in the sidebar
- Click “Customize Ribbon” in the sidebar, then chose “Main Tabs” in the “Customize the Ribbon” dropdown
- Scroll down until you find the “Developer” option, tick it, and press “OK”
That’s right, you have to check a box to enable check boxes. Good practice, I guess.
- Place your cursor before your checklist item, open the “Developer” tab, and click the check box icon
This will add a checkbox in Word directly behind the list item.
- Repeat the process for your other Word checklist items
You can speed up the process by selecting the box and copy-pasting it for each line.
- Click on a square to mark it with an “x”
- Use the “⋮” to format or reposition the Word check box if necessary
How to Create a Checklist in Word for Printed Documents
If your survey is only going to be filled out physically, you don’t need to go through the process of enabling developer tools and inserting a real checkbox. Instead, below we’ll show you how to add check boxes in Word by changing your bullet point simple to blank squares:
- Open the “Home” tab of your ribbon, press the bullet point button, then click “Define New Bullet…”
This feature will allow you to create your own custom bullet point symbol from Microsoft Word’s library of fonts.
- Click the “Symbol…” button
- In the “Font” dropdown, choose “Wingdings 2”
That’s right – contrary to popular belief, Wingdings can actually be useful.
- Select Character code 163 (the empty square) and press “OK”
Squares with thicker borders are available, but they’re generally a bit cramped for our purposed.
- Press “OK” in the “Define New Bullet” window
- Place your cursor in front of your list item and select your new bullet style via the bullet icon in your “Home” tab
That’s it. You now know how to add check boxes in Word via the bullet point menu. Now that it’s all set up, you should be able to repeat this trick very easily.
With that out of the way, you can learn how to double space your surveys in Word by following the linked guide. Doing so will give respondents more space to write their answers between the lines of questions.
If you’d like to insert checkboxes without the developer tab in the future, you can also follow our guide on how to customize the ribbon in Word. This will allow you to add the checkbox button to a custom tab.
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Insert a Check Box in Microsoft Word
Add check boxes to electronic and printed Microsoft Word documents
Updated on December 26, 2021
What to Know
- To insert decorative bullets: Select Home > Bullets > Define New Bullet > Symbol.
- To add functional bullets: Select File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Main Tabs > Developer > Controls > Check Box Content Control.
This article explains how to insert two types of check boxes into a Word document: check boxes that are decorative only and are useful in printed documents and check boxes that can be checked electronically in the document. This tutorial applies to Word 2010 and above on macOS or Windows operating systems.
Insert Check Boxes for Printed Documents
Placing check boxes in your document strictly for visual purposes, whether on paper or on screen, is a simple process. You can’t add a check mark to them within Word.
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Select a location in the Word document.
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Select the Home tab if it is not already selected.
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Choose the drop-down list accompanying the Bullets button.
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When the Bullet Library pop-out appears, select Define New Bullet.
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The Define New Bullet dialog displays, overlaying the main Word window. Select Symbol.
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Scroll the symbols list until you locate one suitable to use as a check box, clicking it once to select it. If you do not see an option that you like, choose a different value from the Font drop-down list—Webdings, for example—to peruse additional sets of symbols.
-
Select OK when you’ve made your choice.
Lifewire / Scott Orgera
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From the Define New Bullet interface, select OK. If you followed the instructions correctly, the check box should now be added to your document.
Insert Check Boxes for Electronic Documents
In addition to visual symbol, Word supports functional check boxes. These come in handy for online checklists or other types of forms that require user interaction.
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Select File > Options.
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In the Word Options dialog, select Customize Ribbon.
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Under Customize the Ribbon, choose the Main Tabs option from the drop-down menu.
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Locate the Developer option and select + to expand the list. Place a check mark next to Developer by selecting its accompanying check box once.
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Select + next to the option labeled Controls, expanding its list as well.
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Select Check Box Content Control and select OK to return to the main Word interface.
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Activate the Developer tab, now added to the main menu toward the top of your screen.
-
In the Controls section, select the check box icon.
-
A new check box should now be inserted into your document.
How to Change the Check Box Symbol
By default, an X appears in the check box when someone clicks it. This symbol can be changed, along with many other attributes of the new check box. Select it, then select Properties. From here you can modify the appearance of both checked and unchecked symbols, as well as the behavior of the check box itself when used within your electronic document.
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