Checking checkboxes in word

Show the Developer tab

If the developer tab isn’t already visible, see Show the Developer tab.

Make your list

  1. Type the list.

  2. Go to Developer and select the Check Box Content Control at the beginning of the first line.

    Checkbox control in the Controls group on the developer ribbon.

  3. To change the default X to something else, see Make changes to checkboxes.

  4. Copy and paste the check box control at the beginning of each line.

  5. 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.

  1. Select the list. Bullets or numbers won’t look selected.

  2. Go to Home and select the Paragraph dialog box launcher Dialog box launcher .

  3. Under Indentation, in the Left box, type 0.25.

  4. Under Special, choose Hanging.

  5. For By, Word sets a default value of 0.5 inches. Change this if you want your additional lines indented differently.

  6. Select OK when finished.

Lock the text and controls to prevent changes

  1. Select the list and checkboxes.

  2. Go to Developer >Group > Group.

    To unlock the list, select the list and choose Group > Ungroup.

Create a print only list

  1. Go to Home and select the down arrow next to the Bullets button.

    The bullets down arrow highlighted in the Paragraph group.

  2. In the drop down menu, select Define New Bullet.

  3. Select Symbol and find a box character. If you don’t initially see one, change Font to Wingdings or Segoe UI Symbol.

  4. Select OK twice, and create your list.

Example of a bulleted list with boxes.

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

  1. Create your list.

  2. Place you cursor at the start of the first line.

  3. Go to the Developer tab, and then click Check Box.

    Click Check Box to insert a check box that you can mark in Word.

  4. 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.

  5. Select and copy (⌘ + C) the check box and any tabs or spaces.

  6. Place the cursor at the start of the each list item, and paste (⌘ + V ) the copied check box and characters.

  7. 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.

  1. Select the list.

  2. Go to Format and select Paragraph.

  3. Under Indentation, type 0.25 in the Left box.

  4. In the Special list, choose Hanging.

    For hanging indentation of a list, set indentation for Left, and set Special to 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.

  1. Select the entire list.

  2. Select Home and select the arrow next to Bullets.

    Click the arrow next to the bullets icon to select or add bullets.

  3. Select Define New Bullet.

    Click Define New Bullet if Bullet Library does not have the symbol that you want.

  4. 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.

  5. Select a symbol to use, such as an open box (A plain open box in the Wingdings font.) or a three-dimensional box (A shadowed open box in the Wingdings font.).

  6. Select OK, and then select OK again.

Word for the web supports only the on-paper form of checklist.

  1. Write your list, and then select it.

  2. On the Home tab, choose the down-arrow next to the Bullets list to open the bullet library, and then choose the checkbox symbol.

    Choose the checkbox symbol in the bullet library

Microsoft Word Logo Hero

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.

Select "Customize Ribbon," then make sure that "Customize the Ribbon" is set to "Main Tabs."

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.

You can add as many check boxes as you want.

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.

Set the font to "Wingdings 2."

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.

Scroll until you find the empty box character, or enter "163" into the "Character Code" box. Then hit "OK."

Back in your Word document, you can now type your bullet list. The check boxes appear instead of the regular bullet symbol.

You add new check boxes just like you would any other bullets.

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.

The "Bullet List" check boxes are not interactive, so only use them for printed documents.

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

READ NEXT

  • › How to Add a Check Mark or Tick Mark in Word
  • › 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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  • › Why the Right-Click Menu in Windows 11 Is Actually Good


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Want to add a check box or tick box to a list or form in Microsoft Word? It’s easy to do, and you can even make it checkable so you can click the box with your mouse. We’ll show you an easy way to add a clickable checkbox using Developer Mode in Microsoft Word.

Steps

  1. Image titled Insert a Check Box in Word Step 1

    1

    Open a new file in Microsoft Word. Do so by opening the app shaped like a blue W. Then click on File in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and click on New Blank Document.

  2. Image titled Insert a Check Box in Word Step 2

    2

    Click on File in the menu bar and then Options in the menu.

    • On Mac, click on Word in the menu bar and then Preferences… in the menu.

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  3. Image titled Insert a Check Box in Word Step 3

    3

    Click on Customize Ribbon and then Main Tabs in the «Customize the Ribbon:» drop-down menu.»[1]

    • On Mac, click on Ribbon & Toolbar in the «Authoring and Proofing Tools» section of the dialog box, then click on the Ribbon tab at the top of the dialog box.
  4. Image titled Insert a Check Box in Word Step 4

    4

    Check «Developer» in the «Main Tabs» pane.

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    5

    Click on Ok.

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    6

    Click on Developer. It’s a tab in the upper-right part of the window.

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    7

    Position the cursor where you’d like to insert the check box.

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    8

    Click on Check Box. It’s in the menu bar at the top of the window.

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    9

    Add additional check boxes and text as needed.

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    10

    Lock the form. To do so, select the entire list, to be found in the Controls section on the Developer tab, then click on Group and Group.

    • On Mac, click Protect Form in the Developer tab toolbar.
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Add New Question

  • Question

    What should I do if the check box is grayed out in my ribbon?

    Community Answer

    It is grayed out for me too. However, if you click on the one icon that isn’t — Legacy Tools — then you will find the exact same checkbox, which you should be able to select.

  • Question

    How can I enlarge the size of a text box without enlarging the text?

    Community Answer

    In Word, just dragging the corner of the text box should be sufficient. If the text changes size accidentally, you can always highlight it and change it back to the desired size.

  • Question

    How do you make a drop box in word?

    Community Answer

    Download LibreOffice. Follow the manual on how to add a list or list/add or list/multiselect box (or just look under «insert» in the menu). You can add a data source for the dropdown menu items from a database, a spreadsheet or within the file structure itself.

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About This Article

Article SummaryX

1. Open a document.
2. Click File.
3. Select Customize Ribbon and then click Main Tabs.
4. Check the «Developer» box.
5. Click Save.
6. Click Developer.
7. Click where you want to insert the check box.
8. Click Check Box.
9. Add additional boxes and text.
10. Lock the form.

Did this summary help you?

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,240,190 times.

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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.

Customer Satisfaction Survey Ticking Very Dissatisfied Stock Video -  Download Video Clip Now - iStock

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

Online Survey Form Clicking Hand With Checklist Questionnaire List For  Feedback With Finger Ticking Survey Checkbox Voting Satisfaction Review  Isolated Report Icon Eps 10 Stock Illustration - Download Image Now - iStock

  1. Open Word
  2. Check that ‘Developer’ is turned on
    1. How to Turn Developer on
      1. Select the Customize Quick Access Toolbar dropdown
      2. Select More Commands
      3. Select Developer Tab
      4. Select Tick Box
      5. Press Insert
  1. Once the Developer Tab has been activated:
  2. Place your cursor where you would like to insert the tick box

  1. Select the Tick Box in your Quick Access Short Cuts
  1. Repeat for each line that you would like a tick box added in front of

Option 2: Best for Printing

Six reasons customer surveys are more important than ever | MyCustomer
  1. Open Word
  2. Highlight your list
  3. Click the Bullet Point button
  4. Click Define New Bulletpoint…
  1. Click Bulletpoint…
  1. Change Font to Wingdings 2
  2. Select the Square Symbol
  1. 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?

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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?

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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

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

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).

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

Поставьте галочку в строке Developer (Разработчик) и нажмите ОК.

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

На Ленте появилась новая вкладка с инструментами для разработчиков.

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

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”) .

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

Теперь повторите тот же приём для всех вариантов ответа. Как видно на рисунке ниже, рядом с каждым ответом появится чек-бокс.

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

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.

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

Чтобы определить новый маркер, в открывшемся диалоговом окне выберите вариант Symbol (Символ).

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

Когда откроется окно выбора символов, Вы увидите множество различных вариантов. В верхней части окна находится выпадающий список. Кликните по нему и выберите Wingdings 2.

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

Теперь введите в поле Character Code (Код знака) код 163, чтобы автоматически перейти к лучшему варианту чек-бокса в Word.

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

Запишите варианты ответов маркированным списком:

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

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.

Добавляем чекбоксы в Word

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.

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