Creating a form using word

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To create a form in Word that others can fill out, start with a template or document and add content controls. Content controls include things like check boxes, text boxes, date pickers, and drop-down lists. If you’re familiar with databases, these content controls can even be linked to data.

Show the Developer tab

If the developer tab isn’t displayed in the ribbon, see Show the Developer tab.

Open a template or a blank document on which to base the form

To save time, start with a form template or start from scratch with a blank template.

  1. Go to File > New.

  2. In Search online templates, type Forms or the type of form you want and press ENTER.

  3. Choose a form template, and then select Create or Download.

  1. Go to File > New.

  2. Select Blank document.

Add content to the form

Go to Developer, and then choose the controls that you want to add to the document or form. To remove a content control, select the control and press Delete. You can set properties on controls once inserted.

Note: You can print a form that was created using content controls, but the boxes around the content controls will not print.

In a rich text content control, users can format text as bold or italic, and they can type multiple paragraphs. If you want to limit what users add, insert the plain text content control.

  1. Click or tap where you want to insert the control.

  2. Select Developer > Rich Text Content Control Rich text control button or Plain Text Content Control Plain text control button.

To set specific properties on the control, see Set or change properties for content controls.

A picture control is often used for templates, but you can also add a picture control to a form.

  1. Click or tap where you want to insert the control.

  2. Select Developer > Picture Content Control Picture control button.

To set specific properties on the control, see Set or change properties for content controls.

Use building block controls when you want people to choose a specific block of text. For example, building block controls are helpful when you need to add different boilerplate text depending on the contract’s specific requirements. You can create rich text content controls for each version of the boilerplate text, and then you can use a building block control as the container for the rich text content controls.

  1. Click or tap where you want to insert the control.

  2. Go to DeveloperBuilding Block Gallery Content Control building block gallery control (or Building Block Content Control).

  3. Select Developer and content controls for the building block.

    Developer tab showing content controls

  1. Click or tap where you want to insert the control.

To set specific properties on the control, see Set or change properties for content controls.

In a combo box, users can select from a list of choices that you provide or they can type in their own information. In a drop-down list, users can only select from the list of choices.

  1. Go to Developer > Combo Box Content Control combo box button or Drop-Down List Content Control List box button.

  2. Select the content control, and then select Properties.

  3. To create a list of choices, select Add under Drop-Down List Properties.

  4. Type a choice in Display Name, such as Yes, No, or Maybe.

    Repeat this step until all of the choices are in the drop-down list.

  5. Fill in any other properties that you want.

    Note: If you select the Contents cannot be edited check box, users won’t be able to click a choice.

  1. Click or tap where you want to insert the date picker control.

  2. Select Developer > Date Picker Content Control Date picker button .

To set specific properties on the control, see Set or change properties for content controls.

  1. Click or tap where you want to insert the check box control.

  2. Select Developer > Check Box Content Control Check box button.

To set specific properties on the control, see Set or change properties for content controls.

Legacy form controls are for compatibility with older versions of Word and consist of legacy form and Active X controls.

  1. Click or tap where you want to insert a legacy control.

  2. Go to Developer > Legacy Forms Legacy control button drop-down.

  3. Select the Legacy Form control or Active X Control that you want to include.

Set or change properties for content controls

Each content control has properties that you can set or change. For example, the Date Picker control offers options for the format you want to use to display the date.

  1. Select the content control that you want to change.

  2. Go to Developer > Properties.

    Controls Properties  button

  3. Change the properties that you want.

Add protection to a form

If you want to limit how much others can edit or format a form, use the Restrict Editing command:

  1. Open the form that you want to lock or protect.

  2. Select Developer > Restrict Editing.

    Restrict editing button

  3. After selecting restrictions, select Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.

    Restrict editing panel 

Advanced Tip:

If you want to protect only parts of the document, separate the document into sections and only protect the sections you want.

To do this, choose Select Sections in the Restrict Editing panel. For more info on sections, see Insert a section break.

Sections selector on Resrict sections panel

Show the Developer tab

If the developer tab isn’t displayed in the ribbon, see Show the Developer tab.

Open a template or use a blank document

To create a form in Word that others can fill out, start with a template or document and add content controls. Content controls include things like check boxes, text boxes, and drop-down lists. If you’re familiar with databases, these content controls can even be linked to data.

  1. Go to File > New from Template.

    New from template option

  2. In Search, type form.

  3. Double-click the template you want to use.

  4. Select File > Save As, and pick a location to save the form.

  5. In Save As, type a file name and then select Save.

  1. Go to File > New Document.

    New document option

  2. Go to File > Save As.

  3. In Save As, type a file name and then select Save.

Add content to the form

Go to Developer, and then choose the controls that you want to add to the document or form. To remove a content control, select the control and press Delete. You can set Options on controls once inserted. From Options, you can add entry and exit macros to run when users interact with the controls, as well as list items for combo boxes, .

  1. In the document, click or tap where you want to add a content control.

  2. On Developer, select Text Box, Check Box, or Combo Box.

    Developer tab with content controls

  3. To set specific properties for the control, select Options, and set .

  4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each control that you want to add.

Options let you set common settings, as well as control specific settings. Select a control and then select Options to set up or make changes.

  • Set common properties.

    • Select Macro to Run on lets you choose a recorded or custom macro to run on Entry or Exit from the field.

    • Bookmark Set a unique name or bookmark for each control.

    • Calculate on exit This forces Word to run or refresh any calculations, such as total price when the user exits the field.

    • Add Help Text Give hints or instructions for each field.

    • OK Saves settings and exits the panel.

    • Cancel Forgets changes and exits the panel.

  • Set specific properties for a Text box

    • Type Select form Regular text, Number, Date, Current Date, Current Time, or Calculation.

    • Default text sets optional instructional text that’s displayed in the text box before the user types in the field. Set Text box enabled to allow the user to enter text into the field.

    • Maximum length sets the length of text that a user can enter. The default is Unlimited.

    • Text format can set whether text automatically formats to Uppercase, Lowercase, First capital, or Title case.

    • Text box enabled Lets the user enter text into a field. If there is default text, user text replaces it.

  • Set specific properties for a Check box.

    • Default Value Choose between Not checked or checked as default.

    • Checkbox size Set a size Exactly or Auto to change size as needed.

    • Check box enabled Lets the user check or clear the text box.

  • Set specific properties for a Combo box

    • Drop-down item Type in strings for the list box items. Press + or Enter to add an item to the list.

    • Items in drop-down list Shows your current list. Select an item and use the up or down arrows to change the order, Press to remove a selected item.

    • Drop-down enabled Lets the user open the combo box and make selections.

  1. Go to Developer > Protect Form.

    Protect form button on the Developer tab

    Note: To unprotect the form and continue editing, select Protect Form again.

  2. Save and close the form.

If you want, you can test the form before you distribute it.

  1. Protect the form.

  2. Reopen the form, fill it out as the user would, and then save a copy.

Show the Developer tab

  1. On the right side of the ribbon, select Action pop-up menu, and then select Ribbon Preferences.

  2. Under Customize, select Developer .

Open a template or a document on which to base the form

You can start with a blank document and create your own form. Or, to save time, you can start with a form template.

  1. Go to File > New from Template.

  2. In the left pane, expand Online Templates, and then select Forms.

  3. Double-click the form template that you want to use.

Add content controls to the form

  1. In the document, click where you want to add the control.

  2. On the Developer tab, under Form Controls, select Text Box, Check Box, or Combo Box.

  3. To set specific properties for the control, select Options, and then configure the properties that you want.

    Note: To create a list of drop-down items in a combo box, select the combo box placeholder, click Options, and then add the items that you want to appear in the drop-down list.

  4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each control that you want to add.

Add instructional text (optional)

Instructional text (for example, «Type First Name») in a text box can make your form easier to use. By default, no text appears in a text box, but you can add it.

  1. Select the text box control that you want to add instructional text to.

  2. On the Developer tab, under Form Controls, select Options.

  3. In Default Text, type the instructional text.

  4. Make sure that Fill-in enabled is selected, and then select OK.

Protect the form

  1. On the Developer tab, under Form Controls, select Protect Form.

    Note: To unprotect the form and continue editing, click Protect Form again.

  2. Save and close the form.

Test the form (optional)

If you want, you can test the form before you distribute it.

  1. Protect the form.

  2. Reopen the form, fill it out as the user would, and then save a copy.

Creating fillable forms isn’t available in Word for the web.

You can create the form with the desktop version of Word with the instructions in Create a fillable form.

When you save the document and reopen it in Word for the web, you’ll see the changes you made.

Need more help?


How to Create a Fillable Form in Word

You can use Word to create interactive digital forms that other people can fill out on their computers before printing or sending them back to you. It takes a little preparation but keeps you from having to decipher messy handwriting! Some of the tools you will use when creating a form include:

  • Templates: Forms are normally saved as templates so that they can be used again and again.
  • Content controls: The areas where users input information in a form.
  • Tables: Tables are often used in forms to align text and form fields, and to create borders and boxes.
  • Protection: Users can complete the form fields without being able to change the form’s text and/or design.

Show the Developer Tab

Before you can create a form, you’ll need to turn on the Developer tab to get access to the advanced tools.

  1. Click the File tab.

    Forms

  2. Select Options.

    Forms

    The Word Options window opens.

  3. Click the Customize Ribbon tab on the left.

    The column on the right controls which ribbon tabs are enabled.

  4. Check the Developer check box.
  5. Click OK.

    Forms

The Developer tab now appears on the ribbon. In addition to advanced tools for macro recording, add-ins, and document protection, we now have access to form controls.

Create a Form

Once you’ve enabled the Developer tab, and created the layout and structure of the form, you can start adding form fields to your document with Content Controls.

  1. Place the text cursor where you want to insert the form field.
  2. Click the Developer tab on the ribbon.

    The Controls group contains the different kinds of content controls you can add to a form, as well as the toggle button for Design Mode.

  3. Click the Design Mode button in the controls group.

    While Design Mode is active, controls you insert won’t be active, so clicking a check box to move it around won’t also check it. You can also customize placeholder text for some controls.

    Forms

  4. Click a Content Control buttons to insert the selected type of control.

    The content control is inserted.

    Select a form field and click the Properties button on the ribbon to edit a control’s options. Depending on the type of control you’ve inserted, you can change its appearance, set up the options in a list, or lock the control once edited.

  5. When you’re done, click the Design Mode button again to exit Design Mode.

    Forms

You leave Design Mode, and the content controls that you’ve inserted can now be used.

Types of Form Controls

There are many different types of form controls you can add to a form that will allow people to add different types of responses.

Finalize a Form

When you’re ready to distribute a form so others can fill it out, you can restrict the form so that content controls cannot be removed or changed by those filling it out.

  1. Click the Restrict Editing button on the Developer tab.

    The Restrict Editing pane appears on the right.

  2. Check the Editing restrictions check box.
  3. Click the Editing restriction list arrow.
  4. Select Filling in forms.

    When this option is enabled, the only change that anyone else can make to this document is the filling in of form fields. They won’t be able to move, delete, or edit the fields themselves until protection is turned off.

    Forms

  5. Click the Yes, Start Enforcing Protection button.

    A password is not required to start enforcing protection, but you can add one if you’d like to prevent just anyone from turning this protection off.

  6. Enter a password (optional), then click OK.

    Forms

The document is now restricted, and anyone you send it to will only be able to fill in the forms.


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Creating Forms in Microsoft Word

Using a form for data entry is an excellent way to control what you allow a user to select and where you want them to type. Forms look professional, and have the ability to save the entered data as a text file. This data can then be easily imported into excel for data analysis.

This blog will take you through the basics of creating a form.

The Design Tab
Form Controls
Adding a Form Control to a Word Document
Restrict Editing to Filling in Forms
Test your form

The Design Tab

Before you start creating your form, you will need to add the Design Tab to your Ribbon.

  1. Right click on any existing tab e.g. HOME, select Customize the Ribbon…

         

  1. This will open up Word Options. Look to the right under Main Tabs, tick Developer. 
  2. Select Ok, and observe the new Developer Tab.

Form Controls

The Controls we will be focusing on are:
1) Legacy Forms Text Form Field – This will allow the form user to add text 
2) Legacy Forms Check Box Form Field – This will allow the form user to make selections using a tick box 

Adding a Form Control to a Word Document

Before adding form fields to your document, you will want to build the layout of your form. The following example is based around a Membership Form.

Once you’ve designed your form, you can start adding the form fields.

  1. Place your cursor where you want the field to be
  2. Select the field you want to use

When all of the fields have added to the membership form it will look like this:


Restrict Editing to Filling in Forms

Now that the form is complete, the final stage is to restrict editing of the document so that we are able to fill in the form.

Select the Review Tab, go to the Protect group, and select the Restrict Editing command.

In selecting this command, the Restrict Editing Side Bar will appear.

You will need to select option 2, and from the dropdown list choose Filling in Forms, followed by Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.

Test your form

Your form is ready to use, try selecting a field and type/tick.

Tips:

  1. You can use the Tab key to navigate through your form
  2. You can use the space bar to tick a box

To learn more about Word forms keep your eyes out for Creating Advanced Word Forms, or book on to any of our Word Level 3 courses.

Although Word is most commonly used for creating documents, it can also be used for capturing data like a form. Word Forms do not require any programming knowledge. These are easy to create and will work across ALL versions of Word.

image

The Need for Word Forms

This is very useful for conducting quick surveys or quizzes where you want to control the responses. Of course, there are more sophisticated methods and tools available for bother these scenarios, Word is familiar to everyone and almost guaranteed to be available on every desktop. Hence it is a compelling option even today (2017).

How to create Word Forms?

Two steps. Create the survey by inserting editable items (form fields) and then lock the document so that only the form can be filled.

Adding fields to Word Forms

There are three types of fields.

  1. The new type of fields which are better looking and more interactive.
    These do not work with older versions of Word.
  2. The solution is to use the built-in form fields.
    These are available with any version of Word. So compatibility is never an issue.
  3. ActiveX controls
    These are more sophisticated but not guaranteed to be available on every PC. ActiveX controls are being phased out globally. These are used by programmers who  want to extend Word and add business functionality to it.

In short, we will use the built-in Word Forms and related fields. To use these, we have to enable the developer tab.

Enable developer tab in Office 2007

File – Word Options – Popular – activate the Show developer tab option.

Enable developer tab in Office 2010 onwards

Open Word. File – Options. Click Customize Ribbon. In the list on the right side, scroll and identify the Developer item. This item is not selected by default. Select it and close the dialog.

Using Form Fields

Open the briefcase icon dropdown under Developer Tab – Controls group.

We will use only the upper part called Legacy forms. We have various types of fields available. Simple text, checkbox and box.

Create a document and choose a field. Let us add a text field for capturing the name.

The word Name is typed manually. Now select Text form field from the legacy tools area. Notice that the field is added with gray background. The width of this field looks small but it expands automatically.

Let us add another textbox for duration. To keep things simple, we will use another text field.

image

Let us add the leave type. Choose the Drop-down form field. Once added, double click inside the field to add various leave options.

image

Now let us add a Check box form field.  We will ask whether it is Paid or unpaid leave. Double click on the field to change the default to Checked (means Paid leave).

image

Now the form looks like this.

image

Restricting form filling in Word Forms

Right now the form is in edit mode. The captions and structure can be changed. We cannot type inside the fields properly. Checkbox cannot be unchecked and the dropdown does not appear.

Here is how you can make it a fillable form. With Office 2007, Choose Protect Document from the Review tab. Choose Restrict Formatting and Editing option. For newer versions of Office, the Restrict editing option is directly available in the Review tab.

image

Now a new window (pane) opens. Choose the Allow only this type of editing checkbox and choose the Filling in Forms option from the dropdown.

image

Now click the Yes, Start enforcing protection button. Specify a password and type it again to confirm it.

Now it is a real form.

How to fill Word Forms?

Click on any field to fill it. You cannot click and edit any other area in the Word file.

Dropdowns can be selected and checkboxes can be enabled or disabled.

How to save the data from filled Word Forms?

You will send this form as attachment to multiple people. They will fill it and then send it back to you. Unfortunately, you cannot extract data from multiple filled forms. You have to do it one-by-one. Here is a filled form.

image

In order to save only the data from the form, follow these steps:

  1. Go to File – Options – Advanced
  2. Scroll down and choose the checkbox as shown below. Left side is Office 2007 and right side is newer versions of Word.

SNAGHTML2f657364

Now the saved file will be just a TXT file containing the comma delimited data.  A preview is also shown before saving.

image

Practical Usage

This method works ever since Word was created. Although newer methods are available now, this method may still come in handy for quick and easy data capture.

***

Microsoft Word Logo Hero

Creating forms with Microsoft Word is easy, but the challenge comes in when you decide to create fillable forms with options that you can send to people and have them fill out digitally. Whether you need a form for gathering information about people or if you are trying to take a survey to test out user response to software or a new product, Word has the solution for you.

Update, 6/30/22: The screenshots in this tutorial are from Word 2010 but this should work the same in Word 2019.

To Template, or Not to Template?

There are two main options to get started with your form creation. Option one is easy to use if you can find a template that suits your needs. To find templates, click on the File menu and select “New.” You will see many premade, professional-looking templates available for download. Simply click on “Forms” and look through the selection of templates to find one that suits your needs.

Forms templates in Word

For other versions of Word, select the File tab and click “More Templates” in the Home section. Enter “Forms” into the Search box and you’ll see a collection of forms you can use.

Form templates in Word

When you have found your template, just download it and edit the form as needed.

Create a Form From Scratch

Since that is the easy way and you may not be able to find a template that fits your needs, we will discuss the best way to create forms from scratch. Begin by creating a blank document.

Enable the Developer Tab

In order to create fillable forms, you will need to start by enabling the developer tab by clicking on the File drop-down menu and then choose “Options.” Open the Customize Ribbon tab and select the “Main Tabs” option under Customize the Ribbon.

Customize Ribbon, Main Tabs

Now you will need to select the Developer box and press “OK.”

Developer tab added

Once you have done this, you will notice that an additional menu has been added to the top of the screen with several new developer options.

Developer tab in Word

Populate the Form

Now that you have a blank document, you are ready to start adding information to the form. The form we will create in this example is a simple form to collect information about people who fill them out. First, you will need to enter the basic questions. For this tutorial, we will try to get the following information:

  1. Name (Plain Text Response)
  2. Age (Drop-Down List)
  3. D.O.B. (Date Response)
  4. Sex (Check Box)
  5. Zip Code (Plain Text Response)
  6. Phone Number (Plain Text Response)
  7. Favorite Primary Color and why: (Combo Box)
  8. Best Pizza Toppings (Check Box and Plain Text Response)
  9. What is your dream job and why? Limit your answer to 200 words (Rich Text Response)
  10. What type of vehicle do you drive? (Plain Text Response)

Click on the Developer tab which you added earlier and under the Controls section, choose “Design Mode” to begin creating different control options. If you want to see what it looks like in action, remember to deselect the Design Mode option.

Text Sections

For any answers that require a text-based answer, you can add text sections. You will do this by selecting the Rich Text Content Control (allows users to edit formatting) or the Plain Text Content Control (only allows plain text without formatting) option.

Let’s enable a rich text response for question 9, and then a plain text response for question 1, 5, 6, and 10.

Text sections in a Word form

Remember that you can edit the text in the content control boxes to match the questions by clicking in them and typing as seen in the image above.

Add a Date Selection Option

If you need to add dates, you can add the Date Picker Content Control.  Let’s use this and add it to question 3.

Date form control in Word

Insert a Drop-Down List with Options

For questions that only allow one answer such as numbers (question 2), a drop-down list is handy. We will add simple list and populate it with age ranges. You will need to add the content control box, right-click on it, and select the “Properties” option. Next, click on “Add” to add age ranges.

Drop-down list settings in Word

When you are done, it should look something like this (Design Mode Disabled).

Drop-down list of ages in Word

Alternatively, you can add the Combo Box Content Control, which will allow you to add any options you want, as well as allow users to enter additional text if needed. Let’s add a combo box to question 7. Since it is a combo box, users will be able to select an option and type why they like the color.

Combo box for colors in Word

Add Check Boxes

For the fourth question, we will add check box options. You will first enter your options (male and female). Now you can add the Check Box Content Control after each option.

Check box controls in a Word form

Repeat the process for any other questions that require one or more options. We will add check boxes to question 8 as well. We will also add a plain text response box for any toppings not listed.

Check boxes in a Word form

Wrapping Up

The completed blank form should look like the images below depending on whether you have design mode enabled or disabled.

Word form with Design Mode enabled

Design Mode Enabled
Word form with Design Mode disabled
Design Mode Disabled

Congratulations, you have just learned the basics of creating interactive forms. Feel free to download our completed sample form if needed. You can send the DOTX file to people and when they open it, it will automatically open up a normal Word document that they can fill out and send to you.

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