Formatting text fields 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.

   

2. Select Options.

   

   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.

   

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.

   

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.

   

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.

   

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.

   

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

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How to Automate Microsoft Word by Inserting and Updating Fields

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated March 14, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft^® Word^® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365 (Windows)

You can create dynamic components in your Word documents by inserting and updating fields. When you use built-in commands and features, many Word fields are inserted automatically. For example, if you insert a dynamic date or page numbering, Word inserts fields in your document. Essentially, fields are variables that are inserted using field codes. Update your fields and your document updates automatically!

You normally see the result of a field or variable rather than the codes but you can display field codes. In this article, we’ll discuss inserting and updating fields but, as you get more comfortable with fields, you can edit the field codes directly and even apply different types of formatting using switches.

Note: If you are working with fields in Microsoft Word, you will be using quite a few function keys (such as F9). On some laptops, you will need to press the Fn key on your keyboard to enable your function keys. For example, instead of pressing F9, you would press Fn + F9.

Recommended article: 21 Microsoft Word Formatting Shortcuts for Faster Formatting

Do you want to learn more about Microsoft Word? Check out our virtual classroom or live classroom Word courses >

Where is the Insert Field command?

The Insert Field command is hidden in the Ribbon so it’s a bit difficult to find.

To access it, you’ll need to click the Quick Parts button on the Insert tab. The Field command appears in the drop-down menu as follows:

The Field dialog box appears as follows in Microsoft Word:

Insert a field using the Field dialog box

To insert a field using the Field dialog box:

1. Navigate to the location in the Word document where you want to insert a field.
2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
3. Click Quick Parts. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Select Field. A dialog box appears.
5. In the list of Field names, select a field. You can filter the list by clicking the down arrow in the Categories list and selecting a category first.
6. Under Field properties, select any properties or options you want.
7. To see the codes for a particular field in the Field box, click Field Codes. For some fields, this button is clicked by default.
8. Ensure that Preserve Formatting During Updates is checked so that formatting you apply is not removed when the fields are updated.
9. Click OK. The field is inserted into the document.
10. Format the field results by applying text formatting to the field using the Home tab in the Ribbon.

View or hide field codes

You can view or hide field codes in your document by pressing Alt + F9. Field codes appear between braces or curly brackets { }.

When you view field codes in your document, fields appear as follows:

{ FIELD NAME Properties Optional switches }

• FIELD NAME is the name that appears in the list of field names in the Field dialog box.
• Properties are any instructions or parameters that are used in a particular field. Not all fields have properties or parameters  and, in some fields, parameters are required.
• Optional switches are any optional settings that are available for some fields. Switches are another way of formatting specific fields.

You cannot insert a field by typing field code braces or curly brackets on your keyboard. To insert field code braces, press Ctrl + F9 to insert the braces and then you can type the remainder of the field using the correct syntax.

Edit a field in the Field dialog box

To edit a field in the Field dialog box:

1. Right-click the field and then click Edit Field. A dialog box appears.
2. Change the field properties and options.
3. Click OK.

For some fields, you must display the field code first to edit the field. To display all the field codes in the document, press Alt + F9. Be sure to hide the field codes later by pressing Alt + F9 again.

Some fields are edited in their own dialog boxes instead of in the Field dialog box. For example, if you right-click a hyperlink and then click Edit Hyperlink, the Edit Hyperlink dialog box appears.

Highlight fields with grey shading

Fields can also be highlighted with grey shading to make them more visible in the document. Normally, when you click in a field, it appears with grey shading.

To change the shading settings for fields:

1. Click the File tab in the Ribbon.
2. Click Options. A dialog box appears.
3. Click Advanced in the categories on the left.
4. Under Show document content, in the Field shading list, select Always, Never or When selected (the default setting).
5. Click OK.

Below is the Options dialog box:

Update fields

By default, Word should automatically update fields when a document is opened. Many fields are also updated automatically when you go to Print Preview (click the File tab and then click Print). If you prefer, you can update fields manually.

To update a field manually, right-click the field and then click Update Field or press F9.

To update all fields manually in the main body of a document, press Ctrl + A to select all and then press F9.

Some fields in headers, footers or text boxes must be updated separately. Click in the header, footer or text box, press Ctrl + A to select all and then press F9. Page fields (which display page numbering) do not need to be updated manually (they update when you go the Print Preview).

Lock fields

You can also lock fields to prevent automatic updating of the field. To lock a field so that field results are not updated, click the field, and then press Ctrl + F11.

To unlock a field so that field results can be updated, click the field, and then press Ctrl + Shift + F11.

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