With everything going digital forms for almost everything are being sent online. There are various programs available when it comes to creating and sharing forms. This article takes you through how to make an online form in Word.
To make an online form in Word you will need to use the desktop application. Start by enabling the developer mode by going into settings. Then insert a control > edit the text in the design mode, you can add a title to the document and share it.
Creating an online form in Word Online
Most of us are familiar with google forms when it comes to making and sharing forms online. But did you know that Word can be used to create forms? Yes, you can and it is for a fact not very difficult. Here is a step to step guide on how it’s done
- Start by opening a new document in the desktop version of word online
- You will need to make a few changes in the overall layout of the document. for this start by clicking on the File option to reveal the menu.
- In the File menu scroll down to More you will get a sub tab..
- Click on Options for a pop up menu
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The Options menu will open a popup menu with various options. From among these options select Customize Ribbon.
You will now have a number of options that show up when it comes to customizing the ribbon on the top of your word document. To create a fillable form using Word you will need to enable the Developer option.
For this scroll down to Developer and select it. you should see a small blue tick in the box near the option. Click on OK once you have the option selected.
You should now have the Developer option as part of the ribbon.
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How to insert text in a form using the developer option in Word Online?
- Once you have the developer option available on the ribbon creating and editing the form is easy.
- Everything that needs to be inserted can be done from the controls section.
- The options selected will showup where the cursor is
For example, if you click on the Aa option you will have a block to insert text.
This option used in combination with a simple table will look something like this. To make it more appealing you can customize the table by removing the borders or adding colors.
Editing the filler text
The filler text in a form is the text that comes as a default when you have a blank space added to a field. If you consider eh previous option you have ‘Click or tap here to enter text‘ here is how to change it
- Click on the section you would like to change. In this case we wanted to change ‘Click or tap here to enter text‘ to Enter first name
- Once the section is selected click on Design mode
- You will now have a blinking cursor in the section that was selected earlier.
- Simply delete the existing text and start typing in text that you need to add.
- Move on to all the sections by clicking on them one at a time and editing the text
- To turn off the design mode click on it again.
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Making changes to the content controls
Content Control Properties are are the backend properties of the content boxes that are added to the form. These can be edited in a manner that can help users differentiate the various fields in the form. Here is how you can edit it
- Start by clicking on the section that you would like to edit.
- Now click on Propeties
- You will get a popup window with editing options
- Using this you can change the Tile of the content box. This is the text that is seen when you hover the mouse over the box.
- You can also change the colour of the box
- This popup has other options like removing the content controls when the content is edited.
- You can also edit the locking options where you can either enable or disable deleting and editing content control.
Go through the editing menu one block at a time changing things that you feel are required. you can always click OK and check how the changes will look before finalizing the design.
While editing the content will look something like this. The Design mode will turn on automatically when you are editing the sections.
When you turn off Design mode, you will not see the editing options, instead, the color selected will turn into a hue around the text.
once you click on the section you will be able to type in the text directly. Once done the hue and everything surrounding the box disappears. You will now have in this case only the name.
Rich Text content control Vs Plain text content control
Rich and Plain text are two options available when adding content blocks to forms. if you choose the Rich text option you can edit every single detail of the text inserted. The font color or font every small detail can be edited.
In Plain text on the other hand you can make changes to the font and color but it will be applied to the entire text as a whole. you cannot make specific changes.
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Adding checkboxes to forms
Checkboxes are extremely helpful when it comes to forms. There are always options you can tick and answers you need to choose from. To insert a Checkbox click on the icon under Controls
Once the option is selected you will see a box where the cursor is. This box can easily be customized by selecting it and clicking on the Properties option.
You can make the desired changes in the appearance of the checkbox and click on OK. changes can be reviewed after every step. You will like the other sections, see changes when the Design mode is turned off.
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online forms without dropdown menus are incomplete. You can reduce the number of questions or sections using dropdown menus or options. While creating a form using Word you can use the drop-down menu option. Select the option by clicking on it.
The menu will show up where your cursor is. Here is how to include content in the menu.
Once you have the properties popup you can edit the content of the dropdown menu as you desire.
- Start by changing the Title and the tag.
- You can then choose to change the shape of the box and include color.
- There are also options on how the menu will react to content inputs. choose the ones that you feel suit your needs best.
- Finally, you can add the various option you require in the dropdown menu.
- The postition of option can be modified by using the panel on the right.
- Once you have the list ready click OK.
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Creating a fillable form using a template in Word Online
Did you know that Word comes with a number of pre-installed formats? If you do not want to go through the entire process of creating a form from scratch, you can choose from the templates available. Here is how to insert a fillable form in word using a template.
- Click on File on your main page for an extended menu
- Go down to New
- You can select a New blank document to work on (this option is for those who what to create a new from from scratch)
- For templates click on the search bar.
- once you see the cursor inside typein Form
- Hit Enter
- You will now have a list of form templates to choose from.
- Scroll down to look through all the options available
- To open the template simply click on it
- Your form will open as a new document.
- You can then edit the elements of the form using the Developer option.
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How to create a fillable form in Word Online on a Mac OS device?
When it comes to creating a form in MacOS devices the process is fairly simple. Follow these steps for a better understanding
- Enable the Developer option on the main ribbon.
- To create a form start by inserting a table from the insert menu on the ribbon
- You can now put in the names of all the fields required. You are essentially creating the form in a table.
- After the form is complete start adding elements from the Developer menu.
- You can add tect boxes that are customizable.
- Drop down menus and calenders can be added as well, wherever required.
If you do not want to build a table from scratch using your macOS device use the templates available. Click on File and select the New from Template option. You can not search for templates online and use the one that you like best.
Note: An active internet connection is required to look for templates on Word.
How to save a form after creating it in Word?
Once you have all the desired fields and are satisfied with the layout you can go ahead and save a copy on your computer. We suggest you save two copies one that is protected and another that can be edited. This makes it easier to share the form and ensure you have an editable version just in case revisions are required.
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Frequently asked questions
Both the drop-down menu and the combo box menu can be added to forms. The only difference between them is that the combo box allows users to insert values of their choice as compared to the pre-set values in a drop-down.
As inserting a fillable form includes too many backend steps it is not possible to do it on the phone. You can however use a phone to fill up a form that has already been created. So, you might not be able to create a form but you can surely test it.
As most forms require users to insert dates you do have an option in Word called Date picker under the developer menu. This can be used to include a calendar in fillable forms created in Word.
When you create a fillable form using Word you have a protection section under the Developer tab. You can choose who can edit the form or you can restrict edits altogether.
Yes, form protection is available for both devices. The options look a little different but they solve the same purpose i.e. protecting the form you have created. The Form Protect options can be found under the developer menu.
No, word online does not allow users to create fillable forms at the moment. You can however use the desktop version to create and share fillable forms.
Hope you found this article helpful it took you through
- Creating an online form in Word online
- How to insert text in a form using the developer option?
- Editing the filler text
- Making changes to the content controls
- Rich Text content control Vs Plain text content control
- Adding checkboxes to forms
- Including drop down menu in forms
- Creating a fillable form using a template
- How to create a fillable form on a Mac OS device?
- How to save a form after creating it in Word?
- What is the difference between a Dropdown and a combo box?
- Can you create a fillable form on an Android or iOS device?
- Is there an option in Word to include dates in forms?
- How to protect a form in Word?
- Can you protect forms on both Windows as well as Mac devices?
- Is it possible to create a fillable form using the web version of Word?
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My name is Carissa Gudino and I am an expert in word online, using Word Online in my day-to-day tasks. In this blog, I will share with you tips and tutorials on how to use word online to its fullest potential. I work for various clients in various countries like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc. My tutorials are designed to help beginners, as well as more experienced users, learn new tricks and tips on Microsoft word online. Check out more.
