Easy Ways to Add Fillable Fields to a Document in Word

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You know when you try to fill out forms in Word on the provided lines, but the text you type makes the lines move and ruins the formatting? There is a way to get rid of that. This wikiHow will teach you how to insert fillable fields on Word on PC or Mac. You’ll need to have Word set up on your computer before you can start. You'll also need to enable the Developer tab in your ribbon toolbar, since it isn't visible by default.

• To create a fillable document, you first need to show developer tools.
• With developer tools showing, you can create checkboxes, drop-down menus, and fillable fields.
• Finally, protect your document so anyone can interact with the form without accidentally editing the document.

Using Windows

Open your document in Word. Click the Word logo in your Start menu, then you can either open a new document, create a new document from a template, or open an old document.

• The Customize Ribbon button is in the middle of the menu in the window that pops up.

• You'll see this under the "Customize the Ribbon" header over the right panel.
• If you don't see this checkbox, make sure the drop-box says "Main Tabs."

Click Ok . Doing so will add the "Developer" tab to your editing ribbon so you can create an interactive Word document.

• The first “Aa” icon on the right side of the panel says “Rich Text Content Control” when you hover over it. This inserts an empty field into the document that can be filled with images, videos, text, and more.
• The second “Aa” icon says “Plain Text Content Control”. This will insert a blank fillable field into your document that the user can fill with text.
• The “Combo Box Content Control” icon is next to the check box icon, and this will insert a drop-down menu into your document. The "Properties" button will open options for you to add more items to the drop-down menu.
• The “Date-Picker” icon looks like a calendar and will insert an empty box that will launch a calendar so your form user can pick a specific date. The "Properties" button will open options for you to choose the box format and display.
• The check box icon adds a check box to your document.
• After this, you've created your fillable form! However, you can't use it completely until you've restricted editing of the document. By continuing on to the next steps, you can use keyboard shortcuts like Tab to go to the next question. [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

• Find it in the "Protect" group.

• If it's not automatically selected, make sure the drop-box says "Filling in Forms." If it doesn't, you can simply pick that option from the drop-down list.

• If you share the document without the password, others will only be able to use the fillable forms.

Using a Mac

Open your document in Word. Launch Word from your Dock, Launchpad, or Applications folder. Then you can either open a new document, create a new document from a template, or open an old document.

Click the Preferences tab under Word at the top of your screen. You'll see this next to the Apple icon

Click View . It's under the “Authoring and Proofing Tools” header next to General and Ribbon & Toolbar.

Check the “Show developer tab” box under “Ribbon”. You want to make sure the box is checked so the toolbar appears.

• Alternatively, you can enable the Developer tab by going to Word > Preferences > Ribbon & Toolbar, then checking the box next to Developer in the list of options under the Customize the Ribbon header. Make sure Main Tabs is selected in the dropdown menu at the top of the list. Click Save.

• The Combo Box icon creates something like a drop-down menu. Click the Options icon next to the Combo Box icon to access options to turn your combo box into a drop-down menu.
• The Check Box creates checkable boxes.
• The Text box adds fillable fields that control how text appears on a form. For example, instead of a document line with Name:_______ where the user can make a mess of the lines, you can use these fillable text fields to control where the text goes and how it appears.
• You can click the Options icon to open an options box where you can choose the input type. For example, if you have a text box, but are looking for a date, you can pick Date under the “Type” heading for this and the user will only be able to enter a date.
• After this, you've created your fillable form! However, you can't use it completely until you've restricted editing of the document. By continuing on to the next steps, you can use keyboard shortcuts like Tab to go to the next question.

• If you want to password protect your document, you can go to the Review tab and click Protect Document. [2] X Research source

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