Word document drop down list edit

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You dont have to make a long, fillable form in Microsoft Word to take advantage of form controls. You may have just one or two spots where you want to add something like a drop-down list. This allows you or your reader to select an item from the choices you provide. It can help eliminate errors with data entry and spelling.

Here, well show you how to add a simple drop-down list to a Word document.

Add the Drop-Down Form Control

To work with form controls in Word, you must use the Developer tab. If you dont see this tab, you can add it easily by following our how-to, How to Enable the Developer Tab on the Microsoft Office Ribbon.

1. Place your cursor in the document where you want to add the drop-down list.
2. Go to the Developer tab and click the Drop-Down List Content Control button.
3. Youll see the control pop into your document as a box with Choose an item. inside. You can then move onto setting up the list.

Create the Drop-Down List

Next, youll add the list items, give the control a name, and adjust a few other settings per your preference. Select the control, go back to the Developer tab, and click Properties in the Controls section of the ribbon.

The Content Control Properties window will open, ready for your list details.

Title and Tag: Enter the Title and optionally a Tag you want to use for the list.

Show as: By default, this is set to Bounding Box. You can change it to display with Start/End Tags if you prefer.

Color and Style: If you want to give your control color or a particular style, you can select those next.

Remove the control: Optionally, you can remove the control when contents are edited by checking the next box.

Locking: Youll see two locking options for the control. So you can restrict it from being deleted and the contents from being edited by checking one or both of those options.

Add Your List Items

Finally, youll add your list of items. Youll notice that Choose an item. is a list option. You can keep it, edit it by clicking Modify, or delete it by clicking Remove.

Next, click Add to insert a list item. The Value will automatically enter as you type the Display Name. Click OK when you finish. Then continue to insert your remaining list items the same way.

Once you have all of your list choices, you can rearrange them using the Move Up and Move Down buttons on the right.

When youre happy with your list set up, click OK to apply the properties.

And thats all there is to it! To use the drop-down list, click it and choose an option using the arrow.

Limit Data Entry Options Using a Drop-Down List in Word

A drop-down list is a useful form control in Word, whether for simplicity or to avoid data entry issues. You can make sure that only specific items are available for yourself or others to select.

For more, take a look at how to automate forms in Word with custom fields or how tocreate a simple Word checklist.