Microsoft Word Drop Down List

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  • Click into the Drop-Down List Properties section and click the 'Add' button. Here is where you type all of the items users can select from in the list. Enter the 'Display Name' for each individually, and the Value field is autopopulated. Click 'OK' to add each to the drop-down list.
  • The Advantages of creating a drop down list in Microsoft Word: Saves space on the template, document or form Provides an indication/ (examples) of what the expected answers should be Ensures consistency in answers used across documents.

Sometimes in a MicrosoftWordDocument, we want to add in our Document a Drop-Down Listwhere someone can select from a restricted set of choices. We will be giving them a variety of options, where all that is need is to select one option from the Drop-Down List. This is where the ContentControls show up, where all we need to do is to create one. A quite simple procedure but very helpful one. All you need to do is to keep on reading the post below.

Jul 05, 2021 In your document, place your insertion point where you want to add the drop-down list. Next, select the “Developer” menu. On the “Developer” menu, in the “Controls” group, click the “Drop-Down List Content Control” icon (It looks like an actual drop-down icon.). You now have a drop-down list in your document. Create a drop-down list for choices: Dance, Sing, Run, Play. Save the document by restricting the formatting to 'Filling in Forms'. When user tabs to the drop-down list, they can click D, S, R, or P and the document will display the selection based upon the letter. Moved by Carl Cai Thursday, January 8, 2015 2:08 AM more related.

What are ContentControls thought first? They are individual controls that we can add and customize for use in templates, forms, and documents. For example, many online forms are designed with a drop-down list control that provides a restricted set of choices for the user of the form. Content controls can provide instructional text for users, and we can set controls to disappear when users type in their own text. Source here.

In the image below I have activated the Developer tab, where we can see the areas that the Ribbon contains.

We must then select the Drop-Down ListContentControl command from the area of the ribbon named Controls as shown below, where we will be able to Insert A Drop-Down List Content Control.

Before we select the command, we must place the cursor at the place where want our Drop-Down List Content Controlto be inserted in our Document. Once we have done that, we select the command and then in our Document we notice a ControlPicker mentioning Choose An Item. Once the ControlPicker is still selected, we select the command Properties of the Controls area of the ribbon on the Developer tab as shown below.

Once we select the Properties command, the ContentControlProperties dialog box appears as shown in the image below.

The Drop-Down List Content Control Propertiesdialog box is separated in the following areas where we can use the following commands below:

Under the area General:

  • Title: We type in the Title of the ContentControl.
  • Tag: We type in the Tag of the ContentControl.
  • Shown As: We can select one of the following options: BoundingBox, Start/End Tag, None
  • Color: We can select the Color of the ContentControl
  • Use A Style To Format Text Typed Into The Empty Control
  • Style: We can select one of the existing Styles for the ContentControl.
  • New Style: We can create a NewStyle for the ContentControl.
  • Remove Content Control When Contents Are Edited

Under the area Locking:

  • Contents Control Cannot Be Deleted
  • Contents Cannot Be Edited

Under the area Drop-Down List Properties:

We can use the buttons Add, Modify, Remove, Move Up and Move Down for the Items in the text box.

In the image below, I have selected the command Add at the right of the area Drop–DownListProperties, the AddChoice dialog box appears where we must type in the text area what we want to be displayed in our Drop–DownList. For my example, I have typed in MicrosoftWord. Once finished we press the Ok button.

In the image below, I have selected the command Add at the right of the area Drop-DownListProperties, the AddChoice dialog box appears where we must type in the text area what we want to be displayed in our Drop–Down List. For my example, I have typed in MicrosoftExcel. Once finished we press the Ok button. In my example I have repeated the procedure another two times, typing in MicrosoftPowerPoint and MicrosoftOutlook.

Finally, in the image below, we can see the Title of our Drop-Down List which is MicrosoftOffice Applications, and the DisplayName where we can select from will be one of the following: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint and MicrosoftOutlook.

Whatever adjustment we make, at the end we must select the Ok button which is located at the bottom right corner of the ContentControlProperties dialog box for them to take place.

In the image below, we can see our Drop-Down List Content Control create with the name Microsoft Office Applications. We are prompted to Choose An Item from the List, where all we have to do is to select the arrow at the right of the Drop-Down List Content Control.

In the image below, we have selected the Drop-Down List Content Control where we can choose from one of the Items in the List.

Below you can check out the video describingHow To Create A Drop-Down List in a Microsoft Word Document?

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Overview

Microsoft Word Drop Down List

When creating templates and other documents to be filled in, it is often useful to include drop-down lists for questions that naturally have a limited answer set or in cases where you would like to restrict the possible answers to ensure consistency in responses. Restricting responses is particularly useful when collating questionnaires and using the data for analysis and visualization (Charts).

The Advantages of creating a drop down list in Microsoft Word:

  • Saves space on the template, document or form
  • Provides an indication/(examples) of what the expected answers should be
  • Ensures consistency in answers used across documents
  • Eliminates spelling errors and typos
  • Makes forms easier and quicker to complete for the end user

When to use a drop down list:

  1. When consistency of information is required. For example in the case of a questionnaire; for the question: “What is you favorite animal?” one respondent may want to indicate that a German Shepard is his/her favorite and animal, another respondent may want to indicate that a Poodle is his/her favorite. However for the purposes of your analysis, “dog” might be sufficient. Then by using a drop down list and including only dog, cat, fish, reptile etc, as possible answers, an in in depth data cleaning exercise can be avoided prior to the analysis of responses.
  2. When other Microsoft office content controls are not appropriate. Microsoft includes additional content controls including legacy and ActiveX controls that allow for the inclusion of variety of other controls. Radio Buttons and check boxes are examples of some of the controls that can be used in use-cases similar to that of the drop-down list. Often these will be more appropriate for binary responses (e.g. Yes/No), selection of multiple items from a single list, and smaller list (Less than 5 items). As a rule of thumb, always try to make data-entry as easy as possible for the personal filling out the document: selecting an item instead of typing a response, a one click option selection instead of two – e.g. a radio button response requires only one click for a Yes/No question, were-as a drop-down with Yes/No options will require the user to click twice.

Creating a drop-down list

Step 1.

In order to make us of the drop-down list feature in Microsoft word the Developer tab needs to be enabled on the ribbon. This can be done by selecting the file menu on the Ribbon, (a) navigating to Options, (b) selecting Customize Ribbon on the left hand side of the new window that opens up, (c) and selecting the Developer checkbox that appears in the right hand table titled Customize the Ribbon

(a)
(b)
(c)

Step 2.

Next, a drop-down list control box can be added to the document. This is done by (a) selecting the Developer tab in the Ribbon, navigating to the controls section and selecting (b) the Drop-Down list Content Contol button.

(a)
(b)

Step 3.

Once the Drop-Down List Content Control has been added to your document, you will need to add list items to the Drop-Down List. While the Drop-Down list is selected in the document, (a) click on the Properties option in the Ribbon, (b) complete the Title and Tag fields in the new window that opens and then select the add button. (c) Type in the name of the first item of the list in the Display Name Field and click the OK button. Press Add again to add additional items to the list. Once the list items have been added, (d) press the OK button

Microsoft word drop down list tutorial

Microsoft Word Drop Down List Multiple Lines

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

Microsoft Word Drop Down List Not Showing

Step 4.

Microsoft Word Drop Down List Tutorial

The final step in the process is to test that the Drop-Down List works. Note that when the Drop-Down List Control is not selected, the control is “invisible” and only displays the selected option as text (usually the first item on the list if not yet used). When hovering over the Drop-Down List Control, the text is shaded in grey, and when the Drop-Down List Control is selected, the title box is displayed with drop down arrow. When clicking on the arrow, all the list items created in step 3 will be displayed and available for selection.

Microsoft Word 2010 Drop Down List

Enjoy including Drop-Down lists in your future Microsoft Word Projects!

Microsoft word drop down list box

Additional Resources

The following YouTube Video briefly walks through the steps required to include a drop-down list in an MS Word document https://youtu.be/ysuf9XUvbrE