Although Microsoft Word is hardly the first tool you think of for creating surveys and forms, the Office productivity application comes bundled with a rich suite of features for creating electronic fillable forms. These forms are quite easy to create, customize, and share with others.
Creating Forms in Microsoft Word
Compared to online survey creation tools like Google Forms and even Microsoft Forms, the main advantage of creating forms in Microsoft Word is that they can be created, shared, and completed without internet access. Microsoft Word is a worthy Google Forms alternative in its own right.
There are two ways to create forms in Microsoft Word. You can use a form template or design a custom form from scratch.
Create Forms Using Templates
Microsoft provides hundreds of templates for creating forms. To create a form using one of those templates, click the File tab and select New.
You can use the search box for online templates to find various templates like order forms, job applications, surveys, and more. Choose the template you like and click Create to open it in Word.
Create a form from scratch
To design a custom form from scratch in Word, you’ll need a new document (Ctrl+N) with all the necessary form details added. The Developer tab contains the form controls you need to design a fillable form, but it’s hidden by default. You can enable it by going to File > Options > Customize the Ribbon > Main Tabs and selecting the Developer checkbox.
All content controls have properties that you can modify. For example, the Date Picker control offers different format options for displaying the date.
Setting up a fillable form from scratch
Now, let’s look at how to create a fillable form in Microsoft Word using the various form controls. To begin, you need a document with all the details you need readers to fill in, essentially the framework of the form.
As an example, I’ve created a custom gym registration form for new members interested in joining Big Joe’s Gym. The form fields are nested in a Word table which helps keep them neatly organized.
With the structure ready, I can start inserting form controls. I can choose from ten content controls depending on the user input required. For example, the name field needs a plain text control as a fillable data field, gender could do with a checkbox, and birthday would use a date picker. Most form entries are going to be filled with plain text and checkbox controls.
Saving and sharing your custom form
Before you share your form, you should lock it and prevent users from changing the form fields and tampering with the integrity of the information you need. With a single command, you can lock editing of the form content by anyone other than yourself.
To make the document editable by anyone again, choose Stop Protection and enter the password. If you choose to restrict the form with a password, be careful not to forget it as it cannot be recovered.
Be sure to test the form before sending it out. Open the form, fill it out as a user would, and then save a copy. You can employ common styling practices for Word documents to ensure that your form looks attractive and professional.
That’s it. An electronic, fillable form in its simplest form. With a little patience and guts, respondents can manually fill out a Microsoft Word form created with underscores, but using the proper form controls provides a much more seamless experience.