How do I edit a drop down list in Word 2020?

How to Add a Drop-Down List to a Word Document

• Mahesh Makvana

  @maheshhari

  Nội dung chính Show

  • How to Add a Drop-Down List to a Word Document
  • First, Enable the Developer Menu
  • Add a Drop-Down List to a Word Document
  • Configure Your New Drop-Down List
  • Delete a Drop-Down List from Microsoft Word
  • Video liên quan


• July 5, 2021, 10:24am EDT

A drop-down list in a Microsoft Word document lets people select from a predefined items list. Adding this drop-down list is fairly easy, and well show you how to do it.

First, Enable the Developer Menu

The option to add a drop-down list is located in Words Developer menu. This menu is hidden by default, so youll have to enable it before you can add a list.

Start by opening Word on your Windows or Mac computer. At the lower left of the window, select Options. If you already have a document open, select the File menu to reveal the Options command.

In the Word Options window that opens, on the left sidebar, select Customize Ribbon.

In the Customize Ribbon pane on the right side of the screen, scroll down the list and enable the Developer option.

Click OK at the bottom of the window to close it.

Add a Drop-Down List to a Word Document

After adding the Developer menu, youre now ready to add a drop-down list to your Word document. To start, either open an existing Word document or create a new document.

RELATED: How to Create Fillable Forms with Microsoft Word

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.

Configure Your New Drop-Down List

This drop-down list is not configured and is currently empty. To configure it and add items to it, click the drop-down list to select it. Return to the Developer menu and, in the Controls group, click Properties.

Word will open the Content Control Properties window. Start by entering a title for your list. This will appear at the top of your drop-down list.

Note: Note:Word automatically fills in the Tag field to match the Title field. The tag for a content control object is used mostly by other programs to identify content control data in a documents XML structure. So, unless youre building some document automation and specifically need to set the tag, just ignore it.

Use the Color option to select a color scheme for your drop-down list.

If you want to prevent people from editing your drop-down list, activate the Content control cannot be deleted option. Note, though, that unless you lock your document, anyone can go and disable this option.

Youll now add items to your drop-down list. To add your first item, under the Drop-Down List Properties section on the current window, click the Add button.

On the Add Choice window, type a new item name into the Display Name field. The Value field automatically fills itself with the data from the first field, so you dont have to worry about it.

Then, click OK to add your item. Repeat this process for each item that you want to add to your drop-down list.

After you have some items added, you can change their order. To change an items position in the list, select that item, and then click either Move Up or Move Down on the right.

Finally, click OK to save your changes.

Your drop-down list will now display your added items. Click it to test it for yourself.

Delete a Drop-Down List from Microsoft Word

To remove this drop-down list from your document, select the list. Then, from the Controls section at the top, click Properties. Disable the Content control cannot be deleted option, and then click OK at the bottom.

Right-click the drop-down list in your document and select Remove Content Control. The list will now be removed.

And thats how you give people predefined options to select from in your Word documents!

Did you know that you can add checkboxes to your Word documents, too? This is yet another way to let people select items in your documents.

RELATED: How To Add Check Boxes to Word Documents

Mahesh Makvana
Mahesh Makvana is a freelance tech writer who specializes in writing how-to guides. He has been writing tech tutorials for over a decade now. Hes written for some of the prominent tech sites including MakeUseOf, MakeTechEasier, and Online Tech Tips. Read Full Bio »