How To Create Forms in Microsoft Word

If you need a custom made form there is no reason why you need to go out and hire someone to create one for you. Creating a form using Microsoft Word can be a fairly simple task. Creating your own form will allow you to specify the fields that your form requires and make the decision on what fields a user can edit. This article will step you through how to create a form using Microsoft Word 2003 but many of the steps are the same for other versions.

1. You will first need to create a template in order to create a forum in Microsoft Word. Do this by choosing File, New. On the New Document taskbar, choose On my computer under the heading Templates. Make sure Blank Document under the General tab is selected and press OK.

2. The easiest way to create forms in Microsoft Word is to use the Forms toolbar. To access this toolbar, choose View, Toolbars and then choose the Forms toolbar.
3. To create a form field for text, click on the first button, the Text Form Field button. This will insert a text field into your form. Click the fourth button, Form Field Options. This will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to set default text and set the length of the field.
4. To create a checkbox field, click the second button, the Check Box Form Field button. This will insert a checkbox into your form. Click the fourth button, Form Field Options, to set the size and default value.
5. To create a drop-down menu field, click the third button, the Drop-Down Form Field button. This will insert a drop-down menu into your form. Click the Form Field Options button to add your items you wish to include in the drop-down menu.
6. To help format your form, you may wish to add a table. You can do this by clicking the Draw Table or Insert Table button. If you click Draw Table, a table toolbar will come up with more options. You may also format your form by adding a frame. Do this by clicking the Insert Frame button and drawing your frame with your mouse. You can add these tables or frames before or after you create your form fields. The Form Field Shading button will toggle the form shading on and off to further help you control the look of your form.
7. The Reset Form Fields button will reset your fields back to their default settings. The Protect Form button will lock your form and make it where it cannot be edited unless you unlock it.

After you have created the form in Microsoft Word just the way you want it, you can simply attach the form to an email or publish it to a website. The Word help guide is an excellent resource, particularly if you are using a different version of Word. It can be accessed by way of your Help menu.