How to Add Check Boxes to Word: 10 Simple Steps

Add checkboxes to your Word documents to track tasks

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 12, 2024 Tested

Want to add a check box or tick box to a list or form in Microsoft Word? It's easy to do, and you can even make it checkable so you can click the box with your mouse. We'll show you an easy way to add a clickable checkbox using Developer Mode in Microsoft Word.

Quickly Add Fillable Check Boxes in Word

Navigate to “Options” in the “File” menu bar. Click the “Developer” check box under Main Tabs and press “OK.” Position the cursor and click “Check Box” on the top of the window to insert.

Steps

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Open a new file in Microsoft Word. Do so by opening the app shaped like a blue W. Then click on File in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and click on New Blank Document.
2
Click on File in the menu bar and then Options in the menu.
- On Mac, click on Word in the menu bar and then Preferences… in the menu.
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3
Click on Customize Ribbon and then Main Tabs in the "Customize the Ribbon:" drop-down menu."^{[1]
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- On Mac, click on Ribbon & Toolbar in the "Authoring and Proofing Tools" section of the dialog box, then click on the Ribbon tab at the top of the dialog box.
It's a tab in the upper-right part of the window.
It's in the menu bar at the top of the window.
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Lock the form. To do so, select the entire list, to be found in the Controls section on the Developer tab, then click on Group and Group.
- On Mac, click Protect Form in the Developer tab toolbar.

Community Q&A

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Question

What should I do if the check box is grayed out in my ribbon?

Community Answer

It is grayed out for me too. However, if you click on the one icon that isn't -- Legacy Tools -- then you will find the exact same checkbox, which you should be able to select.

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Question

How can I enlarge the size of a text box without enlarging the text?

Community Answer

In Word, just dragging the corner of the text box should be sufficient. If the text changes size accidentally, you can always highlight it and change it back to the desired size.

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Question

How do you make a drop box in word?

Community Answer

Download LibreOffice. Follow the manual on how to add a list or list/add or list/multiselect box (or just look under "insert" in the menu). You can add a data source for the dropdown menu items from a database, a spreadsheet or within the file structure itself.

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You may need to go to your Word Preferences and add the ribbon and toolbar. Click "Developer" when another box opens up, then press save. Once you go back to your document, click on the developer tab and insert your checkbox. It'll still pop up grey, but if you highlight it and click "shading" the outline of the box should pop up.

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