Quick answer: To change the choices in an existing Word drop-down list, select the content control in desktop Word and choose Developer > Properties. Under Drop-Down List Properties, add, modify, remove, or reorder the choices. Select OK, test the list in the document, and save the .docx.
Edit the choices in a Word drop-down list
Suppose a form asks for a preferred contact method and its list currently offers “Email” and “Phone.” You need to add “Text message” and rename “Phone” to “Phone call.” Edit the existing control so the question stays in place; you do not need to build a new form.
- Open an editable copy in desktop Word. Click the existing drop-down control in the document, not just the question text beside it. If the Developer tab is hidden in Word for Windows, choose File > Options > Customize Ribbon, select Developer, and choose OK. Our Developer tab guide includes the Mac route.
- Open the control settings. With the control selected, choose Developer > Properties in the Controls group. The dialog shows the list entries under Drop-Down List Properties.
- Change an existing entry. Select “Phone,” choose Modify, change its Display Name to “Phone call,” and confirm. The Display Name is the text a reader sees. If your form relies on a separate stored Value, review that field before saving too.
- Add an entry. Choose Add, enter “Text message” as the Display Name, review the Value if shown, and confirm. Repeat for any other new options.
- Remove or reorder entries. Select an obsolete item and choose Remove. Select an item and use Move Up or Move Down to put the most useful choices in a logical order.
- Test and save. Choose OK to close Properties. Open the drop-down in the document and select each option in turn. Check spelling and order, then save the document.
Microsoft’s form guide confirms that list items are configured through the control’s Properties. Its content control overview explains how to select and change an existing control.
Check the reader’s experience after the edit
Try the form as if you had received it. Choose the first, middle, and last entries, then close and reopen a saved copy. If another part of your workflow uses the choice’s stored Value rather than its visible Display Name, changing only the displayed wording may leave that workflow using the old value. Review both fields when the form feeds another process.
Keep the prompt and the choices consistent. For example, if the question says “Preferred contact method,” a choice named “Morning” belongs in a different question. If people must select several answers, a Word drop-down is the wrong control; use separate checkboxes. See our multi-selection guide for a “select all that apply” example.
Drop-down list or combo box?
A Drop-Down List Content Control limits the reader to one of your prepared choices. A Combo Box Content Control also permits a typed answer. Both use Developer > Properties to manage list items, but allowing a typed answer is a different reader experience. Neither is a multi-select control. If you are creating a control from scratch, our drop-down creation guide starts at the insertion step.
If Properties is missing or the list will not open
- Developer is hidden: Show it in Word’s ribbon settings, then select the control again.
- Properties is unavailable: Check that you selected the control itself and that the document permits editing. Ordinary typed text or a bulleted list is not a content control.
- The document is protected: You may need an editable source copy or permission from its owner to change the form. Do not remove protection from a document you are not authorized to edit.
- Readers cannot choose an item: In the control’s Properties, check whether Contents cannot be edited is enabled. Microsoft warns that this setting prevents selection from the list. Test a recipient copy after changing it.
- You are in Word for the web: Open the document in desktop Word to configure the content control, then test the result in the version your readers use.
Save a separate copy before making extensive changes to a shared form, particularly if its options are used in an approval or data-entry workflow. This lets you compare the old and revised choices if a respondent reports a problem.
For placeholder text, locking options, and other control settings, see how to edit content control in Word.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com