Open the Developer Tab to Access Drop Down Controls

Word stores drop down list tools in the Developer tab, which is hidden by default. You need to turn it on first. Open Word and go to File, then Options (at the bottom of the left menu). In the Options window, click Customize Ribbon on the left side. In the right panel, you will see a list of tabs — find Developer in that list and check the box next to it, then click OK.

The Developer tab now appears in your ribbon at the top of the screen. This is where you will find the tools to create and edit drop down lists. If you close Word and reopen it later, the Developer tab stays visible — you only need to enable it once.

Key Takeaways

  • The Developer tab is hidden by default and must be enabled through File > Options > Customize Ribbon before you can edit drop down lists.
  • Drop down lists in Word are created using content controls, which you access from the Developer tab after enabling it.
  • To edit an existing drop down, right-click it and select Properties to change the list items, default value, or appearance.
  • You must enable Design Mode in the Developer tab to edit or delete drop down lists; turning it off locks them so users cannot change them.

Locate and Right-Click the Drop Down List You Want to Edit

Once the Developer tab is visible, find the drop down list in your document that you want to change. Click directly on the drop down box itself — you will see it highlight with a border around it. Right-click on the highlighted drop down and a menu will appear with several options.

Look for Properties in that menu and click it. A dialog box titled Content Control Properties will open. This is where you make all your changes to the drop down — the items in the list, which item appears by default, and how the drop down looks and behaves.

Add, Remove, or Reorder Items in the Drop Down List

In the Content Control Properties dialog, look for a section labeled Drop-Down List Properties. Below that, you will see a text box with the current list items, usually with each item on its own line. To add a new item, click in the text box at the end of the last item, press Enter to create a new line, and type the new item name.

To remove an item, select the entire line (including the text) and delete it. To change the order of items, select the item you want to move and use the up and down arrow buttons next to the list — these buttons appear once you have selected a line. When you are finished making changes, click OK to save them.

If you want a particular item to appear in the drop down by default when someone opens the document, select that item in the list and it will be marked as the default choice. This is useful if one option is more common than the others.

Enable Design Mode to Edit Protected Drop Downs

If you try to right-click a drop down and nothing happens, or if you see a message saying the document is protected, the drop down is locked. This happens when Design Mode is turned off. Go to the Developer tab and look for a button labeled Design Mode — it will appear pressed or highlighted if it is already on.

Click Design Mode to turn it on. The drop down will now be editable. You can right-click it and access Properties as described above. When you are finished editing, click Design Mode again to turn it off. This locks the drop down so that people using the document can only select from the list, not edit it.

Change the Drop Down Appearance and Behavior

The Content Control Properties dialog has additional options beyond the list items themselves. At the top, you can change the Title — this is the label that appears above the drop down in the document. You can also set a Tag, which is useful if you are using the drop down in a form or template and need to reference it in other parts of the document.

In the same dialog, you will find a checkbox for Color and another for Locking. The Color option lets you highlight the drop down with a background color so it stands out in the document. The Locking options control whether someone can delete the drop down or edit its contents — you can prevent deletion, prevent editing, or allow both.

Delete a Drop Down List You No Longer Need

To remove a drop down entirely, first make sure Design Mode is turned on in the Developer tab. Click the drop down to select it, then press Delete. The entire drop down control will be removed from the document. If Design Mode is off, you will not be able to select or delete the drop down.

If you only want to remove the drop down control but keep the text that was inside it, right-click the drop down and look for an option to remove the control or convert it to plain text. This varies depending on your version of Word, but the option is usually in the right-click menu when Design Mode is active.

Test Your Drop Down Before Sharing the Document

After you finish editing, turn off Design Mode by clicking it in the Developer tab. Now the drop down is locked and behaves the way your readers will experience it. Click on the drop down to make sure it opens, that all your list items appear, and that the default selection is correct.

Try selecting different items from the list to confirm they work. If something is wrong, turn Design Mode back on, right-click the drop down, select Properties, and make your corrections. This test step catches mistakes before you send the document to someone else.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I right-click my drop down list?

Design Mode is turned off. Go to the Developer tab and click Design Mode to turn it on. Once it is active, you can right-click the drop down and edit it. Remember to turn Design Mode off again when you are finished so the drop down is locked for other users.

How do I make a drop down list in a Word table?

The process is the same. Click inside the table cell where you want the drop down, go to the Developer tab, and click the drop down content control button. Then right-click it and select Properties to add your list items. Drop downs work in tables just as they do in regular document text.

Can I copy a drop down list to use it somewhere else in the document?

Yes. Turn on Design Mode, click the drop down to select it, and press Ctrl+C to copy it. Click where you want the copy to appear and press Ctrl+V to paste. The new drop down will have the same list items and settings as the original.

What if I want the drop down to show a different value than what appears in the list?

Word's standard drop down control does not support this. The text that appears in the list is what gets selected. If you need more complex behavior, you may need to use a form field or explore third-party add-ins, but the built-in drop down content control is the simplest option for most documents.

Does the drop down list work the same way in Word Online as it does in the desktop version?

Word Online has limited support for drop downs. You can view and use them, but editing the list items requires the desktop version of Word. If you need to edit drop downs frequently, use the desktop process rather than the browser version.