How to Create a Form in Excel: Step-by-Step Guide

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A quick and easy guide to creating forms in Microsoft Excel
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Did you know that you can create forms in spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel? It's handy if you don't want to use multiple documents to attach a separate form to your spreadsheet. Read on to learn more.

Quick Steps

  1. Open a blank spreadsheet in Excel.
  2. Enable the Developer tab.
  3. Enter data for the form.
  4. Go to the Developer tab and select a form button.
  5. Protect the sheet when you're done.
Section 1 of 2:

Creating a Custom Form

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  1. Step 1 Open a blank workbook in Excel.
    Click or double-click the Excel app icon, then click Blank workbook. It's in the upper-left side of the page.
  2. Step 2 Enable the Developer tab.
    The Developer tab is where you'll find the option to insert form buttons, but it isn't included in Excel by default. To enable it, do the following:[1]
    • Windows — Click File, click Options, click Customize Ribbon, check the "Developer" box, and click OK.
    • Mac — Click Excel, click Preferences..., click View under the "Authoring" heading, and check the box next to Developer tab. You can then close the window.
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  3. Step 3 Enter your form's data.
    Type in whatever data you want users to be able to select in your form.
    • This step will vary depending on the information you want to use in your form.
  4. Step 4 Click the Developer tab.
    It's at the top of the Excel window.
  5. Step 5 Click Insert.
    This option is in the "Controls" section of the Developer toolbar. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu to appear.
    • Skip this step on a Mac.
  6. Step 6 Select a form control.
    Click the type of control you want to use for your spreadsheet.
    • For example, if you want to add a checkbox to your form, you would click the checkbox icon.
  7. Step 7 Click anywhere on the spreadsheet.
    Doing so will place your control button on the spreadsheet.
    • You can click and drag your control to the location in which you want to anchor it.
  8. Step 8 Right-click the form control icon.
    A drop-down menu will appear.
    • On a Mac, hold down Control while clicking the icon.
  9. Step 9 Click Format Control….
    It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
  10. Step 10 Edit your form control button.
    Depending on the button you selected, your options will vary; in most cases, you'll be able to select a cell range or a target cell by clicking the arrow to the right of the "Cell range" or "Target cell" text box and then selecting cells (or a cell) that contain your form's data.
    • For example, if you wanted to create a drop-down menu with a list of numbers, you would click the arrow to the right of the "Cell range" text box and then click and drag your mouse down a column of numbers in your spreadsheet.
  11. Step 11 Click OK.
    It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so saves your settings and applies them to your spreadsheet.
    • At this point, you can proceed with adding other form buttons to your spreadsheet.
  12. Step 12 Protect your spreadsheet.
    Once you've finished adding form buttons to your spreadsheet, you can prevent people from moving or removing the buttons by protecting the spreadsheet:
    • Windows — Click Review in the Excel toolbar, click Protect Sheet, and make sure that any options other than "Select locked cells" and "Select unlocked cells" are unchecked. Enter a password to unlock the document, then click OK. You can then re-enter the password when prompted to finish locking the sheet.
    • Mac — Click Tools at the top of the screen, select Protection, click Protect Sheet in the pop-up menu, and make sure that any options other than "Select locked cells" and "Select unlocked cells" are unchecked. Enter a password to unlock the document, then click OK. You can then re-enter the password when prompted to finish locking the sheet.[2]
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Section 2 of 2:

Tips to Creating User-Friendly Forms

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  1. Step 1 Wrap the text.
    You want any text to be legible, and wrapping it will ensure that all the text fits in the cell.
  2. Step 2 Merge or split cells.
    Merge cells to make things look cleaner, like in the title cell of your form. This is just a formatting tip that makes your form more readable.
  3. Step 3 Hide and show columns and rows.
    Use these tools to hide spreadsheet data if they are distracting. Alternatively, show cells that are important to the form.
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References

  1. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/create-forms-that-users-complete-or-print-in-excel-fd6797c2-30b6-42d8-9921-0feb123f5ca7
  2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-forms-that-users-complete-or-print-in-excel-for-mac-fd6797c2-30b6-42d8-9921-0feb123f5ca7

About This Article

Darlene Antonelli, MA
Written by:
Darlene Antonelli, MA
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene has been writing and editing tech content at wikiHow since 2019. She previously worked for AppleCare, served as a writing tutor, volunteered in IT at an animal rescue, and taught as an adjunct professor for EN101 and EN102. Darlene has completed Coursera courses on technology, writing, and language. She holds both a BA (2011) and an MA (2012) from Rowan University in Writing, with a focus on workplace communication. With her extensive experience, academic background, and ongoing learning, Darlene has become the go-to grammar expert for her friends and family, as well as a skilled wordsmith for anyone in need. This article has been viewed 460,155 times.
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Co-authors: 13
Updated: August 6, 2025
Views: 460,155
Categories: Spreadsheets
Article SummaryX

1. Open a blank workbook.
2. Add the "Form" button to Excel.
3. Create column headers.
4. Select the column headers.
5. Click Form.
6. Click OK.
7. Enter the first row data and click New.
8. Enter additional rows. 9. Click Close.

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