Create a Fillable Form in Office 365 (and Beyond!)

Fillable forms are essential tools for efficient data collection, streamlining processes from customer feedback to employee onboarding. They simplify how information is gathered and processed, reducing errors and saving time. With fillable forms, you can ensure that data is consistently formatted and easily accessible, allowing for better analysis and decision-making.

Office 365 offers several applications to create fillable forms, including Microsoft Forms, Word, and SharePoint. Each of these tools provides different features and capabilities, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your needs. However, while these tools are powerful, they may not always offer the flexibility and privacy some users require. That's where Breeze PDF comes in as a versatile alternative and complementary solution.

Breeze PDF lets you create fillable PDFs that are 100% private, as your documents stay on your device and are never sent to a server. With a simple editor that requires no sign-up or download, Breeze PDF allows you to easily add input boxes, type on the PDF, sign documents, add images, password protect PDFs, merge PDFs, and delete pages. All features are 100% free.

Creating Fillable Forms with Microsoft Forms

Microsoft Forms is a user-friendly application designed for creating surveys, quizzes, and forms for data collection. It provides an intuitive interface and a variety of question types, making it easy to gather the information you need. Microsoft Forms is accessible through various Office 365 entry points, simplifying the process of beginning a new form.

To access Microsoft Forms, you can start from the web, OneDrive, Excel, or OneNote. Once you're in Microsoft Forms, creating a new form or quiz is as simple as clicking the appropriate button. You can then title your form and add a description to provide context for respondents, ensuring a higher rate of quality responses.

Adding questions is a straightforward process, with options like Choice, Text, Rating, Date, Ranking, Likert, File upload, and Net Promoter Score®. You can format the text within questions using bold, italic, underline, font color, font size, numbering, and bullets to emphasize key information. You can also organize questions into sections to improve the form's structure and flow.

Before sharing your form, you can preview it on both desktop and mobile devices to ensure it looks good and functions correctly. Testing the form by submitting responses allows you to identify any issues or areas for improvement. This ensures that the final version of your form is user-friendly and effective.

Creating Fillable Forms with Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word offers another way to create fillable forms, particularly useful for documents that require more complex formatting or integration with other Word features. Creating fillable forms in Word involves enabling the Developer tab and inserting content controls. This process allows for a high degree of customization and control over the form's appearance and functionality.

To begin, you'll need to enable the Developer tab in Word's settings. Once enabled, you can start with a blank document or use a pre-designed form template by navigating to File > New. Microsoft Word has a variety of fillable form templates ready to use.

Adding content controls is the core of creating fillable forms in Word. You can add Text controls (Rich Text, Plain Text), Picture controls, Building Block controls, Combo Boxes, Drop-Down Lists (with customizable choices and properties), Date Picker controls, and Check Box controls. For older versions of Word, you may need to use Legacy Form Controls. Setting properties for each content control allows you to define its behavior and appearance.

To protect the form and prevent unintended changes, you can restrict editing by selecting the "Restricting Editing" option. You can choose to protect specific sections of the document, allowing only certain areas to be editable. Before distributing the form, thoroughly test it to ensure all controls function as expected.

It's important to note that Word for the web has limitations in creating fillable forms compared to the desktop version. For advanced form creation, using the desktop application is recommended.

Creating Fillable Forms in SharePoint Office 365

SharePoint in Office 365 provides a collaborative platform for creating and managing fillable forms, particularly useful for organizations that need to collect data from internal users. SharePoint allows you to create forms directly within the platform or integrate with Microsoft Forms for more advanced features. This integration enhances data collection and workflow automation.

You can access Microsoft Forms from SharePoint to create a new form directly within the SharePoint interface. This option allows you to easily add a title, description, and various question types. Alternatively, you can create a custom list in SharePoint to serve as the foundation for your form.

To create a custom list, choose the appropriate SharePoint site and add custom columns to define the data fields you need to collect. Customizing the form layout and design ensures that it aligns with your organization's branding and user experience. Adding form fields and controls allows you to capture specific types of information.

Configuring form settings allows you to control how the form behaves and how responses are handled. Setting form permissions and access ensures that only authorized users can access and submit the form. Enabling form notifications and responses keeps you informed of new submissions and allows you to track data collection progress.

Publishing and sharing the fillable form involves embedding it on SharePoint pages or sharing the form link directly with users. Analyzing and collecting responses allows you to gain insights from the data you've gathered. You can review form responses and data within SharePoint or export the responses to Excel or other formats for further analysis.

For more advanced workflows, you can improve fillable form processes with PowerApps and Power Automate. Integrating third-party apps can further enhance the functionality of your forms. These tools enable you to create dynamic forms with complex logic and automated workflows.

Enhancing Fillable Forms with Breeze PDF

Breeze PDF provides a powerful and private tool for creating, filling, and managing PDF forms. Unlike other PDF editors, Breeze PDF operates entirely within your browser, ensuring that your documents remain on your device and are never sent to a server. This 100% private approach offers a significant advantage for users concerned about data security and confidentiality.

Breeze PDF can complement Office 365 form creation by providing a versatile solution for creating and editing PDF forms with ease. While Office 365 offers form creation tools within Forms, Word, and SharePoint, Breeze PDF allows you to create or modify forms that are already in PDF format. If you need to add fillable fields to PDF documents or create fillable PDFs for free, Breeze PDF is a great way to go.

Breeze PDF's key features include ease of use, advanced form field options, PDF editing capabilities, e-signature integration, mobile accessibility, and collaboration features. The intuitive interface makes it easy to add input boxes, type on PDFs, sign documents, add images, and password protect files. With features like add signature to fillable pdf, password protection, and merging, Breeze PDF offers a complete solution for PDF form management.

Use Cases and Examples

Fillable forms have a wide range of applications across various industries and scenarios. They can be used to collect customer feedback, streamline employee onboarding processes, manage event registrations, and conduct surveys and quizzes. The versatility of fillable forms makes them an essential tool for any organization looking to improve data collection and workflow efficiency.

For example, customer feedback forms can be used to gather valuable insights into customer satisfaction and identify areas for improvement. Employee onboarding forms can streamline the process of collecting employee information and ensuring compliance. Event registration forms simplify the registration process for attendees and collect important information about their preferences and needs.

Breeze PDF can enhance these use cases by providing a secure and easy-to-use platform for creating and managing PDF forms. Its intuitive interface and advanced features make it easy to create customized forms that meet your specific needs. Whether you need to add fillable fields, sign documents, or password protect sensitive information, Breeze PDF offers a comprehensive solution for managing your PDF forms.

Best Practices for Creating Effective Fillable Forms

Creating effective fillable forms requires careful planning and attention to detail. A well-designed form should be easy to use, intuitive, and visually appealing. By following best practices, you can ensure that your forms are effective in collecting the information you need.

Keep the design simple and intuitive, using clear and concise labels for each field. Limit the number of required fields to only the essential information to avoid overwhelming users. Provide helpful instructions and validation rules to guide users and ensure data accuracy.

Before sharing your form, thoroughly test it to ensure that all fields function correctly and that the form is easy to navigate. Ensure accessibility for all users by following accessibility guidelines and providing alternative formats if needed. By following these best practices, you can create fillable forms that are effective, user-friendly, and accessible to all.

Conclusion

Using fillable forms in Office 365 can significantly improve data collection and streamline workflows. Whether you use Microsoft Forms, Word, or SharePoint, fillable forms provide a convenient and efficient way to gather information. Understanding the functionality of each Office 365 application ensures you can choose the best one for your document.

Breeze PDF offers a comprehensive and private solution for PDF form creation and management. Its ease of use, advanced features, and commitment to privacy make it an ideal choice for users who want full control over their documents. With Breeze PDF, you can create, fill, and manage PDF forms with confidence, knowing that your data is secure and protected.

Explore Breeze PDF today to discover how it can enhance your form creation and management processes. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, Breeze PDF is the perfect tool for creating and managing PDF forms with ease.