Forms

Convert a Word form to a web form

Most office forms are Word documents with a table of boxes and a row of underscores. Export that document to PDF, attach it, and the questions come back as real fields with the right types.

Create a form with OneCraftThe export step, and how tables of boxes and underscored blanks become fields

The Build from files button in the form generator, highlighted — Building from a file you already have. PDF, image or text, up to 10 MB, on a paid plan.

Export to PDF first, it is not optional

The generator accepts PDF, plain text, PNG, JPG, WebP and GIF. A .docx file is not on that list, so save or print the document to PDF before you attach it. Exporting from Word rather than photographing the printout also keeps the text as text, which gives you the cleanest possible read.

What tables of boxes become

Word forms tend to use a table with a column of small squares. Where the options are mutually exclusive, that becomes a single choice question. Where several can apply, it becomes checkboxes. Where the table is a grid of statements down the side and a scale across the top, it becomes a rating matrix, which is one field rather than one per row.

What underscored blanks become

A run of underscores after a label is read as "answer here". A short blank on the same line as its label becomes a single line field, and a blank several lines deep becomes a long text box. Where the label names a date, a number or an email address, the field type follows.

Content controls and legacy form fields

If your Word document uses content controls or the older form fields, those do not carry across as fields. They print as boxes in the PDF and are read as blanks like any other. Nothing is lost, but do not expect the drop-down lists inside them to arrive with their options, so list those options in the prompt.

How it works, in three steps

Step 1
Save the document as PDF
Export or print to PDF from Word. Keep it to one file if you can, under 10 MB.
Step 2
Attach it with a short brief
Say which section is approvals, which fields are mandatory, and what the options are for any drop-down that used a content control.
Step 3
Check the choice questions
Single choice versus multiple choice is the judgement most worth checking, and it takes one click to switch.

The full walkthrough with screenshots is in the guide Convert a paper form into a web form.

Limits worth knowing

Word .docx files are not accepted. Export to PDF first.
Word content controls and legacy form fields do not come across as fields or as their option lists.
Attaching a file is a paid plan feature, capped at five files of 10 MB each.
Complex Word tables that hold layout rather than data can come back as separate fields rather than one table.

See it on a finished piece

Job application form

20 fields

Course enrolment form

24 fields

Conference registration form

11 fields

Questions people ask

Can I upload a .docx file directly?

No. The accepted types are PDF, plain text, PNG, JPG, WebP and GIF. Exporting the document to PDF takes a few seconds and reads better than a photo.

What about the drop-down lists in my Word form?

Their options do not survive the export, so list them in the prompt. The generator will use your list verbatim.

Will the layout look like my Word document?

The web form uses your chosen theme, not the document design. If the printed look matters, edit the separate PDF layout, which has its own order, header and footer.

Make your own form

The button opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match yours, generate, then edit anything you like.

Create a form with OneCraft