Add instructional text to a form

Sometimes it is useful to include instructions for how to fill out a particular content control that you have added to an online form. The instructions are replaced by content when someone uses the form.

1. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Design Mode.

   

2. If you haven't already added a content control to your document, click where you want the control to appear, and then click a control.

   Note If content controls are not available, you might have opened a document created in an earlier version of Word. To use content controls, you must convert the document to the Word file format by clicking the Microsoft Office Button , clicking Convert, and then clicking OK.

3. Click the content control in which you want to revise the placeholder text.
4. Edit the placeholder text and format it any way that you want.
5. If you want the content control to disappear when someone types in their own content to replace your instructions in a Rich Text control or a Text control, click Properties in the Controls group, and then select the Remove content control when contents are edited check box.