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How to insert color coded drop-down list in Word table?

Author Xiaoyang Last modified

Suppose you have a table in your Word document, and now you want to insert a color-coded drop-down list in a column of the table. This means when you select one option from the drop-down, the cell color becomes red, and when you select another, the cell color becomes green, as shown in the screenshot below:

Demo showing a cell's color changing when an item is selected from the drop-down list

Insert color coded drop-down list in Word document with VBA code

The following steps will guide you through inserting a drop-down list in a table cell and applying background color to the cell based on the selected item:

  1. Select a cell in the table where you want to insert the drop-down, and then click "Developer" > "Drop-Down List Content Control".

    Note: If you don’t see the Developer tab in the ribbon, visit: How to show the Developer tab in Word ribbon.

    Drop-Down List Content Control button on the ribbon
  2. The drop-down is inserted into the specific cell. Then click "Developer" > "Properties".
    3. Drop-down inserted into a specific cell with Properties option highlighted
  3. In the "Content Control Properties" dialog box, do the following:
    1. Enter the title name in the "Title" text box.
    2. Click the "Add" button to open the "Add Choice" dialog.
    3. Type the drop-down list item in the "Display Name" text box.
      Content Control Properties dialog box and Add Choice dialog box
  4. Repeat Step 3 to insert other drop-down list items as needed.
  5. After creating the first drop-down list, you can copy and paste it into other cells.
    Drop-down list copied to other cells
  6. Hold down ALT + F11 to open the "Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications" window.
  7. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, double-click "ThisDocument" from the "Project" pane to open the module. Then copy and paste the following code into the blank module: 
    Private Sub Document_ContentControlOnExit(ByVal ContentControl As ContentControl, Cancel As Boolean)
With ContentControl.Range
    If ContentControl.Title = "Status" Then
        Select Case .Text
            Case "Complete"
                .Cells(1).Shading.BackgroundPatternColor = wdColorRed
            Case "In Progress"
                .Cells(1).Shading.BackgroundPatternColor = wdColorGreen
            Case "Not Start"
                .Cells(1).Shading.BackgroundPatternColor = wdColorBlue
            Case Else
                .Cells(1).Shading.BackgroundPatternColor = wdColorAutomatic
        End Select
    End If
End With
End Sub

    Note: In the code above, "Status" is the title name used when creating the drop-down list, and "Complete", "In Progress", and "Not Start" are the items. You can change these values and the corresponding colors as needed.

    VBA window with ThisDocument selected, showing code pasted into the blank module
  8. Save and close the code window. Now, when you select an item from the drop-down list, the corresponding color will fill the cell.
    Demo showing a cell's color changing when an item is selected from the drop-down list

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