finding and selecting a checkmark for the checkbox content control

Question

My question has to do with inserting both checkmarks and checkboxes In Microsoft Word 2010. In order to select a symbol in the Symbol window (Insert>Symbol), is "hunting and searching" the only way to find a symbol you want to use? Can someone suggest an efficient way to find symbols in general, such as a checkmark? (Office Support mentions scrolling in order to call up a symbol.)

Changing the icon of the checked state of a checkbox requires the use of "winding2", acc. to freecodecamp.org, but "winding2" doesn't appear in my Microsoft Word 2010, in the Symbol window (Developer>Properties>Content Control Properties>Change>Symbol). I use Word primarily for creating and saving my "Spanish notes" and notes (reminders) I make for myself. Have "newer versions" of Word made it easier to insert symbols and also to align text in columns?

Answer 1

Hello Preston,

This forum is a user-to-user support forum. My name is Charles and I am a fellow user with decades of experience using Microsoft Word. I have written extensively on using Word and have authored help articles on the Microsoft site.

Word 2010 and Word 2021 are the same when it comes to changing the checked symbol (and unchecked symbol). The screenshot below is from Word 2010. You are not required too use Wingdings but you can. There are several Wingdings fonts. Try scrolling in the Fonts drop-down. They should be on your computer. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/fon....

Once you have such a checkbox, you could save it as an AutoCorrect or AutoText entry for future use. The process to find symbols that you want to use can be tedious, I agree. Again, it has not changed since the introduction of the Checkbox Content Control.

I hope this information helps.

Please let me know if you have any more questions or require further help.

You can ask for more help by replying to this post (Reply button below).

Stay well

Answer 2

*** and also to align text in columns?

Please post this as a separate question and expand on what it is you are asking.

How to Ask Questions In this Forum

Answer 3

This morning I was able to access "Properties" in the Developer tab -- but not now (see attachment) (after selecting a checkbox).

If anyone can suggest or even hint at why "Properties" is greyed out, please feel free to offer an opinion on why it may be greyed out.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 4

The only way I can see to have the Properties and Group buttons grayed out but still have the other buttons in the Controls group enabled is if you don't really have the check box selected, that is, if the cursor is in ordinary text.

Can you show a screen shot that includes both the ribbon as in your previous post and the location of the selection? Also, do you have any kind of editing restriction (protection) applied to the document?