Mac Word 2011 tech issue - please help!

[dliconsulting]

Hi Everyone,
Novice user here looking for some help for MAC Word 2011. My employer sent out these new report templates that includes fillable forms including dates (e.g. "Click here to choose date") and tick boxes (e.g. there are little square boxes that we are supposed to click on and a little check mark will appear). These reports are sent to me in a .docx format and I am able to open up the file on my PC laptop and the fillable forms/checkboxes work fine. However, I am unable to use these functions on my iMac computer using MAC Word. Whenever I try to double/single click on either form/box, nothing happens. I would really appreciate any advice with this issue.
Thanks!

 

[campyguy]

I'm offering an educated guess, that the document's protection is not enabled on your Mac.

Word > Preferences > Ribbon > In the Print Layout View options, Check the "Developer" option then close the Preferences dialog.

Open your document, ensure that you document is in View > Print Layout mode. In the Ribbon, click on the Developer tab. Ensure that the "Protect Form" option is selected - if it is and your form fields aren't working properly, click it twice (essentially toggling the option), and if it isn't, select it (IMO the more likely scenario).

I've seen form protection not cross platforms and cross versions in Word and Excel before many times. Beyond that, I've got nothing more to offer.

 

[dliconsulting]

Hi there,

I tried everything you said (enabling protect form, clicking twice on it) and it's still not working. The other detail I should note is that I've noticed that if I save this original file on my iMac and then go to send it to someone with a PC, they are also no longer able to use the form fields/check off boxes. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated. It seems silly for me to have to buy a whole new PC computer just to be able to use Word and be able to do my work : (

 

[campyguy]

Sad, that. It's likely you're not going to have success with the form fields. There's three different types of form fields in Win Word: "legacy", which work in Word 2011 and newer versions of Win Word 2010/2013 (which is the type of form fields I use); "ActiveX", which is what "lazy" Win Word users implement (I always recommend against ActiveX anything due to its limitations - being not available on the Mac platform and in Win installations that ActiveX is disabled); and "checkbox content control" fields.

The second and third types are only available to be created on a Win version of Word. The legacy controls are the only type that works in Word 2011 - the form designer did not intend the form you want to use on a Mac or online, or they would have known better.

If you're trying to use a document on a Mac with ActiveX fields, they just won't work - period. If you're trying to use checkbox content control fields, some will work and some won't - it's really just a crap shoot that depends on the underlying code base for the field.

I use Word 2011, and Parallels 8 with virtual machines using Win 7 with Office 2007 or Win 8.1 with Office 2013 - all on the same Mac. No need for a Windows PC for me. I refuse to use ActiveX in any of my documents - it limits my options for deployment as I know that some of my clients use Macs, and I hate rework. If one of my subs uses ActiveX, I don't use them again. You're best sticking to a version of Win Word IMO.