Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Office 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Saving Form Data for a Database.
Word allows you to create forms into which users can enter data. Exactly how you create forms has been covered in other issues of WordTips. When users are done filling in the form, they typically save the form as a regular Word document.
If you want to later use the form data in a database, you may find this tip helpful. Follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Word Options dialog box.
Now, when you go to save the document, Word presents you with the Save As dialog box, and the TXT file format is selected. Once you supply a file name and click on OK, Word extracts the form data the user typed in the document and saves it, in a comma-delimited format, in the TXT file. You can then use that TXT file to import the form values to a database program.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8480) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Office 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Saving Form Data for a Database.
The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!
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2017-09-11 19:07:49
Simon
Works for me. Thanks! Is there any way of getting the data out of multiple word files, without repeating this process each time? Thanks again
2017-02-24 19:23:26
Clarice Van Huizen
I'm having problem on my Word 2013. when i use layout-data-formula all I get is (=SUM(ABOVE)|#"#,##0.00") how do I fix this? Thanks
2016-12-07 17:47:01
Ross Martin
I had the same issue (blank results) and, reading on other sites, found that this method does not work with the new controls, but only with the legacy form fields. Try making your form with the older fields and see if you get a better result.
2016-05-18 04:44:36
Riana
Please can you help with this. I have the same problem as Kevin below:
"whenever I try this, the txt file is empty!"
2016-03-29 18:12:32
amy
Hi,
This is helpful, but I'm trying to extract form data to use in Excel in a different way. My Excel sheet isn't designed to compile data from multiple forms, but rather a single Excel sheet is designed to work with the data provided by a single word form. I'd like to extract specific fields from the word form and use them to populate specific cells of the Excel sheet. Is this something you can help with? If so, how can that happen?
Thank you,
Amy
2016-03-05 09:17:36
Kevan Keegan
whenever I try this, the txt file is empty! I've made forms that consist of only 3 rich text controls (Name, address, phone) and still no data!!
Note that I've tried this in word 2013 and word 2016
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Office 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: 
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