Delete Dropdown Content Control in Word Using VBA (Backspace/Delete Key without Clicking Three Dots)

Delete Dropdown Content Control in Word Using VBA (Backspace/Delete Key without Clicking Three Dots)

In this article, we will focus on a global topic of how to manipulate Microsoft Word VBA to automate tasks. Specifically, we will cover the key concept of deleting a dropdown content control using the Backspace or Delete key without clicking the three dots. This technique can save time and increase productivity for those who work frequently with Word documents containing content controls.

What are Content Controls in Word?

Content controls are objects in Microsoft Word that allow you to add structured data to a document, such as rich text, plain text, pictures, and drop-down lists. Content controls can help ensure consistency, improve document accessibility, and make it easier to manage document content.

Manipulating Content Controls with VBA

With Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), you can automate and customize many tasks in Microsoft Word. In the case of content controls, you can use VBA to add, modify, and delete them. Here, we will focus on deleting a dropdown content control without clicking the three dots.

Delete a Dropdown Content Control using Backspace/Delete Key

To delete a dropdown content control using the Backspace or Delete key, follow these steps:

1. Step 1: Open your Word document containing the content control you want to delete.
2. Step 2: Press ALT + F11 to open the VBA editor.
3. Step 3: In the VBA editor, insert a new module by clicking Insert > Module.
4. Step 4: Copy and paste the following code into the module:

Sub DeleteContentControl()
    Dim cc As ContentControl
    Selection.HomeKey wdStory
    Set cc = Selection.ContentControls(1)
    cc.Delete
End Sub

This code selects the first content control in the document and deletes it.

5. Step 5: Save and close the VBA editor.
6. Step 6: Switch back to your Word document and place the cursor inside the dropdown content control you want to delete.
7. Step 7: Press ALT + F8 to open the Macro dialog box.
8. Step 8: Select the DeleteContentControl macro and click Run.

The dropdown content control should now be deleted without having to click the three dots.

• Content controls in Microsoft Word are objects that allow you to add structured data to a document, such as rich text, plain text, pictures, and drop-down lists.
• With VBA, you can automate and customize tasks related to content controls, such as deleting a dropdown content control using the Backspace or Delete key without clicking the three dots.
• The code provided above can be used as a starting point for automating the deletion of content controls in Word.

References

• Microsoft Support: Content controls
• Microsoft Docs: ContentControl object
• Microsoft Docs: ContentControls.Item property ```
• Microsoft Docs: ContentControl.Delete method