How to Create Electronic Forms in SharePoint Without InfoPath
Question details
The user needs to create an electronic form to submit data to a specific department in SharePoint, requiring an alternative to the discontinued InfoPath.
- Product
- SharePoint, Microsoft Word, Power Apps
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Designing and deploying custom electronic forms for a bank department to collect and route user submissions.
- Observed behavior
- Because InfoPath is unsupported, the user must implement a modern solution like Power Apps or a Word document template with VBA to handle form submissions.
Verify that your Microsoft 365 account has the necessary permissions to create Power Apps or custom content types within your SharePoint site.
Use Power Apps to Create Custom SharePoint Forms
Power Apps is Microsoft's official modern alternative to InfoPath, allowing you to build highly customizable forms directly from SharePoint lists.
Power Apps directly integrates with SharePoint, offering dynamic layouts and data validation without needing to maintain offline documents.
Navigate to your SharePoint site and create a new List with columns representing the exact data fields you want to collect.
Click on 'Integrate' in the top command bar, select 'Power Apps', and then click 'Customize forms'.
Design your form in the Power Apps Studio by dragging and dropping data cards, modifying layouts, and adding submit buttons.
Click 'File', then 'Save', and choose 'Publish to SharePoint' to make the electronic form available to your department users.
Create a Fillable Word Template Workaround
If Power Apps is unavailable, you can build a form using Microsoft Word's Developer tab and upload it as a SharePoint content type.
Easily Create Fillable Form Templates with WPS Office
You can design professional, fillable electronic forms using WPS Writer's advanced content controls and form fields. Once created, these templates can be seamlessly uploaded to SharePoint or shared within your department as an alternative to InfoPath.
- 1. Open a Blank Document: Launch WPS Writer and create a new blank document to serve as your form's canvas.
- 2. Access Form Controls: Navigate to the 'Insert' tab and click on the 'Forms' button to reveal the form control panel.
- 3. Insert Fields and Checkboxes: Click where you want data entered and insert text form fields, check boxes, or drop-down form fields.
- 4. Protect the Form: Use the 'Protect Document' feature to lock the text, allowing users to only edit the designated form fields.
- 5. Save and Upload: Click 'Menu' > 'Save As', choose the .docx format, and upload the file to your SharePoint library for your team to use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is InfoPath no longer recommended for SharePoint forms?
Microsoft discontinued InfoPath in 2013 and has ended support. Power Apps is now the official, modern tool for creating custom forms, workflows, and applications in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Can I use Microsoft Forms instead of Power Apps for SharePoint?
Yes, for simple data collection, Microsoft Forms is a quick alternative. However, Power Apps is better suited for complex scenarios that require custom layouts, advanced validation, or direct integration with existing SharePoint list data.
How do users access a Word template form in a SharePoint library?
Once you publish the Word template (.dotm) as a custom content type in a SharePoint Document Library, users can simply click the 'New' button in the library and select your form template to generate a new instance to fill out.
Do VBA macros work in SharePoint Online?
No, VBA macros only execute in the desktop versions of Office applications. If your Word template relies on VBA for a submit button, users must open the form in the desktop app rather than the web browser.
