Drop down menu linked to an Excel file

Below may be worth trying:

• A Word document with a Combo Box Content Control
• An Excel file with your list of options (e.g., in Column A)
• Access to the VBA Editor in Word (press Alt + F11)

Sub PopulateDropdownFromExcel()
    Dim exlApp As Object
    Dim xlWrkBok As Object
    Dim sheetName As String
    Dim wkbkName As String
    Dim LRow As Long
    Dim i As Long

    ' Excel file path and sheet name
    wkbkName = "C:\Path\To\Your\File.xlsx"
    sheetName = "Sheet1"

    ' Start Excel
    Set exlApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
    Set xlWrkBok = exlApp.Workbooks.Open(wkbkName, ReadOnly:=True)

    With xlWrkBok.Worksheets(sheetName)
        LRow = .Cells(.Rows.Count, 1).End(-4162).Row ' -4162 = xlUp
        Selection.Range.ContentControls(1).DropdownListEntries.Clear
        For i = 1 To LRow
            Selection.Range.ContentControls(1).DropdownListEntries.Add Text:=Trim(.Cells(i, 1).Value)
        Next i
    End With

    xlWrkBok.Close SaveChanges:=False
    exlApp.Quit
End Sub

1. Open your Word document.
2. Insert a Combo Box Content Control from the Developer tab.
3. Press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor.
4. Paste the code into a new module.
5. Run the macro (F5) while your cursor is inside the Combo Box.