XL Adding shapes - technical definition

Excel offers a variety of drawing tools to spruce up your worksheet. To display the Drawing toolbar, click the Drawing button or right click any toolbar and select Drawing.

Adding Simple Shapes
To add simple shapes to a worksheet, select the arrow, rectangle or oval button from the Drawing toolbar, go to the desired location in the worksheet, and click and drag to the required shape. To change size, click and drag any of the handles (tiny squares at edges) to a new location. To make perfect circles and squares, hold down the Shift key while dragging.











Changing Colors and Line Thickness
Double click on the graphic and make the changes from the dialog box. You can also use the Line Style and Dash Style buttons on the toolbar to modify the lines.


Deleting a Shape
To delete a shape, select it and press the Delete key.


Adding Clip Art
To add clip art to your worksheet, select Insert/Picture/Clip Art.


Adding Pre-Built Shapes
Click the AutoShapes button on the toolbar to view a variety of graphic elements. Select one, then click in your worksheet and drag to the desired size. Resize the shape by dragging one of its handles (tiny squares at edges) to a new location. Holding the Shift key while dragging keeps the shape proportional.







Adding Text to a Shape
To add text to a shape, select the shape and click the Text Box button on the toolbar. Type into the box and click the mouse or press the Escape key to save it.