Working With Shapes in Microsoft Word

Working With Shapes in Microsoft Word

In Microsoft Word, working with shapes is a powerful tool for creating visually appealing documents. Whether you're making flowcharts, organization charts, mind maps, process diagrams, Venn diagrams, or other types of illustrations, shapes can help convey your ideas effectively. Here we will explore how to work with shapes within Microsoft Word using the Ribbon interface.

Accessing Shape Tools From the Home Tab

To insert and manipulate shapes in Word, follow these steps:

1. Click anywhere in your document where you want the shape placed.
2. Go to the "Insert" tab on the Ribbon.
3. In the "Illustrations" group, click "Shapes." This opens a drop-down menu from which you can choose different types of predefined shapes.

Once inserted, you have several options for formatting your shape:

• Change its size: Drag any of the handles around the outside edge of the shape to resize it.
• Move the shape: Grab one of the round handles called drag points at each corner and side, and pull them back toward the center of the shape if you need to move it up or down without changing its width or height. If you want to move only one dimension of a rectangular shape, grab a handle at either end to adjust just the horizontal or vertical axis.
• Rotate the shape: Hold down the mouse button over a rotator point on the outside edge of the shape until the pointer becomes a curved arrow head; then drag right or left to change the angle by 90 degrees increments. To make smaller changes, hold down Shift while moving the mouse.

Using the Drawing Toolbar

If you prefer more control when drawing custom shapes, choose "Drawing Canvas" under the "New Drawing Canvas" section in the "Illustrations" group of the Home tab. This displays the Drawing Canvas, along with a set of tools that allow you to draw freehand lines and curves.

Formatting Shapes Within the Format Shape Task Pane

For more precise control and advanced effects such as gradients, shadows, reflections, glows, soft edges, and 3D rotation, open the "Format Shape" task pane by clicking "Format Shape" found in the "Shape Styles" gallery located in the "Drawings" group of the "Home" tab after selecting a shape in your document.

The Format Shape task pane groups together all the available formats into five sections—Style, Size & Rotation, Fill, Line, and Effects—to ensure quick access to common format settings. However, the exact arrangement of the buttons, check boxes, and text boxes may vary depending upon the version of Office you're running.

By utilizing these various features and techniques, you can create professional-looking graphics in Microsoft Word that enhance the visual appeal of your document.