Add shapes to your diagrams to communicate information, and include color and special effects for a professional look.

Add shapes

  1. Select the stencil that contains the shape you want to add.

  2. Select a shape, and drag it onto the drawing page.

  3. Point to the shape, and point to the arrow that indicates the direction of the next shape you want to add.

    Note: If you don’t see the AutoConnect arrows, select View and make sure AutoConnect is selected.

  4. Select the shape you want to add.

Select shapes

Task

Action

Select a single shape

Select Home > Pointer Tool, point to a shape until you see a four-headed arrow, and select the shape.

Select multiple shapes in a rectangular area

Select Home > Select > Area Select and drag a rectangle around the shapes.

Select multiple shapes in a freeform area

Select Home > Select > Lasso Select and drag a freeform lasso around the shapes.

Select multiple shapes separated by other shapes

Press Ctrl+Shift while selecting shapes.

Select a particular kind of object

Select Home > Select > Select by Type, select the type of object, and select OK.

Remove a shape from a multiple selection

Press Shift, and select the shape.

Cancel a selection

Select a blank area on the diagram, or press Esc.

Change a shape into another shape

  1. Select the shape you want to change.

  2. Select Home > Change Shape.

  3. Browse the shapes and stencils until you find a shape you want.

  4. Select a shape.
    All text and formatting applied to the original shape are applied to the new shape.

Rotate or flip shapes

Task

Action

Rotate a shape

Select a shape, and drag the rotation handle.

Rotate a shape 90 degrees

Select a shape, select Home > Position > Rotate Shapes, and select either Rotate Left 90° or Rotate Right 90°.

Flip a shape vertically

Select a shape, and select Home > Position > Rotate Shapes > Flip Vertical.

Flip a shape horizontally

Select a shape, and select Home > Position > Rotate Shapes > Flip Horizontal.

Rotate a shape precisely

Select a shape, select View > Task Panes > Size & Position, and type in new values for Angle.

Resize shapes

Task

Action

Resize a shape

Select a shape, and drag a selection handle or endpoint until the shape is the size you want.

Resize a shape proportionally

Select a shape, and drag a corner handle.

Resize a shape precisely

Select a shape, select View > Task Panes > Size & Position, and type in new values for Width, Height, or Length.

Move shapes

Task

Action

Move a shape

Select a shape and drag it to a new position.

Nudge a shape

Select a shape, and select an arrow key.

Move a shape one pixel at a time

Select a shape and press Shift while pressing an arrow key.

Move a shape precisely

Select a shape, select View > Task Panes > Size & Position, and type in new values for X, Y, Begin X, Begin Y, End X, or End Y.

Change the look of shapes

  1. Select a shape.

  2. On the Home tab, select style options:

  • Quick Styles - Select a line and fill combination.

  • Fill - Select a color, gradient, or pattern to fill the shape.

  • Line - Select the line color, line thickness, or type of line.

  • Effects - Select a shadow, reflection, glow, or 3-D effect.

Source: Microsoft