

Again, just click and drag to insert it once it's selected. To do so, you'll need to go back to the “Shapes” button and click an arrow under the “Lines” section. If you click it, you'll get several options for shape styles, and can also customize colors to your liking.Īdd your second shape, a diamond or a square, then connect them using an arrow. Once you add your shape, you'll notice that a “Shape Format” tab shows up in your Microsoft Word ribbon. You can move it across the grid after to the position you want. Simply click it and then drag the crosshair on your canvas to insert it. With that covered, we can insert our first shape, an oval. If you forget these at any point, you can simply hover over their shape for a quick tooltip reminder.

A downward triangle indicates a step that combines multiple sets into one, while a circle indicates an inspection point. Ovals indicate the start and end points of a flow, while a diamond shows the point at which a decision needs to be made. You can read on for an explanation of the most important elements.Ī basic rectangle indicates a regular step in your process. It's worth noting that there are standard shapes that are used for various aspects of a flowchart. Here you'll find anything from squares to diamonds, ovals, triangles, circles, and speech bubbles. You have a variety of different types of lines and arrows to fit your process.įor the body of your flowchart, you want to look not at the basic shapes section, but the dedicated “Flowchart” category. You'll see an almost overwhelming number of options, but don't worry – you only need a few of them.Īrrows in Word are found under the “Lines” section and will be one of the most common elements in your flowchart. To enable gridlines, click the “View” tab in your Microsoft Word ribbon, press “Show” in the ribbon, and then tick “Gridlines”.īack in your Word ribbon, switch to the “Insert” tab and press “Illustrations > Shapes”. Without them, your elements will end up misaligned or require a lot of careful tweaking. Gridlines are the puzzle piece many people miss when creating a flowchart in Word.
#SHAPING WORD ART MICROSOFT WORD HOW TO#
Let's start with the more complex one, shapes: How to Create a Flowchart in Word with ShapesĬreating a Word flowchart with shapes sounds intimidating, but with a couple of simple tips you can make sure it looks clean and professional. Today, we're going to show you how to make a flowchart in Word using both methods. This way, you can fit your company's branding or do some more advanced flows. The advantage, of course, is that you can make your chart look exactly how you envisioned. The shape tool requires a little more time investment, but still allows you to make your flowchart pretty quickly. It provides several flowchart templates you can pick and customize. If you just want to create a flowchart in Word as quickly as possible, SmartArt is the way forward. In fact, there are two Word flowchart tools you can use: Shapes and SmartArt. Two ways for creating a flowchart in Word You can create a flowchart in Word using simple, simple preset shapes that still look great.

Thankfully, though, freehand drawing isn't necessary with the right software.

The transition to digital makes things more difficult, however, with mice being imperfect tools for drawing. Making a flowchart on paper is easy – you just grab a few pens and get going.
