Excel Training: Shapes
Excel allows you to insert a wide variety of shapes according to your needs.
![excel shape bubble shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-shape-bubble.png)
To insert a shape, click on the "Insert" tab then on "Shapes" and select for example the chevron:
Then click on the sheet and drag until you get the desired size:
![excel shape chevron shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-shape-chevron.png)
You may notice that shapes are inserted "over" the cells.
Resize
To resize a shape, select it and modify its size by clicking on the small white circles around the shape and moving them:
![excel shape chevron modify shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-shape-chevron-modify.png)
To obtain for example:
![excel shape chevron wide shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-shape-chevron-wide.png)
Rotation
To rotate a shape, click and move the circular arrow above the shape:
![excel shape rotation shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-shape-rotation.png)
![excel shape chevron rotation shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-shape-chevron-rotation.png)
Other modifications
Depending on the chosen shape, there may be a small yellow circle on the shape.
![excel shape modify shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-shape-modify.png)
By moving this yellow circle, you will modify a property specific to the chosen shape:
![excel shape modify chevron shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-shape-modify-chevron.png)
Borders and background color
To modify the borders or the background, first select the shape then click on the "Shape Format" tab:
![excel shape format shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-shape-format.png)
Then modify the shape style from "Shape Styles":
![excel format shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-format.png)
You can apply a predefined style:
![excel shape styles shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-shape-styles.png)
You can also modify the background, the borders and the effects of the shape separately:
Add text
To enter text in the shape, right click on it and select "Edit Text":
![excel text shape shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-text-shape.png)
Then enter the text:
![excel text shape add shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-text-shape-add.png)
When you are finished, select the shape again and apply the formatting (which you already know) to modify the appearance of the text and center it, from the "Home" tab:
![excel text shape center shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-text-shape-center.png)
Copy a shape
If you want to add 2 additional chevrons, to avoid starting all over again, simply copy-paste the shape:
![excel shape copy shapes](https://www.excel-pratique.com/view/en/excel-training/img/shapes/excel-shape-copy.png)
Move them:
And modify the text and formatting as indicated above: