Microsoft Office 2007

Working with Text Boxes

Text boxes can be used to emphasize text or as labels. They combine the positioning flexibility of objects with the formatting options of text. You can fill a text box with color or give it a colored border. You can also wrap other text around the text box and link text boxes.

Creating Text Boxes
Formatting Text in Text Boxes
Formatting Text Boxes
Moving Text Boxes
Linking Text Boxes

Creating Text Boxes

This document concentrates on text boxes in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. For information on using text boxes in Publisher, refer to the Publisher help section.

The text box features in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are very similar. However, Word provides some additional options which require a separate set of instructions.

Creating Text Boxes with Word: Insert Option

Inserting a new text box with Word can be done in just a few clicks. You can use one of the preformatted text boxes, or you can draw your own.

From the Insert tab, in the Text group, click TEXT BOX» select Draw Text Box
NOTE: If you insert a preformatted pull quote no further steps are necessary, although you can still move the box or change the text.

To draw a text box, place the insertion point where you want put the text box
Click and hold the mouse button while dragging the mouse
Once the text box is the size you want it, release the mouse button
The text box is created.
Type your text

Creating Text Boxes with Word: Selected Text Option

Word also allows you to create a text box from existing text.

NOTE: If you use this method and then add new text to the text box, the box automatically resizes to fit the text.

Select the text you want to place the text box around
From the Insert tab, in the Text group, click TEXT BOX » select Draw Text Box
The text box is created around the selected text.

Creating Text Boxes: Excel and PowerPoint

Unlike Word, there are no preformatted Pull Quotes in Excel and PowerPoint, so in these programs you must draw your text box.

From the Insert tab, in the Text group, click TEXT BOX
Place the insertion point where you want the text box to go
Click and hold the mouse button while dragging the mouse
Once the text box is the size you want, release the mouse button
The text box is created.

Formatting Text in Text Boxes

Formatting text within a text box follows the same process as formatting any other type of text and can be done in the Ribbon, from the Home tab.

Select the text you wish to format
From the Home tab, select the desired formatting options
For more information on formatting text, refer to Working with Text Options.

Formatting Text Boxes

Not only can you change the look of the text in a text box, you can also format the text box itself. Formatting a text box is no different than formatting any other object.

For information on formatting objects in Office 2007, see the following documents:

Using the Fill Effects Dialog Box in Word and in Excel and PowerPoint
This document includes instructions on adding a fill color, gradient, or texture to your text boxes.
Modifying Objects in Word and in Excel and PowerPoint
These documents contain information on adding shadows and 3D effects to your text boxes.

Moving Text Boxes

One advantage of using text boxes is they can easily be moved around a document.

Select the text box to be moved by clicking it
Move the pointer to the border of the text box
The pointer now becomes a four-headed arrow.
Click and drag the text box to its new location

Linking Text Boxes

Linked text boxes allow text to flow from one text box to another seamlessly. This can be useful when you want to place a large amount of text into a series of boxes.

NOTE: This option is available only in Word.

Create a new empty text box
Select the first text box, where the linked text will begin
From the Format tab, in the Text group, click CREATE LINK
The pointer now looks like a pitcher.
Click inside the box where you would like the text to link to
HINT: The text box you are linking to must be empty (i.e., not contain any text).
The extra text is placed in the box and the text boxes are now linked.

Unlinking Text Boxes

Select the text box that originally contained extra text
From the Format tab, in the Text group, click BREAK LINK
The text boxes are now unlinked and all text returns to its original text box.