How to add an arrow to a text box in Excel 2007
When creating a text box, you may want to add an arrow to point directly to the object or part of the chart you’re referencing. To add an arrow, followthese steps:
1. Click the text box to which you want to attach the arrow in the chart or worksheet to select.
Selection handles appear around the text box and the Format tab under the Drawing Tools Contextual tab is selected on the Ribbon.
2. Click the Arrow command button in the Insert Shapes drop-down gallery at the very beginning of the Format tab.
The Arrow command button is the second from the left in the first row of shapes (with the picture of an arrow). When you click this button, it becomes selected in the palette (indicated by the new color) and the mouse pointer assumes the crosshair shape.
3. Drag the crosshair mouse pointer from the place on the text box where the end of the arrow (the one without the arrowhead) is to appear to the place where the arrow starts (and the arrowhead will appear) and release the mouse button.
As soon as you release the mouse button, Excel draws two points, one at the base of the arrow (attached to the text box) and another at the arrowhead. At the same time, the contents of the Shape Styles dropdown gallery changes to line styles.
4. Click the More button in the lower-right corner of the Shapes Styles drop-down gallery to display the thumbnails of all its line styles and then mouse over the thumbnails to see how the arrow would look in each.
As you mouse through the different line styles in this gallery, Excel draws the arrow between the two selected points in the text box using the highlighted style.
5. Click the thumbnail of the line style you want the new arrow to use in the Shape Styles gallery.
Excel then draws a new arrow using the selected shape style, which remains selected (with selection handles at the beginning and end of the arrow). You can then edit the arrow as follows:
- Move the arrow by dragging its outline into position.
- Change the length of the arrow by dragging the selection handle at the arrowhead.
- Change the direction of the arrow by pivoting the mouse pointer around a stationary selection handle.
- Change the shape of the arrowhead or the thickness of the arrow's shaft by clicking a thumbnail on the Shape Styles drop-down gallery or clicking a new option on the Shape Fill, Shape Outline, and Shape Effects button on the Format tab of the Drawing Tools contextual tab or by opening the Format Shape dialog box (Ctrl+1) and then selecting the appropriate options on its Fill, Line, Line Style, Shadow, 3-D Format, 3-D Rotation, Picture, and Text Box tabs.
- Delete the arrow by pressing the Delete key.
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