When you use Microsoft Word all day, it makes sense to know its powers. When you don't have a dedicated diagramming tool around, Word can be united of the easiest ways to make a flow diagram.

This article will go through and through the diametrical elements needed to turn back Microsoft Word into a flowchart creator.

How to Hit a Flowchart in Microsoft Word

All the tools needed to make flowcharts in Microsoft Word lie within the Drawing Tools. You will find oneself the drawing tools in all the recent versions of Office. Start with these three preliminary steps:

Maximize your varlet surface area. Give the Palm by clicking the little up arrow (or chatter Ctrl + F1) on the extreme right, so only the tab names show.

Reveal the Grid. Snap the View tab and chatter the Gridlines checkbox. The grid helps you align and size of it the flowchart symbols just as you can snap them to the gridlines.

You can also customize the gridlines: Layout > Do > Align > Grid Settings.

Use the Drawing Canvas. Inserting any determine or "drafting" in a Word papers mechanically creates a draught canvas. You will have to resize the canvas to frame your entire flowchart.

Microsoft support says it is advantageous when victimisation different shapes (as in a flowchart). Also, you give the axe customize the drawing analyse with a Page Backclot color to create attractive backdrops for your flowchart.

Cash in one's chips to Ribbon > Designing > Page Background and choose a color.

Now, start the meticulous speculate of inserting your shapes and copulative them all. It ever helps to map it out theoretically first and and then usance Microsoft Word to give it the finished look. A rough resume helps you understand the page layout better. The process is simple but putt some planning into victimisation this "planning tool" is a timesaver.

Find all symbols by going toInclose > Shapes. Click the dropdown for Shapes.

  1. The symbols are neatly organized under the Flow diagram group.
  2. Select the shape. For instance, some shape that looks like an oval can represent "Depart."
  3. Click in the canvass area, sustenance the unexhausted button ironed while dragging the mouse to add the shape. You can also double-click on some pattern to automatically tally it to the Canvas. Move back and resize it.
  4. Add text by clicking the shape and typewriting in the label with a text box.
  5. Connect two symbolisation shapes with the help of arrows or connectors. Different simple arrows, connectors stay connected to the shapes. The two basic types of connectors available under the Shapes dropdown are elbow and curved.

Note: Connectors work as intended entirely between shapes placed along the drawing canvas.

E.g., you butt manually move the connectors to whatsoever connection points (represented aside tiny blue dots on the shapes). The points drop anchor the connectors in place, and you hind end impress the shapes without dislodging the connectors. This gives you a muckle of flexibility when modifying your flowchart by ahorseback things just about.

  1. Add a Yes surgery No to the connectors fork verboten of Decisions shapes by inserting Textual matter Boxes alongside the connector arrows. You can too use the rotation handle to rotate the text box.

Tips to Align Shapes

In that location are several ways to have a go at it.

  1. The recommended way is to practise it right the first time. Usance the gridlines and draw them with consistent widths when you are placing them on the canvas.
  2. Click on individual shapes and drag them to the new locations. If you have some shapes, this can be time intense. The gridlines help you snap them in situ.
  3. Select all the shapes you want to align. On the Format tab, click the Aline dropdown menu. Select Align Selected Objects and use the alignment tool to align the shapes automatically.

Tips to Aline a Flow chart

After the flowchart has been laid prohibited, you can neatly align the diagram according to the varlet.

  1. Aggroup all the shapes and connectors. Select totally the shapes and connectors. On the Data format tab, click the Group dropdown and select Group.
  2. From the Align dropdown, check if the Align to Margin item is designated. Then, click Ordinate Center and/or Array Middle.
  3. Optionally, resize the canvas past dragging the recess or edges.

Create a "Stunning" Flowchart in Word

This chocolate-colored image is a more formatted flowchart. Format a flowchart in Word should be the final stage after inserting, connecting, and labeling all the boxes. It is better to do IT in bulk kind of than putting the flourishes happening individual boxes as you continue. And so, superior multiple shapes and data formatting them together.

I will leave information technology to your creativity, and point you to the basic tools you can access from the Format tab on the Ribbon operating theatre the more careful options available on the side panel.

Open the side panel past proper-clicking on a contour and selecting Format Shape.

You have many a options available to intention the shapes and the connectors:

  • Shape Styles: A quick way to ADD color or gradient fills to the shapes.
  • Build Fills: Use your quality of solid colors or gradients. Assume't use too many color schemes.
  • Shape Outlines: Set the visual properties of the bounding lines. Also, use it to make the connector arrows thicker or thinner.
  • Effects: Add deepness to the shapes with three dimensions, shadows, etc.

As you can go out, there are many options to add u finishing touches to the naked-bones flow sheet. You could likewise start with a flowchart guide and customize information technology to your needs.

Use a Flowchart to Meliorate Your Decision Making

The ravisher of flowcharts lies in their simplicity. You can use basic symbols to make an algorithm flow chart for any problem.

A flow sheet helps you take a birds-eye view and understand the whole process. Just the process of drawing off the flowchart can crystalline your own logical system and give better insights.

To sum up:

  • Examine any process.
  • Communicate steps to other people involved in a process.
  • Organize a mental process by removing redundant stairs.
  • Identify and troubleshoot potential problems.
  • Ameliorate a process.

Make Your First Flowchart in Word

From the humble indite and paper to technical applications like SmartDraw and Microsoft's own Visio, on that point are many ways you tail create flowcharts. But if you have Word installed, then turn it into a flowchart maker with these tips.

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About The Author

Saikat Basu (1523 Articles Published)

Saikat Basu is the Lieutenant Editor for Internet, Windows, and Productivity. After removing the grime of an MBA and a tenner twelvemonth elongate marketing vocation, he is now passionate or so portion others improve their storytelling skills. He looks impossible for the missing Oxford comma and hates bad screenshots. But Photography, Photoshop, and Productivity ideas soothe his soul.

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