Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Using WordArt in Excel.

Using WordArt in Excel

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 20, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007


WordArt is a program that allows you to treat text as a graphic. You can use the program to add special effects and flourishes to text, and then insert the text—as a graphic—in your worksheet. It is useful for creating special text elements such as logos, mastheads, or titles. Don't confuse the program name (WordArt) with Microsoft Word; these are two entirely different programs, and you can use WordArt with Excel as easily as you can use it with Word.

To add WordArt to an Excel worksheet in Excel 2007, follow these steps:

  1. Display the Insert tab of the ribbon..
  2. In the Text group, click the WordArt tool. You then see the WordArt Gallery.
  3. Select a general appearance that you want used for your text, and then click on OK. You then see some default text appear in the worksheet.
  4. Enter the text you want used by WordArt, and click on OK.

It should be pointed out that the WordArt in Excel 2007 is markedly different than WordArt in earlier versions of Excel. In Excel 2007 WordArt consists of straight text, with different types of color, fill, and shadow formatting applied. In earlier versions there were actual changes made to the fonts and paths followed by the fonts; not so any more.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6220) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Using WordArt in Excel.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Changing an Existing Style

Excel allows you to create styles that define how your data looks. At some point you may want to change a style you ...

Discover More

Y-Axis Chart Titles are Truncated

When creating a chart, you may find that the titles that appear along your Y-axis are being cut off for some reason. ...

Discover More

Changing the Size of a Drawing Object

Documents are often made up of more than just text. If you have drawing objects in your document, you will doubtless need ...

Discover More

Save Time and Supercharge Excel! Automate virtually any routine task and save yourself hours, days, maybe even weeks. Then, learn how to make Excel do things you thought were simply impossible! Mastering advanced Excel macros has never been easier. Check out Excel 2010 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Pulling Text from a Cell and Placing It in a Shape

Graphic shapes you add to your worksheet can easily contain text; just click on the shape and start typing away. You may ...

Discover More

Deleting Graphics when Deleting a Row

If you use Excel to keep a graphic with each row of data you amass, you may wonder if there is a way to easily delete the ...

Discover More

Styles for Lines, Dashes, and Arrows

Create a simple drawing object, and Excel makes some assumptions about how that object should appear. Excel provides a ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 6 + 5?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.