Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. 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: Filling a Drawing Object.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 21, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365
When you first insert a drawing object in Excel, it appears as a filled shape. You may not, however, like the color that Excel uses to fill the shape. You can change the color used or you can fill the shape with a specific effect. Both of these are done using the Shape Fill tool on the Format tab of the ribbon. This tool looks like a bucket spilling paint. To use the tool, select the object you want filled and then click the tool. The object is then filled using the color shown in the bar at the bottom of the tool.
If you want to change the color used for fills, you can do so by clicking on the down-arrow at the right of the Shape Fill tool. This displays a palette of colors (seventy of them) from which you can choose. If you don't like those colors, you can click on More Fill Colors to pick any color you desire.
A neat feature of Excel is that you can also pick an effect to use for your fill. You do this by choosing an effect at the bottom of the color palette. Using the fill affects you can specify exactly what special affects you want applied to filling the shape. The different fill options allow you to make your graphics look quite impressive.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8067) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Filling a Drawing Object.
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Filling one of Excel's drawing shapes with a picture of your choosing is a neat trick. Here's how to do it.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. 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:
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