Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 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: Editing Graphic Objects.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 31, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365
The technique you use to edit a graphics object depends on the type of object you are editing. The most common editing tasks—sizing and deleting objects—are easy to do in Excel.
To size an object, you first have to select it. This is done by using the mouse to point to one of the lines in the object. When you click on the mouse button, notice that handles appear around the outside of the rectangle that contains the object.
If you position the mouse pointer over one of the corner handles, it changes to a double-headed diagonal arrow. If you then click and hold down the mouse button, you can change the size of the object, keeping the proportions the same.
If you move the mouse pointer over one of the other handles, it changes to arrows that indicate the direction you can move the side. The shape of the graphics object is appropriately skewed, based on how you move the handle.
Finally, to delete a graphics object you need simply select it and press the Del key. You can also use one of the delete options from the Home tab on the ribbon.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8934) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Editing Graphic Objects.
Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!
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 MoreWant your shapes to really "pop" off the page? Add a drop shadow to them, as described in this tip.
Discover MoreWhen editing a worksheet, you can place comments or notes that are associated with individual cells. If you want, you can ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2019-03-30 09:14:30
Alan Cannon
If the graphical object is one that was inserted as a shape, smart art object, text box, or equation, the proportions aren't maintained unless you hold down the Shift key while dragging the corner. Only picture formats, including screen clips, automatically maintain proportions without using the Shift key.
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 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:
Comments