Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Drawing Lines.

Drawing Lines

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 21, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

1

Excel provides tools that allow you to create a number of shapes that were previously only available through the use of a drawing program. One of these shapes is a line. (Yes, the simple line!) Here's how you add one to your worksheet:

  1. Display the Insert tab of the ribbon.
  2. Click the Shapes tool in the Illustrations group. Excel displays a drop-down cornucopia of drawing objects.
  3. Click the line that most closely resembles the type of line you want to draw.
  4. Position the mouse pointer where one end of the line is to be located.
  5. Click and hold the mouse button.
  6. Drag the mouse until the line is the desired length.
  7. Release the mouse button.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10086) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Drawing Lines.

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

Bypassing the Startup Macro

Word allows you to create a macro that is run automatically whenever the program is started. If you want to bypass the ...

Discover More

Linking to Slides in PowerPoint

If you are preparing a document that references a presentation you created in PowerPoint, you may want to reference in ...

Discover More

Formatting Footnote Reference Marks

The reference marks that appear for footnotes in a document are normally just superscripted digits. If you want to change ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Quickly Duplicating Drawing Objects

Excel provides a couple of different ways that you can quickly duplicate drawing objects in a worksheet. Committing these ...

Discover More

Creating a Drawing Object

Creating simple drawing objects is easy in Excel. All you need to do is use the large number of drawing tools available ...

Discover More

Changing the Size of a Drawing Object

Add a drawing object to your worksheet, and at some point, you may want to change that object's size. You can easily ...

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.

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

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 two more than 3?

2021-08-07 21:20:30

Ronmio

If you want the line to be perfectly horizontal or vertical (or inbetween in 45° steps), just position the end of the line at approximately the desired angle and hold down the shift key while letting up on the mouse button. The line will snap to precisely the angle you want.

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.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.