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: Nudging a Graphic.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 5, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
You already know that you can insert graphics in an Excel worksheet and that you can position those graphics using the mouse. Sometimes using the mouse doesn't give the greatest amount of control over the placement of an object. For this reason, you may want to only use the mouse to handle the "rough placement" of a graphic. You can then nudge the graphic into its final location.
To nudge a graphic, simply make sure it is selected, and then use the arrow keys. Pressing an arrow key moves the graphic in the direction indicated.
It should be pointed out that this technique works just fine if you are nudging a graphic such as a shape, a text box, or an inserted image—and if those graphics are on a regular worksheet. In fact, you can select multiple graphics (hold down the Ctrl key as you click on each one) and then use the arrow keys to nudge them.
What doesn't seem to work is if you place any of these objects on a chart sheet. The, the arrow keys simply "cycle" between the various graphic objects you've placed on the chart. Further, if the chart is actually an object on a worksheet (not on its own chart sheet), then you can't nudge in the manner already described.
If the chart is an object visible in a worksheet (not on its own chart sheet), then you can nudge it by holding down the Ctrl key and left-clicking on the chart. This selects the chart, as an object, and then the arrow keys will work to nudge the object.
If the graphic objects are on a chart sheet, there is no way that we've been able to discover to do the nudging.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10257) 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: Nudging a Graphic.
Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2013 For Dummies today!
A picture is worth a thousand words, but getting the picture, particularly a screen shot, into a workbook may seem ...
Discover MoreWhen you insert a shape into a worksheet, Excel does some preliminary formatting on that shape. You can subsequently make ...
Discover MoreIf you use Excel's graphic capabilities to insert a line or an arrow into a worksheet, you can change how that arrow ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2024-07-01 19:34:51
Allen Gabriele
Thanks for the information about 'Control-Select' to objectify a chart, this has been driving me nuts for years. I never put charts on anything but regular sheets, so it work perfectly for me.
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 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:
Comments