Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 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: Changing the Size of a Graphic.

Changing the Size of a Graphic

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 3, 2022)

Excel allows you to easily resize a graphic you have placed in your workbook by following these steps:

  1. Click on the graphic. A box appears around the object (this is designated by eight squares—called frame handles—around the outside of the graphic).
  2. Use the mouse to point to one of the frame handles. Click on the left mouse button.
  3. Drag the frame handle to resize the graphic.
  4. Release the mouse button when the graphic is the size you want.

If you hold Shift as you click and drag any of the four corner handles, then the proportions of the picture stay the same as you resize it. If you click and drag any of the other handles, or don't hold the Shift key as you click and drag the corner handles, then the proportions of the picture are distorted.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12180) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Changing the Size of a Graphic.

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. ...

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