Whether you require to indicate an image for focus or demonstrate where to click for interactivity, there is a large range of arrow shapes that you can develop and tailor in Microsoft Word. Let’s have a look at how they work.

Drawing a Basic Arrow Shape

First, let’s evaluate the steps on how to draw a fundamental arrow. On the “Insert” tab on the Ribbon, click the “Shapes” button. In the Lines group on the drop-down menu, click the “Line Arrow” choice.

A crosshair sign will display. Press and hold your mouse button, then drag to draw the arrow. Launch the mouse button to complete drawing the arrow.

Here’s the result:

Resizing, Rotating and Changing the Color of Arrows

Now let’s go a step further. If you don’t change a thing, your arrow will default to the typical settings, which is black for the color and 3/4 point for the width. What if the thin black arrow doesn’t fit your fancy? Perhaps you require a thick, much shorter blue arrow. No issue. You can make modifications to it in a breeze.

To change the length of your arrow, one way you can quickly achieve this is with your mouse. Hover over the arrow pointer up until you see the double-arrow sign.

Click and then drag your mouse to make the arrow much shorter or longer or point it in a new direction. If you only wish to reduce or extend the arrow without running the risk of reorienting it, hold Shift down while you click and drag it.

To make even more changes to your arrow, you can:

To alter the arrow color, click the “Shape Outline” button on the “Format” tab and after that click the color of your option.

To alter the thickness of the arrow, click the “Shape Outline” button, indicate the “Weight” menu, and after that click on the thickness you desire.

To rotate the arrow, click the “Rotate” button on the Format tab and choose a rotation choice. Hovering over each alternative lets you sneak peek how your arrow will look.

For a lot more rotation options, click the “More Rotation Options” command. On the “Size” tab of the Layout window that opens, you can define an exact rotation in degrees.

Using Block, Curved, and Connector Arrows

If a straight arrow does not cut it, there are other arrow types available, including block, curved, and port arrows. Let’s have a look.

On the “Insert” tab of the Ribbon, click the “Shapes” button. In the “Block Arrows” area of the drop-down menu, click arrow design you desire. In this example, we’re utilizing an upward block arrow.

Your pointer develops into a crosshair sign. Click and drag to draw the arrow. Launch the mouse button to complete.

You can use the very same format tools we spoke about in the previous area to alter the color, outline, and so on. You can any of the eight white deals with to resize the overall arrow. Get the yellow handles to reshape the arrows head and shaft separately.

On the “Insert” tab of the Ribbon, click the “Shapes” button. In the “Lines” area, click among the curved arrow shapes. You’ll discover one with a single arrowhead, one with 2 heads, and a simple curved line with no arrowheads.

Your guideline develops into a crosshair symbol. Click and drag to draw the arrow. Release the mouse button to end up.

After drawing the curved arrow, you can change the curve by dragging the yellow manage in the center of the arrow. Here, we’ve dragged it out to the right to make a more sweeping curve.

For even more curved arrow alternatives, examine the curved arrows in the Block Arrows section.

And similar to with any other shape, you can utilize the standard format tools to change the color, summary, and so on.

Lastly, there’s the port arrow. These are fantastic for linking the type of shapes you ‘d utilize in flowcharts or organizational diagrams.

On the “Insert” tab of the Ribbon, click the “Shapes” button. In the “Lines” area of the drop-down menu, choose among the adapter arrows. Just like with curved arrows, you’re simply picking how many arrowheads you desire.

Your tip turns into a crosshair sign. Click and drag to draw the arrow. Launch the mouse button to finish.

After drawing the adapter arrow, you can grab the yellow manage to change the shape of the arrow. Use the white handles at either end to change the length of that portion of the arrow.

And there you have it. It’s probably more than you would like to know about utilizing arrows in Microsoft Word, but it’s constantly good to know what’s readily available.

To turn the arrow, click the “Rotate” button on the Format tab and pick a rotation choice. If a straight arrow doesn’t cut it, there are other arrow types readily available, consisting of block, curved, and connector arrows. In the “Lines” section, click one of the curved arrow shapes. After drawing the curved arrow, you can alter the curve by dragging the yellow manage in the center of the arrow. After drawing the connector arrow, you can grab the yellow handle to change the shape of the arrow.