What is a Flowchart? How to create a flowchart or diagram in Word? Are the steps easy to follow?
Guide to Creating Flowcharts in Word
1. How to create a flowchart in Word
All the necessary tools to create a flowchart are located within the Drawing tool in Word 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.
Before you begin, follow these steps:
First, click on the small arrow icon pointing upwards in the top right corner or press Ctrl + F1 to minimize the Ribbon bar.
Next, click on the View tab => find and check the box next to the Gridlines option to display gridlines, which helps you align and resize flowchart symbols more accurately.
To customize the gridlines, go to: Page Layout =>Arrange =>Align =>Grid Settings.
When inserting any icon or shape into the document, Word will automatically create a drawing canvas. Your task is to adjust the canvas size so that the entire flowchart fits neatly within it. If desired, you can also customize the canvas to create an attractive background for the flowchart.
Now we will proceed with the steps to create a flowchart in Word 2016, 2013, 2019, and 2021.
First, insert shapes, icons, and connect these symbols together.
Step 1: To do this, access tab Insert =>Shapes. Click on the arrow icon located next to Shapes to select the arrow-shaped icon.
Step 2: At this point, a series of pre-existing icons will be displayed on the screen under the Flowchart section.
Step 3: Choose any icon or shape you desire.
Step 4: Click within the drawing area, hold down the left mouse button, and drag to add icons or shapes. Alternatively, double-click on any icon to add it to the canvas. Then, move and resize the icon as needed.
Step 5: Click on the icon or shape you just added and start typing text within the frame.
Step 6: Use arrow icons or connector lines to link two icons together.
Note: Connectors only work with icons placed within the drawing canvas.
2. Tips for Adjusting Shapes and Icons
There are several ways to achieve this:
Step 1: Mytour advises you to adjust icons and shapes right from the start by using grids to evenly align the width of icons when adding them to the canvas.
Step 2: Another way is to individually click and drag each shape or icon to a new position. However, in case there are numerous icons, this process will be very time-consuming. Utilize grids to fix the position of icons.
Step 3: Alternatively, select all the shapes you want to align. Access tab Format => find and click on Align from the menu => choose Align Selected Objects and use the Alignment tool to automatically align the shapes.
3. Tips for Aligning Flowcharts
To align the flowchart to the page:
Step 1: Select all shapes, icons, and connectors. Go to tab Format => choose Group from the menu => then select Group.
Step 2: From the Align menu, find and check Align to Margin. Then, click on Align Center / Align Middle.
Additionally, you can resize the drawing canvas by dragging the corners or edges.
- Latest download link for Word 2019: Word 2019
- Latest download link for Word 2021: Word 2021
This article has just guided you through the steps to create a flowchart in Word. Additionally, readers can refer to some other articles on Mytour to learn how to select A4 paper size in Word. Besides creating flowcharts, equip yourself with How to create a cover page border to work effectively with Word, especially if you are a teacher or final-year students.
- Explore more: How to select A4 paper size in Word
