Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Selecting Drawing Objects.

Selecting Drawing Objects

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 4, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


When you create a drawing in Excel, that drawing is made up of objects. The tools on the Drawing toolbar allow you to create both text and graphics objects, which can be moved and arranged in virtually any manner desired.

The first step is selecting an object. Selecting an object is virtually the same as in many other Windows programs. All you need to do is point at the object with the mouse and then click the mouse button. You can tell when an object has been selected because it is surrounded by small squares called handles.

You can also build selection sets of objects. You do this by selecting the first object in the set, and then holding down the Shift key as you select each additional object. If you find you want to remove an object from your selection set, just hold down the Shift key and click your mouse on the object again.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2194) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Selecting Drawing Objects.

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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