Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 8, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Excel provides tools that allow you to create a number of shapes that were previously only available through the use of a drawing program. One of these shapes is a line. (Yes, the simple line!) Here's the easiest way to create your line:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2460) 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: Drawing Lines.
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 2019 For Dummies today!
If you need to arrange a group of graphics so that they are evenly distributed between a starting point and an ending ...
Discover MoreIf you have a group of merged cells into which you want a user to enter information, you may want some sort of ...
Discover MoreAdd a drawing object to your worksheet, and at some point you may want to change that object's size. You can easily ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2015-12-10 22:08:49
Dave Onorato
Hint: If you also hold the Shift key as you draw a line, it becomes perfectly vertical, horizontal or diagonal on 45°.
And, it works on any shape. Hold shift while drawing an oval and it becomes a perfect circle, rectangles become squares, etc.
And this works across the MS Office apps, most every version!
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon 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.
Comments