Symmetric Resizing of Graphics

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 30, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


When you click on a graphic placed in your worksheet, eight selection handles appear around the object. These handles allow you to resize and crop the graphic in ways previously detailed in ExcelTips.

One cool resizing feature is implemented if you hold down the Ctrl key while dragging one of the handles. Doing so causes Excel to symmetrically resize the image, adjusting not only the handle selected, but the handle opposite the one selected.

For instance, if you hold down the Ctrl key and drag the handle at the center of the right edge of the graphic inward by a half inch, then Excel also moves the left edge of the graphic inward by a half inch.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2493) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

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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