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: Specifying an Order for Drawing Objects.

Specifying an Order for Drawing Objects

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 28, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

When you create drawing objects in Excel, each object is drawn on its own layer. This means all objects are independent and can be moved on top of other objects. This means that once you have drawn a number of different objects you can reorder them so that they appear in the order that you desire. You can do this by following these steps:

  1. Select the pointer tool (the arrow) from the Drawing toolbar.
  2. Using the mouse, point to the shape whose order you want to change. Small square boxes called handles appear at each corner in the shape.
  3. Choose Order from the Draw menu on the toolbar. Excel displays a set of ordering commands.
  4. Choose the ordering command that represents what you want to do.

You can also access the ordering commands by right-clicking on a drawing object and choosing Order from the resulting Context menu. There are four different ordering commands:

  • Bring to Front. This option places the selected object on top of the layer stack, so it appears in front of any other objects.
  • Send to Back. This option moves the selected object behind any other drawing objects.
  • Bring Forward. This option simply moves the drawing object one step closer to the top of the layer stack.
  • Send Backward. This option moves the drawing object one layer toward the bottom of the layer stack.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2599) 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: Specifying an Order for 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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Adding a Missing Closing Bracket

When working with large amounts of data, it is a good idea to make sure that the data all consistently follows a pattern. ...

Discover More

Sending Drawing Objects to the Back or Front

Drawing objects can be placed in a document in such a way that they overlap with each other. If you want to arrange those ...

Discover More

Creating Long Page Footers

Ever wish that you could create nice, long footers that appear at the bottom of each page when you print your worksheet? ...

Discover More

Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Styles for Lines, Dashes, and Arrows

Create a simple drawing object, and Excel makes some assumptions about how that object should appear. Excel provides a ...

Discover More

Resizing a Picture

Place a graphic into a worksheet, and it is inevitable that you'll need to change the size of that graphic. Here's the ...

Discover More

Drawing Lines

Excel doesn't limit you to only numbers and text in your worksheets. You can also add different types of shapes. Here's ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is six more than 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.