Rotating a Drawing Object

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 2, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Excel allows you to create drawing objects in your worksheets. These objects (such as an oval, rectangle, line, or AutoShape) are positioned on what is termed the "drawing layer," which is separate and distinct from the contents of the worksheet. You generally create such objects by using the tools on the Drawing toolbar.

You can rotate the drawing object to any degree you desire. Simply follow these steps:

  1. Select the drawing object.
  2. If you are using Excel 97 or Excel 2000, click on the Free Rotate tool on the Drawing toolbar. Green rotation handles appear at the corners of the drawing object. (In Excel 2002 and Excel 2003 there is no Free Rotate tool on the Drawing toolbar. Instead, a single green rotation handle appears by the object whenever you select it.) (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. Rotation handle.

  4. Click on a rotation handle and drag the object in the direction desired.
  5. Press Esc when you are done rotating the object.

If you know exactly how much you want to rotate the drawing object, you can also do the following:

  1. Right-click on the drawing object. This displays a Context menu.
  2. Choose the Format AutoShape option from the Context menu. This displays the Format AutoShape dialog box.
  3. Make sure the Size tab is selected. (See Figure 2.)
  4. Figure 2. The Size tab of the Format AutoShape dialog box.

  5. Change the value in the Rotation box as desired.
  6. Click on OK.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2822) 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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Changing Above-the-Line Fonts

Word maintains a list of the fonts most recently used in the program. You can't modify the list, but you can turn it on ...

Discover More

Using a Numeric Portion of a Cell in a Formula

If you have a mixture of numbers and letters in a cell, you may be looking for a way to access and use the numeric ...

Discover More

Differentiating a Header Row

When you use the sorting tool, Excel tries to automatically figure out if your data includes a header row or not. Here ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Inserting from a Camera or Scanner

One of the ways you can insert graphics into a worksheet is by grabbing them from a digital camera or a scanner. This tip ...

Discover More

Displaying the AutoShapes Menu

When adding AutoShapes to a worksheet, it can be bothersome to continually work with the menu structure to place them. It ...

Discover More

Pasting a Graphic to Multiple Worksheets

Do you need to add a logo or other graphic to a bunch of worksheets? Here are a couple of short macros that can make ...

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.

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 4 + 0?

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.