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: Creating an Organization Chart.

Creating an Organization Chart

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 7, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


One of the tools available in Excel is the ability to create organization charts. You do this by just choosing Diagram from the Insert menu. Excel displays the Diagram Gallery dialog box (See Figure 1.) which shows six different types of diagrams you can add to your worksheet. The default diagram type is Organization Chart. Click OK, and the chart appears in your worksheet as a graphic object.

Figure 1. The Diagram Gallery dialog box.

Along with the actual organization chart, Excel displays the Organization Chart toolbar whenever the chart is selected. This toolbar allows you to add different boxes to the chart (using the Insert Shape drop-down menu), as well as to specify how the chart should be organized (using the Layout drop-down menu).

In Excel, organization charts are made up shapes and lines. Lines are automatically added or removed as you add or remove shapes. If you would like to change the formatting of any of the elements in the organization chart, right-click on the element and choose Format AutoShape from the Context menu.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3204) 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: Creating an Organization Chart.

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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