Displaying the AutoShapes Menu

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated November 15, 2019)

3

If you have used Excel for any length of time, chances are pretty good that you are already familiar with AutoShapes and how to add them to your worksheets. If you have quite a few AutoShapes to insert in a document, you may find it handy to work with a floating AutoShapes menu instead of using the AutoShapes option on the Drawing toolbar. There are two ways you can display the floating AutoShapes menu. The first involves the use of the Drawing toolbar to get started:

  1. Display the Drawing toolbar. (Click on the Drawing option on the Standard toolbar.)
  2. Click on the AutoShapes option on the Drawing toolbar. The AutoShapes menu appears.
  3. Position the mouse pointer over the bar at the top of the AutoShapes menu.
  4. Click and drag the AutoShapes menu away from the Drawing toolbar.
  5. Release the mouse button. You now have a floating AutoShapes menu. (See Figure 1.)

    6. Figure 1. The AutoShapes menu.

The other method of displaying the floating AutoShapes menu is even a bit simpler:

  1. Choose Picture from the Insert menu. Excel displays a submenu.
  2. Choose AutoShapes from the submenu. Excel displays both the Drawing toolbar and the floating AutoShapes menu.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3250) 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

Flashing Cells

Want to draw attention to some information in a particular cell? Make the cell flash, on and off. Here's how you can ...

Discover More

Calculating the Distance between the Top of the Window and Row 1

Normally Excel positions a UserForm in the center of your screen. You may want to position the form elsewhere, more ...

Discover More

Editing a Document with Many Pages

Working with large or long documents in Word can present some interesting challenges. The most common challenge is that ...

Discover More

Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Positioning a Graphic in a Macro

Macros are a great way to process information in a worksheet. Part of that processing may involve moving graphics around ...

Discover More

Adding Drop Shadows

Want your shapes to really "pop" off the page? Add a drop shadow to them, as described in this tip.

Discover More

Inserting a Watermark Behind Merged Cells

If you have a group of merged cells into which you want a user to enter information, you may want some sort of ...

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}] 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 3 + 7?

2017-01-27 11:34:50

Willy Vanhaelen

@walter

The last paragraph of this tip: This tip (3250) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Since Excel 2007 the stand alone tool bars don't exist any more. They are replaced by the ribbon remember :-)

2017-01-26 17:14:46

walter

In 2010 Excel, shape tool is under Inset>illustration group. But I cannot select and pull it out to make a stand alone tool bar for "shape tool"

2017-01-26 17:13:13

walter

I'm using 2010 Excel. I see shape tool under Inset>illustration group. But I cannot select and pull it out to make a stand alone tool bar for "shape tool"

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 AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2021 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.