Displaying the AutoShapes Menu

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated March 7, 2015)

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

Adjusting Chart Size

If you don't have Excel installed on your system, Microsoft Graph is a handy way to create simple charts for your ...

Discover More

Quickly Removing Table Borders

Insert a table in your document and Word assumes that you want borders around the table and its cells. Here's a shortcut ...

Discover More

Creating Folders

Folders are an organizational tool that allow you to easily store like items in Drive. This tip examines how easy it is ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Selecting Drawing Objects

Excel allows you to create all sorts of drawings using a wide assortment of tools. When you need to take an action upon ...

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

Understanding Fill Effects

Want to fill a drawing object with different types of effects? Excel provides several effects that can make your drawing ...

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 four less than 8?

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 © 2019 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.