Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Drawing a Curve.

Drawing a Curve

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 25, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

If you want to insert a curved line in your Word document, you can do so by following these steps:

Make sure the Drawing toolbar is displayed.
Click on AutoShapes. Word displays a menu of different shape categories.
Click on the Lines option. Word displays a palette of different types of lines you can insert.
Click on the Curve option. (It is the one at the bottom left corner of the palette.)
Click at the point in your document where you want the curve to begin.
Click at each point where you want the line to curve.
When you reach the place where you want the curve to end, double-click.

To get exactly the curve you want may take a bit of practice on your part. Once a curve is placed in your document, it is treated the same as any other graphic image.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (695) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Drawing a Curve.

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. Learn more about Allen...

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What is two more than 9?

2016-10-20 19:28:34

allen@sharonparq.com

Shane: Word cannot do that, nor is there a way to do it using macros.

Sorry!

-Allen

2016-10-20 18:31:23

Shane

Hello, I use word for making scale drawings. I am quite good at it. Have made an outline of a speaker I would like to build. I have chosen an eggish shape. It is made up of a straight line in the front and two different arcs for the sides with a shorter straight line as the back. I would like to be able to calculate the area of this shape. Do you know if work is capable of providing the area of a given shape?

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