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: Rotating a Drawing Object.

Rotating a Drawing Object

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 26, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Word allows you to create drawing objects in your document. 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 text that appears in a document. You generally create such objects by using the tools on the drawing toolbar.

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

  1. Select the drawing object.
  2. Click on the Free Rotate tool on the Drawing toolbar. Rotation handles appear at the corners of the drawing object.
  3. Click on a rotation handle and drag the object in the direction desired.
  4. 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 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Size tab of the Format AutoShape dialog box.

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

You should note that Word allows you to insert text within an AutoShape. Rotating the AutoShape, however, does not result in the text within the AutoShape being rotated. Instead, you can only change the orientation of the text within the AutoShape, as described in other WordTips.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1726) 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: Rotating a Drawing Object.

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

Understanding Subroutines

When developing macros, you can create subroutines. This is a great way to reuse common code and make your programming ...

Discover More

Selecting All Visible Worksheets in a Macro

Do you need your macro to select all the visible worksheets (and just the visible ones)? It's not as easy as it sounds, ...

Discover More

Filtering to a Standard Deviation

When you are working with large data sets, you may want to filter the information in those data sets according to various ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!

More WordTips (menu)

Positioning Graphics Evenly

If you have some graphics inserted in your document, you may want to adjust the horizontal space between those graphics. ...

Discover More

Using MPF Graphic Files

There are all sorts of file formats used to store graphics. You might think that one of those formats is the MPF format, ...

Discover More

Changing Defaults for Text Boxes and Callouts

Do you find yourself frequently creating text boxes and callouts? This tip describes how to change the default settings ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, 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 two less than 3?

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 Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, 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.