Textbox formatting

Create the text box from Insert > Text Box, then use Shape Format for its appearance and Layout Options for how surrounding document text flows around it.

1. Create and select a text box

1. Place the cursor near the intended location.
2. Select Insert > Text Box.
3. Choose a built-in design or Draw Text Box.
4. Type or paste the content.
5. Select:
   • Inside the box to edit its text.
   • The border to move, resize, format, or delete the entire box.

Drag a corner handle to resize proportionally. For precise placement, select the border and choose Shape Format > Position > More Layout Options, where horizontal and vertical positions can be specified relative to the page, margins, or paragraph.^1^

2. Format the box and its text

With the text-box border selected, use Shape Format:

• Shape Fill: background color, gradient, or No Fill.
• Shape Outline: border color, thickness, dashes, or No Outline.
• Shape Effects: shadow, reflection, glow, bevel, or 3-D effects.
• Size: exact height and width.
• Rotate: rotate the complete object.

To format the content, select the text and use Home:

• Font, size, color, bold, italic, and underline.
• Left, center, right, or justified alignment.
• Line and paragraph spacing.
• Bullets and numbering.

For vertical alignment, internal margins, direction, and automatic sizing:

1. Right-click the text-box border.
2. Select Format Shape.
3. Open Size/Layout & Properties > Text Box.
4. Configure:
   • Vertical alignment: Top, Middle, or Bottom.
   • Text direction: Horizontal, rotated 90°, rotated 270°, or stacked where available.
   • Left, right, top, and bottom margins.
   • Wrap text in shape.
   • Resize shape to fit text to expand the box vertically as content grows.^2^

3. Understand the two kinds of wrapping

Word uses “text wrapping” for two different operations:

Text wrapping inside the text box

This controls whether content continues onto another line when it reaches the box’s right edge.

┌──────────────────────┐
│ This sentence wraps  │
│ onto additional      │
│ lines inside the box.│
└──────────────────────┘

To enable it:

1. Right-click the text-box border.
2. Select Format Shape.
3. Open Size/Layout & Properties > Text Box.
4. Select Wrap text in shape.^2^

Use Resize shape to fit text if the box should grow rather than hide overflowing content.

Document text wrapping around the text box

Select the text-box border, then choose Shape Format > Wrap Text. The wrapping choices behave as follows.^1^

Example of Square wrapping:

Paragraph text flows     ┌───────────┐
along the left side of   │ Important │
the text box and then    │  notice   │
continues underneath.    └───────────┘
The paragraph resumes across the page.

Example of Top and Bottom:

Text occupies the full width above the object.

        ┌──────────────────────┐
        │ Quotation or notice  │
        └──────────────────────┘

Text resumes at full width below the object.

The Layout options page includes Microsoft’s graphic example for every wrapping style, including Square, Tight, Through, Behind Text, and In Front of Text.^1^

4. Control spacing and which side wraps

Select Shape Format > Wrap Text > More Layout Options > Text Wrapping to set:

• Both sides
• Left only
• Right only
• Largest only
• Exact Top, Bottom, Left, and Right distance from surrounding text.^1^

For specialized tight wrapping, the text box must have No Fill, No Outline, and use Tight or Through wrapping. Then right-click inside it, choose Paragraph > Line and Page Breaks, and set Textbox options > Tight wrap to All, First and Last Lines, First Line Only, or Last Line Only.^3^

5. Make the box move—or stay put

After choosing a wrapping style other than In Line with Text, open Wrap Text or More Layout Options:

• Move with Text: the box moves with its associated paragraph.
• Fix Position on Page: the box remains at the page position while text changes.
• Lock anchor: keeps the floating box associated with its anchored paragraph.
• Allow overlap: permits multiple floating objects to overlap.^1^

For a note that should remain beside a particular paragraph, use Square or Tight, enable Move with Text, and lock its anchor.

6. Practical formatting recipes

Borderless sidebar

1. Choose Square wrapping.
2. Apply a light Shape Fill.
3. Select Shape Outline > No Outline.
4. Increase the internal margins.
5. Set the external left/right wrapping distance.

Pull quote

1. Center the text horizontally and vertically.
2. Use Top and Bottom wrapping.
3. Apply a subtle fill and a thicker left border.
4. Enable Resize shape to fit text.

Text over a picture or colored area

1. Choose In Front of Text.
2. Apply No Fill and No Outline to the text box.
3. Use contrasting text color.
4. Use Selection Pane if the object becomes difficult to select.

References

1. Layout options
2. [Windows](https://support.microsoft.com/word/set-text-direction-and-position-in-a-shape-or-text-box-in-word)
3. Use Line and Page Breaks settings in Word | Microsoft Support