Inserting shapes in Google Docs offers a lot of flexibility, as shapes can be customized to fit Google Docs requirements. You can insert shapes to differentiate important points on your Google Docs document or to organize the information properly.
To add shapes in Google Docs, you can use multiple options like Google Drawing, images, special characters, Table options, etc.
Inserting shapes in Google Docs is particularly inevitable when your Google Docs document is already occupied with a large amount of text. You can create a simple flowchart to explain your ideas by inserting shapes in Google Docs using rectangles, lines, and arrows. In this article, I’ll walk you through various methods to insert shapes in Google Docs.
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How to insert shapes in Google Docs?
The most common method in which you can insert shapes in Google Docs is using “Google Drawings Tool”. Instead of using Drawing tool, you can also insert images using basic tables, special characters, etc.
Let’s see some of the different ways you can use to insert shapes in Google Docs.
- Approach-1: Using Google Drawing
- Approach-2: Using special characters
- Approach-3: Using images
- Approach-4: Using Tables
Approach-1: Using Google Drawing
Drawing tools help you to insert a variety of shapes, callouts, arrows, equations, etc that are easily customizable according to your needs.
You can create a diagram using shapes and also add text to each shape to highlight information. You can use Google Drawings within your Google Docs document to insert images in Google Docs. To insert images in Google Docs, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Sign in to Google Docs and open the document in which you want to insert shapes.
Step 2: Navigate to the top menu bar and click Insert.
Step 3: Now Select Drawing and then click New.
Step 4: On the Drawing window, click on the Shapes option –> Locate the particular shape you wish to insert.
Step 5: Click on the shape and then drag in the drawing area to draw the shape.
Step 6: The moment you will release the mouse, you will find the shape on the drawing area. Now, customize the shape with different formatting options like color, border size, border color, etc.
Step 7: Same way, you can add more than one shape.
Step 8: Once done, click on the Save and Close button to insert that particular shape into your Google Docs document.
How to move shapes in Google Docs?
You can move the drawn shapes in Google Docs by just clicking on the image and moving the mouse cursor.
How to edit shapes in Google Docs?
Select that specific shape, and then click on the Edit option as highlighted below. This will reopen the image on the Drawing window, Now update the required changes and then click “Save and close” to make the changes appear.
How to delete shapes in Google Docs?
To remove a specific shape from the Google Docs document, select that particular shape and then you can press the Delete or the Backspace key.
Approach-2: Using special characters
You can insert shapes around the text in Google Docs by using special characters. follow the below steps:
Step 1: Navigate to the Google Docs document then click on the Insert menu —> Select Special Characters option.
Step 2: On the search box type the special character that you wish to insert.
Step 3: Even, you can also draw the shape on the “Draw a symbol here” to draw the shape, and at the same time, you will find the same shape on the left window as a search result.
Step 4: Now, Click on the desired shape from the left side search window to insert that specific shape into your Google Docs document.
Step 5: Same way, you can select multiple shapes.
Step 6:To customize, select the inserted special character, and use the formatting options to change the color, font, etc.
Approach-3: Using images
Another option is to create different shapes using Photoshop and any other editors then upload those to your Google Docs as images.
To insert shapes in Google Docs using images, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Navigate to your existing Google Docs document, then click on the Insert menu –> Select Image –> choose Upload from Computer or other available options.
Step 2: Select the image –> click on the “Open” button.
Step 3: To format the shape you’ve inserted, right-click on the image then choose the “Image options”.
Modify the formatting options based on your requirements.
Approach-4: Using Tables
A very simple way to insert shapes like squares and rectangles to your Google Docs document is by creating a table.
To insert shapes in Google Docs using tables, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Open Google Docs document and click Insert menu –>select Table
Step 2: Select the desired size for the table for instance 4 x 4, 5 x 5, etc.
Step 3: If you want, resize the table, you can drag from each border.
Step 4: Customize the color, border, and size according to your requirements. Even you can right-click on the table –> select the table properties option to get some more options to customize.
Read: How to embed a video in Google Docs
How to insert shapes in Google Docs on iPad?
To insert shapes in Google Docs on iPad, you can insert shapes in Google slides app and then insert the saved image in Google Docs.
Step 1: On your iPhone or iPad, open a presentation in the Google Slides app.
Step 2: On the slide, you want to add to, tap Add icon.
Step 3: Choose the shape you want to add and draw the same on your iPad.
Step 4: Save the page with an image extension.
Step 5: Now, open a document in the Google Docs app.
Step 6: Tap Add icon and then tap the image.
Step 7: Choose the saved shape to insert it.
You may also like following the below articles:
- How to make a concept map on Google Docs
- How to make Google Docs pageless
- How To Make A Table On Google Docs
- How To Make A Graph On Google Docs
- How to lock or protect Google docs with password
- How to circle something in Google Docs
- How To Move A Table In Google Docs
Wrapping Up
We have discussed here, multiple approaches to insert shapes in Google Docs and along with that, we have also discussed how easy to edit and delete shapes in Google Docs. Now it’s your turn to add shapes into your Google Docs document and Make your presentations and documents neater than ever!