There are many options for creating flowcharts, but you may not need one if you're already a Microsoft Office 365 subscriber. We'll show you how you can create a flowchart in Word, but Excel works just as well.
In this article, we will show you how to set up a flowchart environment and create stunning flowcharts in Excel. We'll finish with some links where you can download free Microsoft Excel flowchart templates.
When creating a flowchart in Excel, the worksheet grid provides a useful way to position and size the elements of your flowchart.
To create a grid, we need to change the width of all columns to be equal to the default row height. The worksheet will look like graph paper.
First, select all the cells in the worksheet by clicking the box in the upper left corner of the worksheet grid. Then right click on any column header and select Column Width .
If you are using the default font (Calibri, size 11), the default row height is 15 points, which is 20 pixels. To make the column width the same 20 pixels, we need to change it to 2.14.
So enter 2.14 in the Column Width box dialog and click OK .
The Snap to Grid features make it easy to position and resize shapes on the grid so you can constantly resize and align them with each other. Shapes snap to the nearest grid line when you resize and move them.
Click the Page Layout tongue. Then click Align in the Organize section and select Snap to Grid . The Snap to Grid The icon in the menu is highlighted with a gray box when the function is activated.
You must configure the page layout for your flowchart so that you know its limits before setting up your flowchart. For example, if you are inserting your flowchart into a Word document, you should set the margins in Microsoft Excel to the same margins as your Word document. That way, you won't create a flowchart larger than the pages in your Word document.
To set things like margins, page orientation, and page size, click Page Layout tongue. Use the buttons in the Configure page Section to change the configuration of the different design options..
Now that your worksheet is set up for flowcharts, let's create one.
To add your first shape to your flowchart, go to Insert tab and click Shapes in the Illustrations section. A dropdown menu displays a gallery of various types of shapes, such as basic shapes, lines, and arrows.
Select a shape in the Flowchart drop-down menu section.
Drag the shape to the size you want on the worksheet. Yes Snap to grid is enabled, the shape automatically snaps to the grid lines when drawn.
Once you draw your first shape and select it, a special Format the tab becomes available. You can use this tab to add more shapes to your flowchart and to format your shapes, which we'll cover later.
A drop-down gallery of shapes is displayed, just like when you clicked Shapes in the Illustrations section on the Insert tongue. Select the shape you want to add and draw on the worksheet.
You can also double-click a shape in the gallery menu to add it to the worksheet. To resize the shape, select it and drag one of the handles along the edges.
To move the shape, move the cursor over the shape until the cursor changes to a cross with arrows. Then click and drag the shape where you want.
To add text to a shape, simply select the shape and start typing. Later we will show you how to format the text and change its alignment.
To edit text on a shape, click the text on the shape. This puts you in edit mode which allows you to add, change or delete the text.
Click outside the shape or select the shape you were going to move it as we mentioned in the previous section.
After adding a few shapes to your flowchart, it's time to connect them.
Select Line Arrow in the shape gallery, either in the Insert tab or the Format tab.
The cursor turns into a plus icon. Move your cursor over the first shape you want to connect. You'll see dots at the dots that represent connection points for that shape.
Click on the connection point where you want the line to start and drag the line to the next shape until you see the connection points on that one. Release the mouse over one of those points.
An arrow shows where the line ends. When a line is properly connected to a shape, the connection point is solid. If you see a hollow connection point, the line was not connected to the shape.
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To add text to a connecting line, create a text box and place it along the line or on the line.
Select a shape or connecting line to activate the Format tongue. Click the tab and then click Text Box in the Insert Shapes section.
Draw the text box near the connector you want to label. Move the text box where you want it the same way you move shapes.
You may want to disable Snap to Grid By positioning text boxes on connecting lines. This allows you to adjust the size and position of the text boxes.
To add text, select the text box and start typing. We'll show you how to format and position text boxes a bit later.
You can also use text boxes to add notes to your flowchart in the same way that you used them to add text to connecting lines. And you can use a connecting line to mark the area related to the note.
But, that could be confusing and look like a step in the flowchart. To make a note look different, use a callout.
Select a callout from the gallery of shapes in the Insert tab or the Format tab.
Draw the callout on the worksheet just as you would draw a shape.
Add text to the callout and use the handles to resize it just like you would a shape.
Initially, the part of the call that you are pointing to is displayed on the bottom edge. To make the callout point where you want, click and drag the point. When the point is connected to a shape, the connection point turns red.
Excel has a lot of formatting options, too many to cover here. But we'll show you some basics so you can format your shapes, text, and connecting lines.
An easy way to format shapes and text in shapes is to use Theme Styles.
Select all the shapes you want to format with the same style. Click on the first shape, then press and hold Shift Clicking on the other shapes. Then click Format tab.
Click the More arrow in the lower right corner of the Theme Styles box in the Shape Styles section. A gallery of styles is displayed in a dropdown menu.
When you move your mouse over the different theme styles, you'll see how they look on your forms. Click the style you want to use.
Formatting text in shapes and text boxes is done the same way text is normally formatted in cells.
First, we will format the shapes. Select all the shapes that contain the text you want to format by holding the Shift key while clicking the remaining shapes after the first.
Click on the Home tab and use the commands in the Source and Alignment Sections to format your text. For example, we use the Center and Medium Alignment buttons on the Alignment Section to center the text in the shapes horizontally and vertically. So, we apply Bold to all text.
Do the same with the text boxes along the connector lines to format and align the text.
The default formatting on connector lines is a bit thin. Let's make them thicker..
Select all the connector lines you want to format using the Shift Press the key while clicking the remaining lines after the first. Then click Format tab.
Click Shape Outline in the Shape Styles section and select a color from the Theme Colors section or Standard colors section. Then, in the same menu, go to Weight and select a thickness for the connecting lines from the submenu.
Excel flowchart templates provide a quick start in creating your own flowcharts. We've previously covered flowchart templates for Microsoft Office, but these are specifically for Microsoft Excel.
Here are more templates you can download:
The ability to create flowcharts in Microsoft Excel makes it a very useful and versatile tool for staying organized. However, it is not the only option. There are several good free flowchart tools out there. 7 Best Free Flowchart Tools for Windows 7 Best Free Flowchart Tools for Windows Flowcharts can help you streamline your work and life and break free from bad habits. But what is the best way to make a flowchart? We've found 7 great flowchart tools. Read More available for Windows.
