Google Docs
Inserting Text Boxes and Shapes
Creating drawings
Watch the video (3:48).Watch the video to learn how to create drawings in Google Documents using shapes and text boxes.
About the drawing tool
When you're ready to add a text box or shape to your document, you'll work with the drawing tool. It offers a variety of shapes, arrows, callouts, and line styles that are easily customized for your needs. For example, you can create a diagram using shapes and add text to each shape to highlight important information. The drawing tool opens as a dialog box in your document, and this is where you will create, format, and edit text boxes and shapes using the drawing tool's commands.
Click the buttons in the interactive below to become familiar with the drawing tool's commands.
Actions Menu
The actions menu provides a variety of editing options for working with your document like cut, copy, and paste. You can also edit the rotation and order of the shapes in your drawing.
When you have finished your drawing, you can choose download to save it in a different image format.
Fill Color and Line Color
Select Fill color or Line color to display the color palette. Fill color changes the background color of the shape or text box, and Line color modifies the color of the border line around the shape or text box.
Text Box Command
Text boxes allow you to easily move or set text apart in a document. In Google Documents, you can customize the lines of a text box, the size and color of the font, and the color of the background inside the text box.
To create a text box, select the text box command. Then click, hold and drag the mouse in the drawing area to create the desired size.
Shape Command
Google Documents provides a wide variety of shapes, arrows, callouts, and equation shapes. They can be resized, reordered, and customized with text.
To create a shape, select a shape style. Then click, hold and drag the mouse in the drawing area to create the desired size.
Line Command
The line command offers a variety of line styles. Use the basic line to create an organizational map, the arrow to design a flowchart, or the polyline to create your own shape.
Web Clipboard
Use the web clipboard to copy your drawing to another Google Doc.
Undo and Redo
If you've made a mistake or if you would like to remove a previous action, you can Undo it.
Choose Redo to make removed changes reappear.
Line Type Command
To customize the border line of a shape or text box, click the line type command. It offers a varity of line styles like dotted, dashed, and a combination dash and dot line.
Line Width Command
Selecting the line width command allows you to narrow or widen the border line of your shape or text box.
Alignment Command
The alignment command allows you to left-align, center, right-align, or justify the text inside the text box or shape.
Additionally, you can choose to align the text to the top, middle, or bottom of the text box or shape.
Formatting Commands
If you have added text to a text box or shape, you can use the formatting commands to edit the font size and color of the text. You also have the option of bolding, italicizing, and underlining text.
These commands appear when a text box or shape is selected.
Image Selection
Click on a text box or shape and the formatting commands will appear in the toolbar.
Double-click on the text box or shape to add to or edit the text inside it.
Save & Close
When you are satisfied with your drawing and are ready to insert it into your document, click Save & Close.
Google Docs has a stand-alone version of the drawing application. This version has more features than the Documents Drawing app, including the ability to upload your own images as part of the drawing. If you want more features, you can use the stand-alone version to create your drawing. Then you can download the drawing as an image to your Google Drive and insert it into your document.
Accessing the stand-alone Drawing application
