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Add, edit, move, or rotate text in Visio

You can add text directly to shapes in Visio.

You can also put text directly on a page by using a text box—a shape you can add to your drawing that lets you place text anywhere.

Add text to a shape

  1. Select the shape.

  2. Type the text. When a shape is selected and you start typing, Visio adds the text to the selected shape.

  3. To format the text, you can do either of the following:

    • On the Home tab, in the Font group, set the font characteristics.

    • On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, set the alignment and other characteristics.

  4. Click a blank area on the page or press ESC to finish.

Add text to the page

You can also add text directly to the page, independent of any shape or object in the drawing.

  1. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click Text Text tool button.

  2. Click anywhere on the page to create a text box, or click and drag to make the text box the size that you want.

  3. Type your text.

  4. To format the text, you can do either of the following:

    • On the Home tab, in the Font group, set the font characteristics.

    • On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, set the alignment and other characteristics.

  5. Click a blank area on the page or press ESC to finish.

Edit text

  1. Double-click the text that you want to edit.

  2. Edit the text.

  3. Click a blank area on the page or press ESC to finish.

    Notes: 

    • If you are not already zoomed in to the shape, Visio zooms in while you type. When you finish typing, click a blank area on the page or press ESC. Visio zooms back out.

    • To stop Visio from zooming in on your text:

    1. Click the File tab, and then click Options.

    2. Click the Advanced tab.

    3. Under Editing options, in the Automatically zoom text when editing under box, enter 0 (zero) for the point size.

Move or rotate text

On a shape

  1. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click the Text Block tool Text Block button.

  2. Click the shape to select its text block.

    Note: If the text is in a group, click to select the group, and then click to select the text in the shape.

  3. Drag the text to move the text block.

  4. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click the Pointer Tool Pointer button.

After you switch back to the Pointer Tool Pointer button, the text keeps the same position relative to the shape. If you use the Pointer Tool to drag the text, the shape will also move, even if the text is no longer on the shape. To move the text independently of the shape, use the Text Block tool Text Block button.

On the page

  1. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click the Pointer Tool Pointer button.

  2. Click the text and drag to move it, or drag the rotation handle to rotate the text. When the pointer is over a rotation handle, it changes to an arrow that forms a circle Rotation tool pointer.

Add text to a shape and edit it

  1. Open the diagram for editing. 

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To add text, select a shape and begin typing.

      Adding text to a shape
    • To edit text, double-click the shape that you want to edit.

      Editing text in a shape

    Visio switches to text editing and may zoom in on the shape.

  3. To stop adding text, click outside the shape or press Esc.

    Visio restores the original view if it automatically zoomed when you began typing.

Add text to the page

You can also add text directly to the page, independent of any other shape or object in the drawing.

  1. On the Insert tab, select Text Box  Draw text box button.

  2. Click anywhere on the page to create a text box, or click and drag to draw the text box the size that you want.

  3. Type your text.

  4. Select the text to format it: On the Home tab, you can set the text characteristics (font name, size, color, style) and alignment.

  5. To finish, click a blank area on the page, or press Esc.

Rotate text in 90-degree increments

You can easily rotate text a quarter turn: 

  1. Select the box that contains the text you want to rotate.

  2. On the Shape tab of the Ribbon, click Rotate Text  The Rotate Text option in Visio for the web. once to rotate the text 90 degrees. Click again to rotate it another quarter turn, and so on.

Rotate text to any angle

  1. Select the box that contains the text you want to rotate.

  2. Select the rotation handle above the box.

    Text box rotate handle selected

  3. Begin moving the mouse pointer in a circular direction. Release the mouse button when the text is rotated to the position you want.

See Also

Format text in a Visio drawing

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