Draw a curve or circle shape

This article discusses drawing curves, circles, and ovals. For information about drawing lines, see Draw or delete a line or connector. For information about freeform shapes and editing points in shapes, see Draw or edit a freeform shape.

2016, 2013 2010 2007

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Draw a curve

1. On the Insert tab, click Shapes.

2. Under Lines, click Curve.

3. Click where you want the curve to start, drag to draw, and then click wherever you want to add a curve.

4. To end a shape, do one of the following:

   • To leave the shape open, double-click at any time.

   • To close the shape, click near its starting point.

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Draw an oval or circle

1. On the Insert tab, click Shapes.

2. Under Basic Shapes, click Oval.

3. Click where you want the oval to start, and drag to draw the shape.

4. To draw a circle, press Shift while you drag.

   Notes: 

   • You can change the look of your circle or curve by adding a shape fill or effect or changing the border.

   • If you want to create a more advanced diagram like overlapping circles, an organizational chart, or a flowchart, you can create a SmartArt graphic instead of drawing each shape manually.

   • Circles and ovals are filled automatically. If you don't want the shape to obscure anything underneath it, such as text or cells, select the shape, and on the Format tab, click Shape Fill, and then click No Fill.

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Draw a curve

1. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes.
   

2. Under Lines, click Curve .

3. Click where you want the curve to start, drag to draw, and then click wherever you want to add a curve.

4. To end a shape, do one of the following:

   • To leave the shape open, double-click at any time.

   • To close the shape, click near its starting point.

     Note: By default, a closed shape is filled. To make sure that the shape doesn't obscure the cells underneath, select the shape, and then under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click Shape Fill, and then click No Fill

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Draw an oval or circle

1. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes.

   

2. Under Basic Shapes, click Oval .

3. Click where you want the circle to start. To make the shape a circle, press and hold SHIFT while you drag to draw.

   Notes: 

   • You can change the look of your circle or curve by adding a shape fill or shape effect or changing the shape border.

   • If you want to create a more advanced diagram like overlapping circles, an organizational chart, or a flowchart, you can create a SmartArt graphic instead of drawing each shape manually.

   • By default, a circle or oval is filled. To make sure that the shape doesn't obscure the cells underneath, select the shape, and then under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click Shape Fill, and then click No Fill.

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What do you want to do?

Draw a curve

Notes: 

• To adjust the curve to make it look smoother, click the shape. Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Insert Shapes group, click Edit Shape , and then click Edit Points. Drag one of the vertexes that outline the shape. A vertex is the point, indicated by a black dot, where a curve ends or the point where two line segments meet in a freeform, curve, or scribble shape.

• To make it easier to draw details, increase the magnification to 200 percent. On the View tab, in the Zoom group, click Zoom, and then click 200%.

• To increase your drawing control, set your pointer to the slowest speed available, in Control Panel.

• By default, a closed shape is filled. To make sure that the shape doesn't obscure the cells underneath, select the shape, and then under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click Shape Fill, and then click No Fill.

Which Office program are you using?

Outlook or Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook or Word

1. Insert a drawing canvas. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes, and then click New Drawing Canvas.

   

2. Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Insert Shapes group, click the More button .

3. Under Lines, click Curve .

4. Click where you want the curve to start, drag to draw, and then click wherever you want to add a curve.

5. To end a shape, do one of the following:

   • To leave the shape open, double-click at any time.

   • To close the shape, click near its starting point.

Excel

1. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes.

   

2. Under Lines, click Curve .

3. Click where you want the curve to start, drag to draw, and then click wherever you want to add a curve.

4. To end a shape, do one of the following:

   • To leave the shape open, double-click at any time.

   • To close the shape, click near its starting point.

PowerPoint

1. On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click Shapes.

   

2. Under Lines, click Curve .

3. Click where you want the curve to start, drag to draw, and then click wherever you want to add a curve.

4. To end a shape, do one of the following:

   • To leave the shape open, double-click at any time.

   • To close the shape, click near its starting point.

Draw an oval or circle

Notes: 

• You can change the look of your circle or curve by adding a fill or effect to the shape or changing the border of the circle or curve.

• For information on how to resize your circle or curve, see Change the size of a picture, shape, text box, or WordArt.

• If you want to create circles that overlap each over, create a SmartArt graphic that uses the Basic Venn layout.

• By default, a circle or oval is filled. To make sure that the shape doesn't obscure the cells underneath, select the shape, and then under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click Shape Fill, and then click No Fill.

Which Office program are you using?

Outlook or Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook or Word

1. Insert a drawing canvas. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes, and then click New Drawing Canvas.

   

2. Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, in the Insert Shapes group, click the More button .

3. Under Basic Shapes, click Oval .

4. Click where you want the circle to start. To make the shape a circle, press and hold SHIFT while you drag to draw.

Excel

1. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes.

   

2. Under Basic Shapes, click Oval .

3. Click where you want the circle to start. To make the shape a circle, press and hold SHIFT while you drag to draw.

PowerPoint

1. On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click Shapes.

   

2. Under Basic Shapes, click Oval .

3. Click where you want the circle to start. To make the shape a circle, press and hold SHIFT while you drag to draw.