/en/word2016/text-boxes/content/
Introduction
There may be times when your documents have multiple objects, such as pictures, shapes, and text boxes. You can arrange the objects any way you want by aligning, grouping, ordering, and rotating them in various ways.
Optional: Download our practice document.
Watch the video below to learn more about arranging objects in Word.
To align two or more objects:
The objects will be aligned based on the selected option. In our example, the shapes are now aligned with each other.
Note that the Align Selected Objects option is selected by default, which allows you to align objects without moving them to a different part of the page. However, if you want to move the objects the top or bottom of the page, select Align to Page or Align to Margin before choosing an alignment option.
To distribute objects evenly:
If you have arranged your objects in a row or column, you may want them to be an equal distance from one another for a neater appearance. You can do this by distributing the objects horizontally or vertically.
The objects will be evenly spaced from one another.
Grouping objects
At times, you may want to group multiple objects into one object so they will stay together. This is usually easier than selecting them individually, and it also allows you to resize and move all of the objects at the same time.
To group objects:
The selected objects will now be grouped. There will be a single box with sizing handles around the entire group so you can move or resize all of the objects at the same time.
To ungroup objects:
The objects will be ungrouped.
Ordering objects
In addition to aligning objects, Word gives you the ability to arrange objects in a specific order. The ordering is important when two or more objects overlap because it determines which objects are in the front or the back.
Understanding levels
Objects are placed on different levels according to the order in which they were inserted into a document. In the example below, if we move the waves image to the beginning of the document, it covers up several of the text boxes. That’s because the image is currently on the highest-or top-level. However, we can change its level to put it behind the other objects.
To change an object’s level:
Select the object you want to move. In our example, we’ll select the image of the waves.
The objects will be reordered. In our example, the image is now behind the text on the left, but it’s still covering the shapes on the right.
In our example, the image has been moved behind everything else on the page, so all of the other text and shapes are visible.
To rotate or flip an object:
If you need to turn an object so it faces a different direction, you can rotate it to the left or right, or you can flip it horizontally or vertically.
The object will be rotated. In our example, we can now see the bubbles on the left that were previously hidden behind the text boxes.
Challenge!
Open our practice document.
Scroll to page 2 and select the picture of the waves at the top of the page.
Use the Rotate command to flip the waves vertically.
Use the Send to Back command to move the waves behind the Martinique text box.
Move the Martinique text box so it is near the bottom of the waves image.
Make sure the waves picture and Martinique text box are no longer selected. Hold down the Shift key, then select the text boxes containing Cleaning, Maintenance, Repair, and Restoration.
With the text boxes still selected, group them.
When you’re finished, your page should look something like this:
/en/word2016/tables/content/