How to Insert Shapes in Google Docs in Under 2 Minutes: Easy

To add shapes in Google Sheets, you simply have to navigate to Insert > Drawing > New and then select the shapes you wish to add. If you need a more detailed guide on how to insert shapes in Google Docs with screenshots, read on.

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How to Add Shapes on Google Docs Using the Drawings Tool

The Google Drawings tool is a diagram creation tool offered by Google, which is natively built-in to add shapes to Google Docs. While Google Drawings is a separate service, you can view it from within Google Documents without leaving the page.

Google Drawings is not a Photoshop alternate, so don’t expect to make complex images with it. Nonetheless, it will let you create and modify simple diagrams and shapes. A drawing can include just one shape or numerous shapes if you wish to arrange several shapes together.

Here is how to draw shapes in Google Docs using the Drawings tool:

1. Open Google Docs in your web browser and create or open an existing document.

2. Click on the Insert option in the main toolbar.
3. Choose the Drawing option.
4. Now click on the New option. If you wish to add an existing drawing with the shapes you wish to insert, click on the From Drive option and choose your drawing.

5. If you decide to make a new drawing, you will see a pop-up window for Google Drawings. Click on the Shapes icon from the ribbon.
6. You will see a list of sub-menus under the Shapes menu. These include Shapes, Arrows, Equations, and Call outs. Choose any shape you wish to insert. Click and drag your cursor across the drawing area using your trackpad or mouse.

7. After you add your shape, format it by changing the transparency, border size, color, and more.

8. Now from the menu, choose the options for formatting that you want to apply. After you are done formatting, click on the Save and close option. The shape will be inserted into the document.

9. You will be able to see your drawing in the document. You can move it or adjust the size, and if you wish to edit it, double-click on your shape or you may also select the shape and choose the Edit option from the menu.

How to Add Shapes in Google Docs Using Images

Google’s Drawings tool isn’t a good option if you wish to make detailed images. Instead, you can use a photo editor such as GIMP or Photoshop and insert them as pictures into the document. You can also use the built-in Google search function to search and insert different shapes.

Here is how to add a shape in Google Docs by adding Images:

1. Open your Google Doc and click on the Insert option from the menu, which will open a drop-down menu.
2. Here, click on the Images option.
3. Now select the Upload from computer option. If you wish to find an image through Google search, click the Search the web option.

4. If you are uploading an image, locate and upload it using the  Windows File Explorer pop-up window or the Mac Finder. When your image is uploaded, Google Documents will insert it immediately. If you want to look for an image with shapes, use the search bar in the menu from the right side of the doc. After locating the image, choose the image and click on the Open button towards the bottom-right part of the window to insert it into the document.

5. After inserting the image, you may adjust the size directly in your document. You may also make changes like adding a border. You can do this by right-clicking on your image and choosing the Image options button from the drop-down menu. This will bring up a menu on the right with the options to image editing.

How to Get Shapes on Google Docs Using Special Characters

You can insert shapes and images around your text using text wrapping. If you wish to insert shapes directly into text in Google Docs, the best option would be to use special characters. You can use this to add shape-like things to your text. You may format this like regular text, using color, font, size, and other options.

Here is how you can get shapes on Google Docs using special characters:

1. Open your Google Docs and click on the Insert option from the ribbon.
2. Choose the Special Characters option.

3. Look through the character list in the Insert special characters window to locate the shapes you wish to insert. Or, you can use a search box to find certain forms. You can also use the drawing tool under it to draw and manually search for shapes.
4. Move your cursor over the special characters for a larger description and preview. Choose a special character from the list on the left to insert it. This will add it to the document. Choosing the character only once will add it once. However, you can choose it repeatedly to add other characters.

5. When special characters are inserted, you can adjust the text formatting settings. Using the mouse, choose the special character, then use the formatting menu to adjust its font, emphasis, font size, color, and other settings.

Google Docs Insert Shape Using Squares

There is an additional method you can use to insert a simple square shape into Google Documents. It can be edited with color and customized borders and have text placed right into it.

Inserting a table is one way to accomplish this. Although a table can only be rectangular or square, it provides benefits over the other shapes. For example, constructing a table is the ideal approach to including easily editable text inside a shape.

Here is how to insert shapes in Google Docs using tables:

1. Open the Google Doc, and click on the Insert option.
2. Click on the Table option and the table size from the menu. Using a 1×1 size table will stretch it across the document horizontally. If you would like the table to be small while still allowing you to add any size of text, then choose a larger size.
3. After inserting a table, you can resize it and change the backdrop color. You can even hide the lines and change line thickness by right-clicking on them and clicking on Table properties. Click on Color, then you can change the parameters for the Table border and Cell background color.

How to Insert Shapes in Google Docs Mobile

There is no built-in integration for Google Drawings in Docs, which is why the only way you can add shapes to Docs on mobile is by using images. You can use free icons from services like flaticons and add them as images to your documents.

Here is how to insert a shape in Google Docs mobile:

1. Open Google Docs on mobile and open the document to which you wish to add the image.

2. On the document edit screen, click the Plus icon in the main toolbar towards the top. This will show the insert menu towards the bottom of the screen.
3. Click on the Image button, where you can select the source of the image.
4. Select the From photos option here, as we already have the image saved on the phone. You can also choose the From camera or the From web option.
5. Your phone’s native image picker will open, where you can select the image that will then be added to the document.

Related: How to Insert Text Box in Google Sheets

Wrapping Up

In summary, when learning how to insert shapes in Google Docs, the simplest way is to head to Insert > Drawing > New and then select the shapes you wish to add. On the other hand, if you need complex shapes, you should make them on a different program and then add them as images.

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