How to Insert Text Box in Google Sheets

While Google Sheets already have cells that you can use to add numbers or text, sometimes you may need to insert a text box in Google Sheets.

This could be useful when you want to call specific cells or ranges (without adding it through a comment or note).

Also, when you need to add some text, which would otherwise be too long for a cell, you can do that by inserting a text box in the worksheet and then adding the text in the text box,

In this tutorial, I will show you a really simple way to insert a text box in Google Sheets.

How to Insert Text Box in Google Sheets

Below are the steps to insert a text box in a worksheet in Google Sheets (different from a box and whisker chart, by the way):

1. Click the Insert option in the menu
2. Click on Drawing
3. In the Drawing dialog box that opens, click on the ‘Text box’ option
4. Click and hold the mouse key and then drag it to insert the text box.
5. Type the text you want to be in the text box
6. Click on Save and Close.

The above steps would insert the text box in the worksheet in Google Sheets. Since this text box is an object, you can move it over the worksheet cells. You can click and move it and place it anywhere on the worksheet.

Also, the text box is not impacted by what you do to the cells. In case I delete the rows/column behind the text box, it wouldn’t make any change to the text box.

Formatting the Text Box in Google Sheets

When you’re inserting the text box, you can also format it a bit within the Drawing dialog box.

Below are the few formatting options you have:

• Applying/Changing the text box color
• Changing the font size, font type, and font color of the text in the text box
• Adding a border to the text box
• Highlight all or part of the text within the text box.

In case you have already added the text box in the worksheet and you want to format it later, you can do that by clicking the text box and then clicking in the three dots at the top-right of the text box.

In the options that show up, click in Edit and it will open the text box in the Drawing dialog box where you can edit it.

How to Run a Script Using the Text Box

You can also assign a script to the text box so that when you click on it, it would automatically run the Google Apps script.

Below are the steps to assign a script to the text box:

1. Click the text box
2. Click on the three vertical dots that appear at the top-right of the text box
3. Click on Assign Script
4. In the Assign Script dialog box, enter the name of the script you want to run
5. Click OK

Now when you click on the text box, it will automatically run the script.

Hope you found this tutorial useful!

Other Google Sheets tutorial you may find useful:

• How to Insert Check Box in Google Sheets
• Save Chart as Image in Google Sheets
• How to Insert an Image in a Cell in Google Sheets
• How Insert Diagonal Line in Cell in Google Sheets | Split Cells Diagonally
• How to Append Text to Each Cell in a Column
• How to Make an Organization Chart in Google Sheets (Org Chart)