SmartArt graphics Tools are useful to easily visualize the appearance of the contents in MS Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, or Office 360. To communicate effectively, the SmartArt graphic tool includes a variety of layouts, colours, arrangements and styles. In this article, you can learn everything related to it. so, don’t leave without reading till the end.

Launching the SmartArt Graphic Tools Design and Format Tab in Word:

To launch SmartArt Tools Format and Design tab in word, do the following: Go to the “Insert” tab Click “SmartArt” in the Illustrations group Choose one of the layouts such as List, Process, Cycle, Hierarchy, Relationship, Pyramid, or, Picture. Then click on the graphic you want to insert. Now automatically the SmartArt Tools “Format” and “Design” tab open. By default, the SmartArt “Design” tab is active, you can switch to the “Format” tab by clicking it.

Getting Started with SmartArt Tool in MS Word:

After inserting any SmartArt graphic, a SmartArt design tools tab will open. In this, we have various groups of commands to design. These are all explained from the beginning.

Create Graphics:

On the Design tab, in the Create Graphics group, we have different commands to design the graphic. these are: Add Shape, Add Bullet, Text Pane, Promote or Demote a Shape or Bullet, Right to Left, Move Up and Move Down, Layout of the SmartArt, Change colours, SmartArt Styles, and Reset Graphics.

i. Add Shape:

If you want to add another shape to the left or right side of a shape in the inserted graphics of the word document, first select that shape. Then go to the SmartArt tools design tab, in the Create Graphic group,  Click the drop-down arrow of the Add Shape Select Add Shape After to insert the graphic after the selected shape Select Add Shape Before to insert a graphic before the selected shape.

ii. Add Bullet:

To add a bulleted list to the text of a shape or layout in graphics, double-click the shape and click add bullet or press enter. After clicking add bullet, a bullet will insert in the selected shape If you want to type the text as a bulleted list, start typing text and press enter, in this way do as many as you want. The add bullet and Enter commands may work differently All the layouts of the shapes are not compatible to insert bullets.

iii. Text Pane:

A text pane is useful to easily manage and edit the text in the shape. To edit and organize text in the shape, click on the “Text Pane” to open it. To edit a text, hover over the centre of the text of a shape till the four-headed arrows are changed as a text editor (it is called an inserter, which looks like a capital I) and start typing. To switch from one shape to another in the text pane, use the arrow keys on the keyboard or click the shape that you like to edit or organize. To add more shapes, select the shape under if you want to add, and press “Enter” To start a bulleted list in the current shape, click “Add Bullet” and start typing. To add more bullets, press “Enter” and start typing.

iv. Promote or Demote a Shape or Bullet:

It is used to change the shape as a bullet, or bullet to shape in SmartArt Graphics Tools in MS Word. Firstly, open the text pane Select the shape you want (except the first one, because if you want to demote any shape, the current shape disappears and the previous one is created with a bulleted list). Click on the “Demote” Now automatically the selected shape changes as a bullet and goes into the previous one. To change the current bullet shape, click promote.

v. Right to Left:

It is used to move shapes from the right end to the left end of all rows in a graphic. Select any shape Click “Right to left” to move from the right end of the shapes to the left end of all rows. To move from left to right-click “Right to left” again.

vi. Move Up and Move Down:

Move any shape up to or next position by changing the above or next shape to the current position. and move down to the previous position by changing the below or previous shape to the current position. Select the shape that you want to move up or down, or move next or previous. Then click move up, or move down to change the position of the selected shape.

vii. Layout of the SmartArt:

The layout is useful to change the current layout of the SmartArt graphic to the different layout you want.

viii. Change Colors:

It is useful to change the colours of the SmartArt graphic you want based on the requirement.

ix. SmartArt Styles:

It is useful to change the effects that best match your document. It includes Subtle Effects, Moderate effects, Cartoon, 3-D, etc.

x. Reset Graphic:

Clear all the formatting of the SmartArt graphic to the default style and layout that you have inserted.

Getting Started with Smart Art Design in Word:

Edit in 2-D: It is useful to edit 3D shapes in 2D format. Change Shape: Change the current shape to another different one you want in Smart Art Graphics Change a shape to larger: To increase the size of the selected shape in a Smart Art graphic Tool. Change a shape to smaller: To decrease the size of the selected shape in a Smart Art graphic. Shape Styles: It is used to change different styles of the shape that matches your document content. Shape Fill: It is useful to fill the different colours to the selected shape in the SmartArt graphic. Shape Outline: It is extremely useful to change the colour, weight, and dashes, and add or remove the outline of any selected shape. Shape Effects: to change the visual effects of any selected shape, apply the shadow, preset 3-D, glow, and bevel effects you want. WordArt Styles: It is used to format the text in different styles you want, such as WordArt Styles, Text Fill, Text Outline, and Text Effects. Alt-Text: Used to describe the object with 1 or 2 sentences which are helpful to the blind. Position: Used to position an object with square text wrapping in your word document. Wrap Text: Arrange text around an object in several ways we want, such as inline text, Square text, Tight text, etc. Send Backward and Bring Forward: This command is useful to bring an object forward of another object or send an object backward of another object when more than two objects are arranged on top of each other. Selection Pane: It is used to select, arrange, and rename the objects in your word document. Arrange Objects: Used to change the placement of the objects in your word document. Group Objects: Join two graphics as a single graphic to easily move and resize. Rotate Objects: Rotate and flip any image or SmartArt graphics in any direction you want. Shape Height and Width: Change the height or width of a SmartArt graphic in inches.


title: “The Smartart Graphic Tools In Ms Word Excel And Ppt 2022” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-07” author: “Brenda Mcbride”


SmartArt graphics Tools are useful to easily visualize the appearance of the contents in MS Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, or Office 360. To communicate effectively, the SmartArt graphic tool includes a variety of layouts, colours, arrangements and styles. In this article, you can learn everything related to it. so, don’t leave without reading till the end.

Launching the SmartArt Graphic Tools Design and Format Tab in Word:

To launch SmartArt Tools Format and Design tab in word, do the following: Go to the “Insert” tab Click “SmartArt” in the Illustrations group Choose one of the layouts such as List, Process, Cycle, Hierarchy, Relationship, Pyramid, or, Picture. Then click on the graphic you want to insert. Now automatically the SmartArt Tools “Format” and “Design” tab open. By default, the SmartArt “Design” tab is active, you can switch to the “Format” tab by clicking it.

Getting Started with SmartArt Tool in MS Word:

After inserting any SmartArt graphic, a SmartArt design tools tab will open. In this, we have various groups of commands to design. These are all explained from the beginning.

Create Graphics:

On the Design tab, in the Create Graphics group, we have different commands to design the graphic. these are: Add Shape, Add Bullet, Text Pane, Promote or Demote a Shape or Bullet, Right to Left, Move Up and Move Down, Layout of the SmartArt, Change colours, SmartArt Styles, and Reset Graphics.

i. Add Shape:

If you want to add another shape to the left or right side of a shape in the inserted graphics of the word document, first select that shape. Then go to the SmartArt tools design tab, in the Create Graphic group,  Click the drop-down arrow of the Add Shape Select Add Shape After to insert the graphic after the selected shape Select Add Shape Before to insert a graphic before the selected shape.

ii. Add Bullet:

To add a bulleted list to the text of a shape or layout in graphics, double-click the shape and click add bullet or press enter. After clicking add bullet, a bullet will insert in the selected shape If you want to type the text as a bulleted list, start typing text and press enter, in this way do as many as you want. The add bullet and Enter commands may work differently All the layouts of the shapes are not compatible to insert bullets.

iii. Text Pane:

A text pane is useful to easily manage and edit the text in the shape. To edit and organize text in the shape, click on the “Text Pane” to open it. To edit a text, hover over the centre of the text of a shape till the four-headed arrows are changed as a text editor (it is called an inserter, which looks like a capital I) and start typing. To switch from one shape to another in the text pane, use the arrow keys on the keyboard or click the shape that you like to edit or organize. To add more shapes, select the shape under if you want to add, and press “Enter” To start a bulleted list in the current shape, click “Add Bullet” and start typing. To add more bullets, press “Enter” and start typing.

iv. Promote or Demote a Shape or Bullet:

It is used to change the shape as a bullet, or bullet to shape in SmartArt Graphics Tools in MS Word. Firstly, open the text pane Select the shape you want (except the first one, because if you want to demote any shape, the current shape disappears and the previous one is created with a bulleted list). Click on the “Demote” Now automatically the selected shape changes as a bullet and goes into the previous one. To change the current bullet shape, click promote.

v. Right to Left:

It is used to move shapes from the right end to the left end of all rows in a graphic. Select any shape Click “Right to left” to move from the right end of the shapes to the left end of all rows. To move from left to right-click “Right to left” again.

vi. Move Up and Move Down:

Move any shape up to or next position by changing the above or next shape to the current position. and move down to the previous position by changing the below or previous shape to the current position. Select the shape that you want to move up or down, or move next or previous. Then click move up, or move down to change the position of the selected shape.

vii. Layout of the SmartArt:

The layout is useful to change the current layout of the SmartArt graphic to the different layout you want.

viii. Change Colors:

It is useful to change the colours of the SmartArt graphic you want based on the requirement.

ix. SmartArt Styles:

It is useful to change the effects that best match your document. It includes Subtle Effects, Moderate effects, Cartoon, 3-D, etc.

x. Reset Graphic:

Clear all the formatting of the SmartArt graphic to the default style and layout that you have inserted.

Getting Started with Smart Art Design in Word:

Edit in 2-D: It is useful to edit 3D shapes in 2D format. Change Shape: Change the current shape to another different one you want in Smart Art Graphics Change a shape to larger: To increase the size of the selected shape in a Smart Art graphic Tool. Change a shape to smaller: To decrease the size of the selected shape in a Smart Art graphic. Shape Styles: It is used to change different styles of the shape that matches your document content. Shape Fill: It is useful to fill the different colours to the selected shape in the SmartArt graphic. Shape Outline: It is extremely useful to change the colour, weight, and dashes, and add or remove the outline of any selected shape. Shape Effects: to change the visual effects of any selected shape, apply the shadow, preset 3-D, glow, and bevel effects you want. WordArt Styles: It is used to format the text in different styles you want, such as WordArt Styles, Text Fill, Text Outline, and Text Effects. Alt-Text: Used to describe the object with 1 or 2 sentences which are helpful to the blind. Position: Used to position an object with square text wrapping in your word document. Wrap Text: Arrange text around an object in several ways we want, such as inline text, Square text, Tight text, etc. Send Backward and Bring Forward: This command is useful to bring an object forward of another object or send an object backward of another object when more than two objects are arranged on top of each other. Selection Pane: It is used to select, arrange, and rename the objects in your word document. Arrange Objects: Used to change the placement of the objects in your word document. Group Objects: Join two graphics as a single graphic to easily move and resize. Rotate Objects: Rotate and flip any image or SmartArt graphics in any direction you want. Shape Height and Width: Change the height or width of a SmartArt graphic in inches.