How to Angle Clockwise in Excel

Use angling in other Microsoft Office applications, too, including Word and PowerPoint.

Microsoft Excel worksheets becomes increasingly complex as you build the document. If are using multiple data sets within one spreadsheet, make sure that titles, headings and objects stand out among the rows and columns of numbers and letters. Turning these components in a clockwise direction definitely helps distinguish them from the data they might describe or visually represent, such as picture or graph. You can angle just about everything in Excel, including words and objects.

Instructions

Words in Cells

1. Click on the cell that contains text that must be angled. For a group of cells, drag the cursor over all the cells in one sweep. Cells are selected/highlighted when the borders are in thick, black bolding, compared to the thin grayish grid in the background.

2. Right-click the selected cells. Select "Format Cells" from the menu, opening a new dialog box.

3. Click the "Alignment" tab in the box. Find the red "diamond" next to the word "Text" in the Orientation section, on the right side of the tab. It is currently angled at the 3 o'clock position.

4. Hold down the cursor over the red "diamond." Drag the cursor downward, moving clockwise from the 3 o'clock position to another angle. The farthest position you can angle the text is towards the 6 o'clock position, with the text showing vertically.

5. Click the "OK" button at the bottom of the dialog box, to complete the process of angling the text within the cell(s) in a clockwise position. Save your document to retain the orientation.

Objects on the Worksheet

1. Insert your object into the worksheet. For example, insert a picture stored on your hard drive, by first clicking the "Insert" tab at the top of Excel. Click the "Picture" icon in the Illustrations group, opening the "Insert Picture" dialog box. Browse for the photo in your folders. Double-click on the photo to insert it into your worksheet.

2. Click on the object to activate it on the worksheet. The border of the object is now surrounded by shapes, such as "circles" and "squares," connected by lines. This means the object is in a dynamic and editable mode.

3. Move the cursor over the green "circle" or "dot" at the top of the object. The "straight-arrowed" cursor will change shape, into a "circular-arrow," rotating in a clockwise direction.

4. Hold down the cursor and then rotate your mouse to the right, clockwise and in a circle. If you have a touchpad on a laptop, hold down the "left-click" button with one hand and then drag your other hand from left to right, in a clockwise circle across the pad. You have full, 360-degree range of rotation with objects.

5. Release the cursor, after you have reached the desired clockwise rotation for the object. Save your document to retain the rotation.

References

• Microsoft Office: Excel: Using Angled Text and Borders in Excel
• Microsoft Office: Excel: Rotate or Flip a Picture, Shape, Text Box or WordArt in Excel 2007

Resources

• Microsoft Office: Excel: Add Eye-Catching Formatting to Your Charts
• Microsoft Office: Excel, PowerPoint and Word: Align or Arrange a Picture, Shape, Text Box, SmartArt Graphic or WordArt