Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (2024)

Note:To rotate text in Word, you must first place the text in a text box, and then rotate the text box.

Insert and rotate a text box

  1. Select where on the page to put the text box.

  2. On the Insert tab, select Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (1)Text Box and choose a style.
    For more info, see Add, copy, or remove a text box in Word.

  3. Select the text box and do one of the following:

    • On theShape Formattab, select Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (2)Rotate. and choose adirection or angle to rotate.

    • Grab the Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (3)Rotation handle on the top of the text box and drag it to the angle you want.To keep the rotation to 15 degree angles, press and hold Shift while you drag the rotation handle.

  4. Select elsewhere on your document to view the rotated text box.

Note:A text box will appear horizontally when you select it to make editing the text easier.

Mirror text in a text box

This will reverse a line or paragraph of text in a text box.

  1. Select the text box and choose the Shape Format tab.

  2. Select Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (4)Text Effects and hover over Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (5)3D Rotation and choose Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (6)3D Rotation Options.

  3. Under 3-D Rotation, set X Rotation to 180°.

    Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (7)

Remove the text boxborder

  1. Select the text box and choose theShape Formattab

  2. Select Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (8)Shape Outline, and then chooseNo Outline.

  3. Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (9)

    The border around the text box disappears when you click or tap outside the text box.

Change the border

  1. Select the text box and choose the Shape Format tab.

  2. Select Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (10)Shape Outline to change the outline color, to change the line weight, or to change the line to dashes.

  3. Select Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (11)Shape Effects to add a shadow or a glow to the border.

Note:To rotate text in Word for Mac, you must first place the text in a text box, and then rotate the text box.

  1. Select a text box to rotate. For more info on inserting a text box, see Add, copy, or remove a text box in Word

  2. Select the Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (12)rotation handle at the top of the text box, and then drag in the direction that you want.

    • To constrain the rotation to 15-degree angles, press and hold Shift while you drag the rotation handle.

    • When you rotate multiple shapes, they do not rotate as a group, but instead each shape rotates around its own center.

    • Alternatively you can select the object, hold down ⌥ option and press the left or right arrow keys to rotate.

Mirror text in a text box

  1. Select the text box and choose the Shape Format tab.

  2. Select Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (13)Text Effects.

  3. Select Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (14)3D Rotation and choose Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (15)3D Rotation Options.

  4. Under 3-D Rotation, set X Rotation to 180°.

Rotate to an exact angles

  1. Select the text box you want to rotate. and choose theShape Formattab.

  2. Select Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (16)Rotatein the Arrange group.

    • If you don't see the Shape Formattab,make sure that you selected a text box.

    • The Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (17)Rotate button could be hidden if your screen size is reduced. If you don't see the Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (18)Rotate button, select Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (19)Arrange to see hidden buttons in the Arrange group.

  3. Select one of the following:

    • Rotate Right 90° to rotate the object 90 degrees to the right.

    • Rotate Left 90° to rotate the object 90 degrees to the left.

    • Flip Vertical; flips the text box vertically.

    • Flip Horizontal; flips the text box horizontally.

    • More Rotation Options:Enter the amount that you want to rotate the object in the Rotation box. You can also use the arrows to rotate the object exactly where you want.

Group objects

When you group text boxes, you are combining them so that you can format, move, or copy them as a group.

  1. Hold down Shift, select the text boxes that you want to group together, and then choose theShape Formattab.

  2. UnderArrange, select Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (20)Groupand then choose Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (21)Group.

Tip:If Group appears dimmed or unavailable that's usually because you haven't already selected two, or more text boxes to be grouped together.

Word for the web displays documents that contain rotated text boxes, butInserting or rotating a text box isn't currently possible in Word for the web. You can, however, insert or rotate a text boxin the Word desktop app.

  • To open the desktop app, at the top of the ribbon, select Editingand chooseOpen in Desktop App.

    Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (22)

Don't havethe Word desktop app?Try or buy Microsoft 365.

Rotate text in Word - Microsoft Support (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Tyson Zemlak

Last Updated:

Views: 5899

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (43 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Tyson Zemlak

Birthday: 1992-03-17

Address: Apt. 662 96191 Quigley Dam, Kubview, MA 42013

Phone: +441678032891

Job: Community-Services Orchestrator

Hobby: Coffee roasting, Calligraphy, Metalworking, Fashion, Vehicle restoration, Shopping, Photography

Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.