You can insert any line in Google Sheets by navigating to “Drawing” on the “Insert” tab in the main menu. It is a simple process that anyone can follow. Adding different types of lines and shapes to Google Sheets helps you organize and visualize data more efficiently.
So, if you plan to make your Google Sheets visually appealing and engaging, you have come to the right place!
Let us discuss inserting Straight horizontal and vertical Lines, Arrows, Shapes, Connectors, and more in Google Sheets.
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How to Insert or Draw a Straight Line in Google Sheets
If you have your Google Sheet ready, then follow me along, or else you can click on this link to create a new Google Sheet.
Step #1 – Open Drawing Window
Unlike Microsoft Excel, you don’t have any direct option to add the line in Google Sheets. You need to add a drawing to your spreadsheet.
- Go to the main menu
- Click on the “Insert” tab
- Now choose “Drawing” from the popup
A new window will open with a bunch of added controls for inserting lines and shapes into your Google spreadsheet.
Step #2 – Create A Line
- From the main menu of the Drawing window, click on the Line tool icon as shown in the following GIF
- Next, click on “Line” option
- Now, using your mouse, draw a line on the canvas of the Drawing window
Pro Tip: Press and hold the “Shift” button on your keyboard while drawing the line using your mouse cursor. It allows you to insert a straight line at various angles, including 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and so on.
Additionally, as soon as you insert a line, a bunch of extra options will be displayed in the main menu, as highlighted in the following image.
You can use these options to change the color and thickness of the line. There are options for changing the line type and adding arrows, dots, and squares at the beginning and end of the line.
Step #3 – Insert The Line Into The Spreadsheet
After editing the line to your liking, you can simply press the “Save and Close” button at the top to insert it into the spreadsheet.
Double-click on the inserted line for future modification. It will take you to the Drawing window, where you can make the desired changes.
How to Insert or Draw Arrows in Google Sheets
There are two ways to add arrows in Google Sheets. It depends on the type of arrow you wish to add.
Method #1 – Adding Arrow Line
To add an arrow line, you can follow the same steps we discussed for adding a straight line.
- Go to the main menu
- Click on the “Insert” tab.
- From the popup, choose “Drawing.”
- A new window will be displayed with the Drawing canvas. Navigate to the main menu to find the Line tool, as shown in the following GIF.
- Now, click on the dropdown menu beside the Line tool icon.
- Select “Arrow”
- Use your mouse cursor to draw an arrow.
- Click on “Save and Close”
To customize the arrow line, use the option displayed on the main menu as soon as you click/select the drawn arrow line. The following image shows the options available for customizing the arrow line.
Method #2 – Adding Arrow Shape
If you want a more appealing arrow for your spreadsheet, you can choose an arrow shape instead of a simple arrow line.
Here are the steps to create an arrow shape in Google Sheets,
- Go to the main menu
- Click on the “Insert” tab.
- From the popup, choose “Drawing.”
- A new window will be displayed with the Drawing canvas. Navigate to the main menu to find the Shape tool icon and click on that.
- A popup will appear; choose “Arrow” from the available options.
- A range of arrow shapes will be displayed; choose the one that best fits your interest.
- Use your mouse cursor to draw an arrow on the blank canvas of the Drawing window.
- Click on “Save and Close”
A handful of customization options are displayed on the main menu as soon as you click/select the drawn arrow line. Those options can be used for changing the fill color, border color, border weight, and type of border line.
How to Insert Shapes in Google Sheets?
Google Sheets allows you to insert various useful shapes into your spreadsheet, besides straight lines and arrows.
Here are the various shapes you have in Google Sheets.
Let’s understand the steps to insert the above shapes into a spreadsheet. Now, consider that we are about to add a Circle.
- Go to the main menu
- Click on the “Insert” tab
- Now choose “Drawing” from the popup
- A new window with various options for drawing and customizing shapes and lines will pop up
- Navigate to the main menu of this new window to find the Shape tool and click on that
- You will have a range of options; choose “Shapes” again
- From the popup, select the Oval shape
- Use your mouse to draw a circle (press and hold the “Shift” button on your keyboard to get a perfect circle)
- Customize circle border color, weight, and more using available options
- Click on the “Save and Close” button placed at the upper-rightmost corner
Additionally, adding text or other shapes to your drawn shape is pretty straightforward. You will find the option to add the text to your shape in the main menu of the drawing window. It is represented by the T icon as shown below.
Here is an example for your reference.
Conclusion
Lines, arrows, and shapes add style and flair to your spreadsheets, making them more engaging.
In my opinion, it is an essential skill for anyone preparing reports using Google Sheets.
And it is pretty straightforward to insert a line or arrow in the Google spreadsheet.
But don’t forget to play around with various customization options and fine-tune your line or arrow.
Feel free to comment below if you have any doubts or are stuck somewhere while inserting or drawing lines, arrows, and shapes in Google Sheets. I will try to answer all of your questions as soon as possible.
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