If you want to know how to add shapes in Google Docs using these methods, here’s what you’ll need to do.
Inserting Shapes Using Google Drawings
The best way to add shapes in Google Docs (and the only Google-suggested way) is to use the Google Drawings tool. While Google Drawings is a service in its own right, you can access it directly from Google Docs without leaving your document page. Google Drawings isn’t a Photoshop replacement by any means, so don’t expect to create complex images using it. What it will do, however, is allow you to create, edit, and manipulate basic shapes and diagrams. A drawing can contain a single shape or, if you want to group several shapes together, you can insert multiple shapes.
Adding Shapes in Google Docs Using Images
If you want to create more creative shapes and images, create them in a photo editor like Photoshop or GIMP and upload them to your document as an image. You can also find and insert shapes using the built-in Google search tool.
Using Special Characters to Add Shapes to Text
Text wrapping will allow you to insert images and shapes around text. If you want to add shapes in Google Docs to the text directly, the best way to do so is to use special characters. This allows you to insert shape-like objects into the text. You can format these like standard text, with color, font, sizing, and more.
Using Tables to Insert Basic Square Shapes
The methods above exhaust most of the obvious ways a user can insert shapes into Google Docs. There is another other way, however, that you can insert a very simple shape into Google Docs. Not only can be it formatted with color and custom borders, it can also have text inserted into it directly. The way to do this is by inserting a basic table. While a table can only take the form of a square or a rectangle, it does offer advantages over other forms of shapes. For instance, if you want to add easily-edited text inside a shape, creating a table is the best way to do it.
Creating Better Documents with Google Docs
Once you know how to add shapes in Google Docs, you can begin to create documents that use all kinds of content. Images, drawings, even tables can be used to bring attention to other parts of your content. There are plenty of similarities between Word and Google Docs so, if you’re used to Office, you shouldn’t find it too hard to get to grips with document creation in Google Docs. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can use features like column splitting to create different styles of documents, from brochures to leaflets.
