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Shapes make up any Visio diagram, whether it's a flow chart, org chart, road map, project calendar, or office layout. The short demos in this article show you the basic steps for manipulating shapes.

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Add text to a shape

Play Demo 

Add text to a shape in two easy steps.

How to do it (text version):

• Shape basics

Copy a shape

Play Demo 

Copy one shape or multiple shapes.

How to do it (text version):

• Shape basics

Edit text in a shape

Play Demo 

Edit existing text in a shape and format it.

Format a shape

Play Demo 

Change a shape's formatting by choosing options on the Format toolbar.

How to do it (text version):

• Shape basics

Group shapes

Play Demo 

You can create a group of shapes to make them easier to work with.

How to do it (text version):

• Group or ungroup shapes

Insert and format a picture

Play Demo 

Insert a picture from a file and move, resize, crop, and format it.

Move shapes

Play Demo 

Learn several ways to move a shape and to center shapes in relation to each other.

How to do it (text version):

• Shape basics

Resize a shape

Play Demo 

See how to resize a shape and view and change its dimensions.

How to do it (text version):

• Shape basics

Rotate a shape

Play Demo 

Learn two ways to rotate a shape in your Visio drawing.

How to do it (text version):

• Shape basics

Select shapes

Play Demo 

This demo shows you several ways to select one shape or multiple shapes.

How to do it (text version):

• Shape basics

Stack shapes

Play Demo 

Change the order in which shapes are layered by using the Shape menu.

See more shapes commands

Play Demo 

Find and use the special commands that are specific to some shapes.

How to do it (text version):

• Shape basics

Zoom in or out

Play Demo 

This demo shows how to use the Zoom box or the mouse to zoom in or out of drawings.

How to do it (text version):

• Zoom in or out of a drawing

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