How to Add a Text Box in Microsoft Word

Text boxes in Microsoft Word give you precise control over where text appears on a page. Unlike regular paragraph text that flows with the document, a text box sits as its own independent object — you can drag it anywhere, resize it, and layer it over images or other content. Whether you're building a newsletter, a report sidebar, or a certificate, knowing how to insert and work with text boxes opens up a lot of formatting possibilities.

What Is a Text Box in Word?

A text box is a floating container that holds text independently from the main document body. It behaves more like a shape than a paragraph — it has its own borders, background fill, and positioning properties. You can anchor it to a specific spot on the page or let it move with surrounding content.

Word treats text boxes as drawing objects, which means they live on a separate layer from your body text. This is what allows them to overlap images, sit in margins, or appear in places where normal text flow wouldn't allow.

How to Insert a Text Box Using the Ribbon

The most straightforward method works across most modern versions of Word — including Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013.

1. Open your Word document.
2. Click the Insert tab in the ribbon.
3. In the Text group, click Text Box.
4. A dropdown menu appears with two main options:
   • Built-in text box styles — pre-formatted designs (sidebars, quote boxes, etc.)
   • Draw Text Box — lets you manually draw a custom box anywhere on the page

If you select Draw Text Box, your cursor changes to a crosshair. Click and drag on the document to create the box at whatever size you need. Release the mouse and the box is ready — just start typing.

How to Insert a Text Box by Drawing It Manually 🖊️

The Draw Text Box option gives you full control over placement and dimensions from the start.

• Click Insert → Text Box → Draw Text Box
• Position your cursor where you want one corner of the box
• Click and drag diagonally to define the box's width and height
• Release to confirm

Once placed, you can resize by dragging the handles on the edges and corners, or reposition by clicking the box's border and dragging.

Using Built-In Text Box Styles

Word includes a library of pre-designed text box layouts — things like sidebars, pull quotes, and simple text boxes with formatted borders and fonts. These are useful when you want a polished look without manually applying formatting.

To access them:

1. Go to Insert → Text Box
2. Browse the gallery that appears
3. Click any style to insert it directly into your document

These built-in styles are linked to Word's theme, so their colors and fonts adjust if you change the document theme later. They also drop in at a fixed size, which you can then resize to fit your layout.

Formatting a Text Box After Inserting It

Once your text box is on the page, a Shape Format (or Drawing Tools Format) tab appears in the ribbon. From here you can:

The Wrap Text setting is especially important. By default, a text box may be set to In Front of Text, meaning it floats over your document content. Switching to Square or Tight makes surrounding paragraphs reflow around it — useful for magazine-style layouts.

How to Link Text Boxes Together

One feature many users don't discover immediately: Word lets you link two text boxes so that text automatically flows from one into the next when the first box is full. This is useful for multi-column layouts or newsletters where content continues across sections.

To link text boxes:

1. Insert two separate text boxes
2. Select the first (empty) text box
3. Go to Shape Format → Create Link
4. Click the second text box with the pitcher-shaped cursor that appears

Text typed or pasted into the first box will spill into the second when it runs out of space. 📄

Text Boxes on Mac vs. Windows

The core functionality is the same on both platforms, but the interface has minor differences:

• Word for Mac places the Text Box option under Insert → Text Box as well, though the ribbon layout may look slightly different depending on your version
• Keyboard shortcut behavior can vary — Mac users may find fewer direct shortcuts for text box functions
• Built-in styles are available on both platforms, though the gallery appearance may differ slightly

Older versions of Word (pre-2013 on Windows, pre-2016 on Mac) may have the text box tool under a slightly different menu path, but it's still found under the Insert menu in every modern version.

Variables That Affect How Text Boxes Behave

Not every text box behaves the same way across documents, and a few factors determine what you're working with:

• Document format (.docx vs. .doc): Older .doc format has more limited drawing object support
• Page layout (portrait vs. landscape): Affects how much usable space you have for positioning
• Compatibility mode: If a document was created in an older version, some formatting options may be restricted until you upgrade the format
• Shared or collaborative documents: Text boxes in documents shared via OneDrive or SharePoint can sometimes behave differently for co-authors depending on their Word version

Whether a simple text box or a linked multi-box layout is the right approach depends entirely on what you're building, how the document will be shared, and which version of Word your audience is using to view it.