Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Moving Drawing Objects.

Moving Drawing Objects

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 29, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

Other issues of WordTips present different ways to create various objects using the Drawing toolbar. If you want to change the positioning of these objects once they are placed in your document, you can do so in this manner:

Using the mouse, point to the shape you want to move, and click on it. Word places small square boxes called handles around the shape. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. A selected drawing object has handles around it.

Using the mouse, point to the object. The mouse pointer should turn into a four-headed arrow.
Click and hold down the mouse button. Drag the object to the position desired.
Release the mouse button.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13135) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Moving Drawing Objects.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Understanding MRU Files

Don't you love all the acronyms used in computer terminology? One such acronym—pertinent to Word users—is ...

Discover More

Showing Visited Hyperlinks

Many people like to use Excel to keep track of lists of hyperlinks. Want to keep a permanent record of which hyperlinks ...

Discover More

Displaying the First Worksheet in a Macro

When creating macros, you often have to know how to display individual worksheets. VBA provides several ways you can ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Changing a Shape

Got a drawing shape you previously added to a document, but you now want to change to a different shape? You can change ...

Discover More

Using Connectors with Shapes

If you add shapes to the drawing canvas, you can use connector lines between those shapes. Here's how to add them to your ...

Discover More

Grouping Drawing Objects

Drawing objects are easily added to a document. You can group these objects so they are easier to manage by following the ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 6 + 6?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.