Question

How to make a flowchart in Excel

Answer 1

What are flow charts for?
Create a flowchart: Excel lets you
Create a flowchart in Excel by inserting shapes
Use SmartArt

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How to make a flowchart in Excel

A flowchart is a good way to represent processes, as it makes it easy for anyone to understand the relationships or interdependencies between elements at a glance. These diagrams are used mostly in the world of work to represent causalities. Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Excel spreadsheets are especially well suited for representing processes in a flow chart.

Index

1. What are flow charts for?
2. Create a flowchart: Excel lets you
   1. Create a flowchart in Excel by inserting shapes
   2. Use SmartArt

What are flow charts for?

Flow charts, also known as flow charts, are used to represent a time sequence graphically , showing the different steps of a process. Flowcharts are usually characterized by a clearly marked sense and, when observed, it is clear how each partial section of the process arises from the previous one..

Definition

A flow diagram is a graph that represents the sequence of a process in its individual steps or phases with a marked sense of development.

Flowcharts play an important role in many different areas. In computing, for example, so-called program process plans are used, which are used to visualize the operation of an algorithm. Excel also allows you to create these process sequence plans, but the flowchart is often more workable and less complicated : if you, together with your team, develop a plan to carry out a project, you can usually represent it using a Flowchart..

In addition, this type of diagram also helps to analyze the processes . The graphical representation helps to understand the sequence and allows to identify errors or unnecessary steps.

Note

If you also want to create flowcharts in Excel, you need an Office application, such as Microsoft 365. At IONOS you can get hold of the useful tool, including the Premium configuration service..

Create a flowchart: Excel lets you

To create a flow chart in Excel, the options? Shapes? or? SmartArt ?. While the first option leaves you a lot of creative freedom, the second allows you to create a diagram in a very intuitive way.

You have two options for creating flowcharts in Excel.

Create a flowchart in Excel by inserting shapes

Excel allows you to insert different graphic objects on your sheet. Among them, circles and rectangles and, above all, the essential arrows. To insert a new shape into the spreadsheet, you must select it from the list and then resize with the mouse button pressed until it meets your preferences.

Drag the dots with the mouse to stretch the object to the desired size.

To make the distribution of symbols as accurate as possible, you must adapt the size to the rows and columns. After inserting a shape, the "Format" tab appears on the ribbon. This is primarily for making adjustments to the chart, but if you want to create a precise layout, it also lets you use the lines in the table as a guide . If you choose this option, the lines at the edges of the object match the lines in the cells. You can activate the function by selecting the point? Align? and then "Snap to Grid".

Use the help function to align the objects correctly.

advice

You can also adapt the size of the cells to insert the different elements of the flowchart more easily. To do this, select the entire worksheet (Ctrl + A) and right-click on a row or column. In the context menu you can adapt the size. In the drawing tools (also in the "Align" section) you can choose "Fit to shape". Then the cell borders snap to the inserted objects.

You can choose the objects freely, but there are certain symbols that have already become basic in the flowcharts. If you make use of these symbols with a fixed meaning , many people will quickly understand what you want to express in the flow chart.

• Oval : start
• Rectangle : process
• Rhombus : decision
• Circle : connection
• Parallelogram : input / output

advice

Excel has already assembled the appropriate symbols for a flowchart into one group.

The drawing tools are used to modify the appearance of objects later. Thus, you can change, for example, the fill color or the thickness of the borders. In the function? Shape Effects? you can configure more layout settings . This way you can insert, for example, shadows or soft edges. If you want to insert multiple objects of the same type into the flowchart, you must copy and paste them. This ensures that the symbols have the same design and identical measurements.

You can connect the different symbols with lines or arrows . If you use lines, you will notice that there are tie points in previously created objects. You can snap the start and end of the lines and arrows at these points. So you no longer have to worry about a correct link.

Finally, you will also need to correctly label your flow chart. To do this, you can use text boxes that you can create in the "Insert" tab. You can also directly label the object, but in that case, you don't have a separate element. In this context, you can also use the functions of the drawing tools to adapt the appearance of the field. Also, you have the normal text layout settings at your disposal.

Creating flowcharts in Excel is very easy thanks to its many graphical functions.

Use SmartArt

The? SmartArt? allows you to create charts with instructions. You can choose between different layouts and using the graphic wizard you can create, for example, lists, flow charts or process representations . The program offers you information about each design that may be useful if you still don't know which option to choose. When making your decision, remember that the preview doesn't have to match your finished flowchart. Once the diagram is created, you can still configure various scopes according to your preferences.

Select the SmartArt template that best suits your needs.

Acts

The SmartArt graphic wizard is not unique to Excel, it also exists in Word and PowerPoint and has the same capabilities.

Once you have opted for a template, confirm your choice by clicking "OK". You can see that Excel has already created the corresponding text fields that you can fill in through the input field (the field can be displayed or hidden using an arrow on the edge of the graph). Through this field you can enter text in your diagram or insert new elements by creating a new line point.

SmartArt graphics can be filled using a context menu.

Alternatively, you can also access the? SmartArt tools? (an area of ​​the ribbon) to get to the tab? SmartArt Design? and select the function? Add shape ?. With this function you determine if the element should be entered before or after the one you just selected.

SmartArt not only allows you to adapt the content, but also the visual aspect . Through the SmartArt Tools (or by clicking with the right mouse button on the graphic) you can modify, for example, the colors or make design adjustments.

You can configure the layout of your flowcharts precisely with SmartArt.

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