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Office 2007: How to Set the Default Format for a Shape or Text Box

August 11th, 2008 | by Loren |

This is for those Word, Excel or PowerPoint users who find that they repeatedly make the same formatting changes to the Shapes (Insert tab, Illustrations group, Shapes) or the Text Boxes (Insert tab, Text group, Text Box) they use. These are the steps to change the default format for either Shapes or Text Boxes.

  1. Insert a Shape or Text Box and format it to what pleases you, or open a file with a formatted Shape or Text Box.
  2. Right-click on the outside border of the Shape or Text Box and choose Set AutoShape Defaults.

Notes:

  • The same formatting will be applied to both Shapes and Text Boxes in Word, so if you use both and want different saved formats, create the Text Box formats using the Save Selection to Text Box Gallery option at the bottom of the Text Box menu. You would apply the saved formats through the Text Box Gallery.
  • Excel and PowerPoint will let you save separate defaults for Shapes and Text Boxes.
  • Changing the Shape or Text Box default in one program does not affect the default in any other.

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  1. 2 Responses to “Office 2007: How to Set the Default Format for a Shape or Text Box”

  2. By Michael Daily on Oct 15, 2009 | Reply

    The equivalent in powerpoint 2008 (mac) is to format the object as desired, then right-click and select “default text box/line/etc”

  3. By Alan on Dec 6, 2008 | Reply

    fantastic. apparently it doesn’t set the formatting for the text in the box, though. I have read elsewhere that “if you have text in an object, you can save the text style as a default. Select the text, click Font on the Format menu, and then select the Default for new objects check box.” But in Word 04 for Mac I don’t find this option, so I had to create a style that I have to apply each time I create a text box.

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