Add SmartArt in Excel

Spreadsheets are great tools to illustrate data, concepts, and ideas. But this can often transcend simple rows and columns of data. Visual graphics elevate your spreadsheet style and help you communicate effectively. SmartArt illustrations are an excellent way to do exactly that. Let’s learn how to add SmartArt in Microsoft Excel.

How to Add SmartArt in Excel

SmartArt graphics are designed to illustrate cycles, relationships, hierarchies, processes, and more. They’re essentially pre-built drawings that you can add your own custom data to. These SmartArt graphics are easy to add to Excel in only a few clicks.

To add SmartArt to your spreadsheets, begin by going to the Insert tab on Excel’s ribbon. Here, you’ll see a variety of options to insert content onto your sheets. The option you’re looking for is the Insert a SmartArt Graphic dropdown menu. Go ahead and click on it.

You’ll see option buttons for the following: List, Process, Cycle, Hierarchy, Relationship, Matrix, Pyramid, and Picture. Hover over any of them to explore the options inside.

For example, hover over the Hierarchy option and click on one of the preview thumbnails. Excel will insert the SmartArt graphic onto your spreadsheet. As you can see, there are pre-built text placeholders included inside the graphic.

To add your own words, simply click into any of the boxes and type over the existing text. Repeat throughout your SmartArt graphic to complete the customization.

You’ll also notice that Excel has added a new SmartArt Design tab on the ribbon. There, you can click on the thumbnails to change the visual style and layout of your graphic. Plus, you can make additional changes like altering the color palette.

As you can see, SmartArt graphics are a great way to bring data to life in Microsoft Excel. They’re easy to add and raise your designs to the next level.