Text boxes are immensely helpful in making the important parts of your content stand out. When you put text inside a text box and format, it instantly catches the reader’s attention; Almost all word processing tools let you add text boxes to your documents.

Google Docs is no exception, as Google Docs has a text box feature, but finding this option can be tricky, especially for those using this tool for the first time. Here is a detailed guide on how to add a text box in Google Docs.

3 Ways of Adding Text Boxes in Google Docs

You can add a text box in Google Docs in two ways. The first one is adding a text box from the Insert menu. The second way is to add shapes and use those as text boxes; one other method is to create a table with only one cell and use that cell as a text box. Follow the steps below to add a text box in both ways.

How to Add a Text Box from the Insert Menu

Step 1: Open a new or existing document. Place the cursor where you want to add your text box. Then, click on the Insert menu.

Step 2: From the Insert menu, hover your mouse over the Drawing option, and a sidebar will appear. Click on New from the sidebar.

Select New Drawing from Menu in Google Docs

Step 3: A new pop-up screen will appear, which is called the drawing screen. The background of this screen will be checkered. On top of your drawing screen, you will find a toolbar. Click the text box icon from the toolbar. The icon looks like a little square with a ‘T’ inside it.

Insert Text Box in Google Docs Drawing

Step 4: Click on the drawing screen, hold your mouse, and drag your mouse to draw a text box. Once you release your mouse button, the text box will be created. The text box will have small anchor points around the border, and you can use these anchor points to resize your text box.

Google Docs Adjust Drawing

Step 5: Double-click on your text box and input the text you want inside the text box.

Step 6: You will see more options in the toolbar. Format your text box according to your choice. For example, you can change the background color, border color, font, font size, etc., using the icons in the toolbar.

Step 7: Once you’re satisfied with the output, you can click on Save and Close. The drawing window will close, and your text box will appear in your document.

Step 8: After your text box is added to your document, you can select your text box to perform several actions. For example, you can edit your text box, choose the orientation, etc.

Actions to adjust text box in Google Docs

That’s it! You have successfully added a text box in Google Docs. 🎉

How to Add a Text Box Using Shapes

Step 1: This method is similar to the previous method. You need to click the Insert menu and hover your mouse over Drawing. Then, click New from the sidebar.

Step 2: After the drawing window opens, you will see the shape icon in the toolbar. The shape icon looks like a circle on the top left corner of a square. Click it, and four options will appear. Select Shapes and choose the shape you want your text box to be.

Step 3: Click your mouse, hold, and drag your mouse to make the shape. Once the desired shape is created, you can double-click on your shape to input your text.

Step 4: You can now format the shape just as you did to the text box. Once your formatting is final, click Save and Close. That’s it. The text box will now appear in your document.

How to Add a Text Box Using the Table Feature

Step 1: Click Insert and hover your mouse over Table. The table template will open on the right side.

Step 2: Select the top left square, and a 1 x 1 table will be created. That means the table will only have one column and one row.

Step 3: Click inside the cell and start writing your text. 

Step 4: To format your text box, you need to select the cell and right-click your mouse. Select Table Properties, and a sidebar will open on the right. Use the options to format your text box.

Our Conclusion on Using Text Box in Google Docs

A text box is a very powerful tool to organize your documents professionally and highlight important text, but adding a text box in Google Docs may seem fussy to users. 

We’ve shown how to add a text box in Google Docs in three ways. You can easily create stunning text boxes using these methods and make extracting content easier for the reader. Use your creativity to embellish the text boxes with exciting colors and borders.