How to Create a Text Box With Rounded Corners in Microsoft Word

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Text boxes can set apart important text from the rest of your document.
Image Credit: AndreyPopov/iStock/Getty Images

Text boxes with rounded rather that angular corners may help draw the attention of readers to important content in your documents. Microsoft Word provides the tools you need to insert a predefined, rounded text box into your document or help you round the corners of an existing, sharp-edged text box. In addition, you can create your own, custom text box by combining a rounded graphical shape with a standard, rectangular text box.

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Use Predefined Rounded Text Box

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Step 1

Open a blank Word document to hold your rounded text box.

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Step 2

Click the "Insert" tab, and then select "Text Box" under the Text group.

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Step 3

Scroll down the list of text box examples, and then click "Simple Quote" to insert a rounded text box into the blank document.

Round an Existing Rectangular Text Box

Step 1

Click the border of the rectangular text box until you see the Resizing and Rotation handles.

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Step 2

Click the "Format" tab, select "Edit Shape," and then click "Change Shape."

Step 3

Click the rounded rectangle shape on the row under Rectangles to round the corners of your text box. Note that the alternate process shape under Flowchart also works for rounding existing text box corners.

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Create Your Own Rounded Text Box Shape

Step 1

Click the "Insert" tab, select "Shapes," and then click the rounded rectangle shape under Rectangles.

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Step 2

Click a blank spot on your document to insert the rounded rectangle.

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Step 3

Click the "Insert" tab, select "Text Box," and then click "Simple Text Box."

Step 4

Replace the default content in the text box with your own.

Step 5

Resize the rounded rectangle shape to fit the content of your text box. Click the rounded shape to expose the Sizing handles, click and hold the bottom right handle, and then drag the corner down and to the right until the the shape is large enough to contain your text box.

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Step 6

Click the border of the text box until the cross hairs appear, drag it overt to the rounded rectangular shape, and then drop it inside.

Step 7

Remove the border from the text box. Click the "Format" tab, click the text box border, select "Shape Outline" in the Shape Styles group, and then check the "No Outline" checkbox.

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Step 8

Remove the fill or background color of the text box. Click "Shape Fill" in the Shape Styles group, and then check the "No Fill" checkbox.

Step 9

Select both the text box and the rounded rectangle shape. Click inside the text box, press and hold the "Ctrl" key, click the border of the rectangular shape, and then release the "Ctrl" key.

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Step 10

Group the text box and rectangular shape together. Click the "Format" tab, select "Group" in the Arrange section of the ribbon, and then click the "Group" option. This allows you to move the round shape and text box around your document as a single unit.

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