How to Fix Text Box Resizing Issues in Word and Excel

In both Microsoft Word and Excel, you can either choose a pre-designed text box or create one from scratch, allowing you to position and enter text anywhere within your documents or spreadsheets. Nevertheless, numerous users have reported issues where the text box cannot be resized in their Word or Excel files on Windows PCs. While they are able to add and relocate text boxes, resizing remains problematic. The resizing handles (the white circles and squares) often appear disabled, as shown in the image below, preventing modifications to the text box dimensions. Some users also find that they are unable to move the text box at all. If you’re encountering this issue, the solutions outlined in this post can help.

What prevents resizing a text box in Word?

This issue frequently arises when a *.doc file is opened with newer versions of Microsoft Word (like Office 2016 or Office 2019). In such cases, the document operates in Compatibility Mode, which maintains the original layout but disables advanced features in Word. Additionally, if you are unable to independently modify the height and width of a text box, it may be due to the aspect ratio being locked.

How to fix the text box resizing issue in Word or Excel

If you cannot resize the text box in Word or Excel on a Windows 10/11 PC, consider the following checklist. First, ensure that your Microsoft Word or Excel is updated, insert a text box to see if the issue persists, and if it does, proceed with these remedies:

1. Determine if the document is in Compatibility Mode
2. Convert your Word or Excel document to a newer format
3. Utilize text box editing points
4. Manually adjust the text box height and width
5. Adjust Layout options
6. Repair the Office application

Let’s explore these solutions in detail.

1] Verify Compatibility Mode

Regardless of whether you have a DOC or DOCX file, opening it in Compatibility Mode can hinder text box resizing and disable advanced Word features. To confirm if your document is in Compatibility Mode, use one of the following methods:

• Observe the title bar of your Word document; the presence of [Compatibility Mode] next to the file name indicates the mode.
• Navigate to File > Info. If a Convert button is visible, your document is in Compatibility Mode.
• Access the Word Options (File > More… > Options), select the Advanced category, and scroll to the Compatibility options. A long list here signifies Compatibility Mode is active.

2] Convert your document

If you confirm the document is in Compatibility Mode, you will need to convert your Word document or Excel workbook to a newer format to resolve the issue. Here are several ways to do this:

• Go to File > Info and click the Convert button. Then click OK in the resulting box. This will convert your file to the latest format, exiting Compatibility Mode. Note that this conversion does not save the document; you must do that manually.
• Select the File menu, then click Save As, and choose a location. Set the Save as type to *.docx or *.xlsx depending on the application to disable Compatibility Mode and save a new copy in the updated format.
• Alternatively, you can use free conversion tools like CloudConvert, FreeConvert, or AVS Document Converter to change DOC to DOCX and XLS to XLSX formats.

3] Edit text box control points

If resizing via the traditional handles isn’t feasible, try adjusting the text box by editing its control points. For this procedure:

1. Select the text box.
2. Right-click on the border of the box.
3. Choose the Edit Points option.
4. Small black dots or squares will appear. Use these to drag and adjust the shape of the text box as needed.

Carefully manipulate the lines or points to avoid distorting the box’s shape.

4] Adjust height and width manually

To manually configure the height and width of a text box in Word or Excel, follow these steps:

1. Select the text box.
2. Navigate to the Shape Format tab in the Ribbon. Note that if you opened a DOC file in Compatibility Mode, you may need to access the Text Box menu instead.
3. Locate the Size group on the right side.
4. Here, you will find the options for Shape Height and Shape Width. Input new values as desired, and the size will update immediately.

5] Utilize Layout Options

Layout Options can assist in adjusting the position, sizing, rotation, scaling, and text wrapping of your text box. If you encounter difficulties resizing or repositioning through standard methods, try these options:

1. Select the text box within your document.
2. Switch to the Shape Format menu; if it’s an older format, use the Text Box menu.
3. Click the dialog launcher icon (the small arrow) in the Size group.
4. A Layout Options dialog will open where you can modify Position, Text Wrapping, and Size settings. Here, you can lock or unlock the aspect ratio to adjust dimensions independently, scale the size, reposition the text box, and apply other customization options.

Bear in mind that real-time previews of changes may not appear, so ensure to click OK after making customizations to apply them.

6] Repair Microsoft Office

If the previous solutions fail and the Office program itself appears to have issues, consider repairing the Office installation.

I trust these suggestions will prove helpful.

How can I resize a text box to fit its text?

To automatically resize a text box to fit the text inside it in Word, select the text box, navigate to the Shape Format menu, and click the dialog launcher icon in the Shape Styles group. This brings up a Format Shape sidebar on the right. Go to the Shape Options and click the Layout & Properties icon. Expand the Text Box section and check the option for Resize shape to fit text. After doing this, the text box will adjust its size automatically as you enter text.

Author: Egor Kostenko

My goal is to make complex technical topics simple and accessible. On this site, I gather unique and useful content that not only solves users’ problems but also helps them better understand the capabilities of Windows.