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Sometimes you want to make adjustments to your diagram, such as changing the size or rotation of a shape. Or you may want to reorder shapes (also called the z-order) that overlap each other.

Tip: Use the Zoom feature to better see small details and to have more fine-point control: Zoom In (or press Ctrl++) and Zoom Out (or press Ctrl+-).

Change the size of a shape

You often want to change the size or look of a shape once it’s on the page. Shapes have up to eight control handles. Besides resizing, you can make other changes such as adjusting the perspective of a cylinder, repositioning the tip of a cone, or moving a shape callout.

  1. Open the diagram for editing.

  2. To reveal the control handles, The selection handle, select a shape.

  3. Do one of the following:

    Resize one side:   

    1. Hover over a side handle until you see a horizontal The vertical resize handle or vertical resize pointer The horizontal resize handle

    2. Drag the side handle until the shape is the size you want.

      Resizing a side of a shape

    Resize proportionally (to maintain aspect ratio):   

    1. Hover over a corner handle until you see a diagonal resize pointer The first diagonal resize handle or The second diagonal resize handle.

    2. Drag the corner handle until the shape is the size you want.

      Resizing a shape proportionally

Set the precise size of a shape

When you use the Format Options pane to set the size of shape, dimensions can be set in increments of .25 points:

  1. Right-click the shape and select Format Options.

  2. In the Format Options pane on the right, under Dimension, set the exact width and height of the shape.

 Change the rotation of a shape

  1. Open the diagram for editing.

  2. Select the shape.

  3. To rotate the shape, select Shape > Rotate The Rotate icon, and then select Rotate right 90 degrees or Rotate left 90 degrees. You can also drag the Rotate handle The Rotate handle on the picture in a circle.

Rotate a shape to a precise angle

When you use the Format Options pane to rotate a shape, you can set the rotation angle in one-degree increments, from -359° to 359°.

  1. Right-click the shape and select Format Options.

  2. In the Format Options pane on the right, under Dimension, set the exact width and height of the shape.

Re-order overlapping shapes

  1. Open the diagram for editing.

  2. Select the shape.

  3. To send the picture forward, select Shape > Bring to Front The Bring To Front icon, and then select Bring Forward or Bring to Front.

  4. To send the picture backward, select Send to Back The Bring To Back icon., and then select Send Backward or Send to Back.

See Also

Visio for the web help

View, create, and edit a diagram in Visio for the web

Select, copy, and move shapes in Visio for the web

Format a shape in Visio

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