Full Guide on How to Make a Flowchart in Word

Many people conduct web searches on how to make a flowchart in Word. In doing so, they desire to know whether it is actually possible to make flowcharts using Word in the first place. And if it is possible, the next concern is on which particular features in Word can be utilized in making flowcharts. Further, people wish to understand the specific steps they need to follow, in order to end up with nice-looking flowcharts made using Microsoft word. This article offers comprehensive guidance on how to make a flowchart in Word.

Table of Contents

What is a Flowchart?

How to Make a Flowchart in Word – 2 Basic Methods

Use SmartArt in Word to Make a Flowchart

Make a Flowchart in Word With Its Basic Symbols

Best Alternative to Make a Flowchart in Word

A flowchart is a diagram through which a process or workflow is visually represented, normally through the use of various shapes and arrows.

The flowchart can be beneficial in many settings, ranging from school to work. Through it, ideas can be quickly and clearly communicated. It can also be helpful in improving problem solving.

Firstly, we are clear that it is indeed possible to make a flowchart in Word. There are 2 ways in which a flowchart can be created in word, namely:

• Using SmartArt in Word to Make a Flowchart

• Make a Flowchart in Word With Its Basic Symbols

Incidentally, if the question was on how to make a flowchart in Excel, these two would still be the main options. However, for now, we focus on how to make a flowchart in Word. So, we will proceed to learn how to make flowcharts in Word through those two methods.

This is how to make flowcharts in Word using SmartArt:

Step 1: Place the cursor on the location within the Word document where a flowchart is needed.

Step 2: Click on “Insert” in the Word main menu.

Step 3: Select “SmartArt”(it is usually to be found somewhere in between “Clip Art” and “Chart”).

Step 4: From the SmartArt gallery, select “Process”.

Step 5: Now pick the type of chart you wish to use (options include “Basic Process”, “Accent Process” and “Picture Accent Process”. “Continuous Block Process” may also be suitable for use in making a flowchart.

Step 6: Select the shape(s) you wish to use in your flowchart and click on “OK”.

Step 7: Adjust the size of each shape, so as to get a coherent flowchart. To adjust the size of a shape, click on it. The handles that can be used to increase or decrease its size will appear on the shape’s edges. Use those to make the shapes bigger or smaller as needed.

Step 8: To add the text to the shapes, click on ‘text pane’ then type in the text and press the ‘enter’ key.

Step 9: The shapes can be connected by clicking on “Insert”, then “Shapes” and picking the appropriate arrows. It is best to use one type of arrow throughout the flowchart, to ensure consistency.

As alluded to earlier, if it was a question on how to make a flowchart in Excel, these would still be the steps to follow. But the focus here is not on how to make a flowchart in Excel, but rather, in word.

This is how to make flowchart in word with its basic symbols:

Step 1: Place the cursor on the location within the Word document where the flowchart is needed.

Step 2: Click on “Insert” in the main word menu. So, this is the menu found on top of each Word document by default. Other items on it include “File”, “Home”, “Page Layout” and so on. From that menu, just click on “Insert”.

Step 3: Select “Shapes”. That is usually to be found somewhere in between “Clip Art” and “SmartArt”.

Step 4: Then, from the “Basic Shapes” options, select the type of shape to appear in the flowchart. Rectangular boxes can be used in denoting process steps. Then, decisions can be denoted using diamond shapes. Also, note that there is also a special “Flowcharts” shapes option. That is available upon clicking on “Insert”, then “Shapes”. Among the specialized flowchart shapes available are those for process steps, decisions, and alternate processes. Others are for data, connectors, and symbols for storage, documents, delay, and so on. All these can be taken advantage of to create even the most highly specialized flowcharts for various applications. But the key thing here is to select the shapes to appear in the flowchart.

Step 5: Create as many of those shapes as needed and adjust their sizes accordingly to get a coherent flowchart.

Step 6: To add text to any of the shapes, right-click on it, then select “Add text”.

Step 7: To connect the shapes, go to the main menu, click on insert, select “shapes” then pick the appropriate arrows.

Therefore regarding how to make a flowchart in Word using basic symbols only, those are the steps to follow.

So far, the discussion has been on how to make a flowchart on Word. Clearly, it can be a tedious task. This leads many people to wonder whether there is a simpler way to go about it. And thankfully, the answer is ‘yes’. The simplest flowchart maker is to be found in a web-based Whiteboard platform known as MioCreate. What MioCreate offers is a space (a whiteboard) on which flowcharts can be dynamically created.

Further, MioCreate offers all the tools needed to come up with a professional-looking flowchart in a matter of minutes. Among those tools are templates, which only need basic editing, to yield good flowcharts.  It is also worth noting that through MioCreate, team members who are in diverse parts can collaborate in creating a flowchart. That is because it is a web-based application, allowing for real-time collaboration.

How to Make a Flowchart in MioCreate

Step 1: Create an Account on MioCreate

Firstly, go to the MioCreate website.

Once there, click on the “Get Started” button near the top right-hand corner.

You will be required to fill in certain details, in order to create a MioCreate account. Complete the signup form as required.

Step 2: Start With an Appropriate Flowchart Template

From the MioCreate flowcharts gallery, select the one that is best suited for the task at hand. So, there are 3 things for you to do here. Firstly, figure out what sort of flowchart is needed for the present task. Secondly, browse through the MioCreate flowchart gallery, checking out the various flowchart templates available there. And thirdly, pick an appropriate template in line with the best flowchart for the task at hand.

Step 3: Change Text, Add Steps, and Connect Them With Arrows and Lines

The MioCreate flowchart template picked will have some text in it by default. Replace this with the text needed in the flowchart being created. Delete unnecessary shapes (or, conversely, add more, if those in the template are not enough). Then connect the flowchart shapes with arrows and lines.

Step 4: Customize and Style Your Flowchart

This includes changing the colors of the shapes, as well as sizes. The colors and thickness of arrows and lines connecting the shapes in the flowchart can be changed too. And the text in the shapes too can be changed, in terms of size, font thickness, and color. Thus, the flowchart created using Miocreate is fully customizable, to give it a slick look.

Now just compare these steps with the ones we encountered while learning how to make a flowchart in Word. It becomes clear that making a flowchart through MioCreate is much easier. And one ends up with far better-looking flowcharts, based on professional-grade templates.

Conclusion

A flowchart makes it possible to quickly and easily communicate ideas. Processes that would otherwise be very hard to describe in text alone are easily illustrated through flowcharts. The flowchart can also come in handy during problem-solving processes.

As we have seen in this article, it is possible to create flowcharts in Word. We have actually learned how to make a flowchart in Word. That is either through the use of Word’s SmartArt feature or through basic shapes.

However, as has become clear, making flowcharts in the art can be tedious – because one has to start everything from scratch... A far easier way to make good flowcharts is through the web-based whiteboard platform known as MioCreate. It offers easily customizable templates, with which flowcharts for all imaginable uses can be quickly developed. Create an account on MioCreate for free now, and start using MioCreate to easily make flowcharts today.