How to Customize Speech Bubble Shapes in Microsoft Office
Question details
The user wants to customize the curve and overall shape of a speech bubble beyond the default adjustments provided.
- Product
- Microsoft Office
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Creating custom graphics, callouts, or diagrams where the default speech bubble shapes do not fit the desired design.
- Observed behavior
- Default Office speech bubble shapes lack a direct control slider or handle for adjusting their specific curves, requiring users to edit the shape's vector points manually.
Before manually editing points, check if the default yellow adjustment handle on the selected speech bubble is enough to reposition or resize the tail to meet your needs.
Use the Edit Points Feature for Full Customization
Modifying the individual anchor points of a shape gives you complete control over the speech bubble's curves, angles, and contours.
By default, Office speech bubble shapes only offer limited adjustments via the yellow control handle. To change the fundamental structure, you must edit its vector points.
Because achieving exact symmetry manually can be difficult, take your time adjusting the bezier handles, and consider turning on gridlines (View > Gridlines) to help align the points.
Click on your inserted speech bubble shape to make the Shape Format tab appear on the ribbon.
Go to the Shape Format tab, click on 'Edit Shape' in the Insert Shapes group (usually on the far left), and choose 'Edit Points' from the dropdown menu.
Click and drag the black squares on the red outline to move the points. To alter a curve, click a black point and drag the white bezier handles that appear.
Right-click anywhere on the red outline to add a new point, or right-click an existing black point to delete it or convert segments between straight lines and curves.
Create a Visual Workaround with Overlapping Shapes
If editing points is too tedious, you can simulate a custom rectangular or curved speech bubble by overlapping basic shapes.
Customize Speech Bubbles Effortlessly in WPS Office
WPS Office offers a comprehensive suite of drawing tools, allowing you to insert, modify, and fine-tune speech bubbles and callouts just as easily as in Microsoft Office, but entirely for free.
- 1. Insert a Callout Shape: Open your document in WPS Office. Go to the Insert tab, click on Shapes, and select a Speech Bubble from the Callouts section.
- 2. Access Edit Shape Tools: Click the inserted shape to activate the Drawing Tools tab, then click the Edit Shape icon on the ribbon.
- 3. Select Edit Points: Choose Edit Points from the dropdown menu. The shape will be outlined in red with black anchor points.
- 4. Drag to Customize: Drag the points or the white control handles to customize the curve and exact shape of your speech bubble easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I combine two overlapping shapes into one single shape?
Yes, but natively this is much easier in PowerPoint. Select both overlapping shapes, go to the Shape Format tab, click Merge Shapes, and choose 'Union' to combine them into one solid speech bubble. Word does not natively support the Merge Shapes tool on the ribbon.
Why are the curves of my custom speech bubble jagged when editing points?
This usually happens when the anchor point is set to a 'Corner Point'. While in Edit Points mode, right-click the specific point and select 'Smooth Point' from the context menu to make the curve transition seamlessly.
How do I add text to my newly customized speech bubble?
Right-click the custom shape and select 'Add Text' or 'Edit Text'. If you used the overlapping shapes workaround, it is best to insert an invisible Text Box over your grouped shapes to keep the text formatting clean.
