Open the Insert menu and choose Text Box

To add a text box in Google Docs, click Insert in the top menu bar, then select Text box from the dropdown. Your cursor will change to a crosshair, ready to draw on the page.

Click and drag on your document to create the text box in the size and location you want. You can make it small or large — the box will expand as you type if you need more space later. The text box does not have to be perfect on the first try; you can resize and reposition it whenever you need to.

Once you release the mouse, a blinking cursor appears inside the text box. Start typing your text immediately, or click elsewhere in the document first and come back to the box later to add content.

Key Takeaways

  • Text boxes are drawn by clicking Insert, selecting Text box, then dragging on the page to set their size and position.
  • You can move a text box by clicking its border and dragging it, or resize it by pulling the corner handles.
  • Text inside a box can be formatted with bold, italic, color, and font changes just like regular document text.
  • Text boxes can be positioned over images, in margins, or anywhere on the page without affecting the main document flow.
  • You can copy and paste text boxes to create duplicates with the same formatting and size.

Move and resize the text box after you create it

Click the border of the text box (not the text inside) to select it. A blue outline appears with small squares at the corners and edges. These squares are handles you can drag to resize the box in any direction — pull a corner handle to resize both width and height at once, or pull an edge handle to change only one dimension.

To move the entire text box, click and drag the border itself. The text box will follow your cursor without changing size. If you want to delete it, select the border and press Delete or Backspace. The text inside disappears along with the box.

Format text inside the box

Text inside a text box follows the same formatting rules as the rest of your document. Select the text you want to change, then use the toolbar buttons for bold, italic, underline, font size, and color. You can also use keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+B for bold (Cmd+B on Mac), Ctrl+I for italic, and Ctrl+U for underline.

The font dropdown and font size dropdown in the toolbar work the same way. Right-click the selected text to access additional options like strikethrough, superscript, or subscript. You can also change text alignment — left, center, right, or justified — using the alignment buttons in the toolbar.

Change the box's border, fill, and transparency

Select the text box by clicking its border, then look for the border color icon in the toolbar — it looks like a square with a colored outline. Click the small arrow next to it to choose a border color, adjust the thickness, or remove the border entirely by selecting the "no border" option.

To fill the box with a background color, click the fill color icon (the paint bucket) in the same toolbar area. You can also adjust transparency by clicking the fill icon and selecting a color with reduced opacity. A text box with no border and a light fill color works well for highlighting important information or creating callouts that stand out from the rest of your document.

Position text boxes over images and around document text

Text boxes sit on top of your document content and do not push text around the way regular paragraphs do. This makes them useful for adding labels, callouts, or notes without reorganizing your layout. You can layer multiple text boxes on top of each other or place them directly over images.

If you want text to wrap around a text box instead of going underneath it, select the box, then click Arrange in the toolbar and choose Wrap text. This pushes your document text to the side of the box. You can also use Arrange to send the box behind text or bring it to the front if boxes are overlapping.

Copy and paste text boxes

Select a text box by clicking its border, then press Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on Mac) to copy it. Press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac) to paste it. The new box appears slightly offset from the original so you can see both boxes clearly on the page.

This is faster than creating a new text box from scratch if you want multiple boxes with the same formatting or size. You can then edit the text inside each copy independently, and the formatting and border settings will remain the same across all copies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a text box with rounded corners?

Google Docs text boxes have square corners only — there is no built-in option to round them. If you need rounded corners, you can insert a shape (like a rounded rectangle) from Insert > Shape, add text to it, and use it as a text container instead.

What is the difference between a text box and a shape with text?

Text boxes are designed specifically for text and are simpler to work with. Shapes with text added offer more visual options like rounded corners and preset designs, but text boxes are faster if you only need a simple container for words.

Can I link a text box to another part of my document?

Text boxes themselves cannot be linked, but the text inside them can be. Select text in the box, then press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac) to add a link to a website, email address, or another part of your document.

Why is my text box not showing up where I placed it?

Text boxes sometimes move if you edit text above them or change page margins. Click the text box border to select it, then drag it back to where you want it. If it keeps moving, check your Arrange settings — text boxes set to wrap text may shift as document content changes.