To make a flowchart in Word, go to Insert > SmartArt, choose the Process category and pick a layout such as Picture Accent Process. Type your steps in the Text pane, then use Add Shape on the SmartArt Design tab to add more boxes and Change Colors to style it.
A flowchart is just your process drawn as boxes and arrows: enquiry comes in, you reply, they book, you send the welcome pack. Word can build one for you with SmartArt, so you don't have to line up shapes and arrows by hand. You type the steps and Word handles the layout.
Building the flowchart with SmartArt
- Click where you want the flowchart in your document.
- Go to the Insert tab and, in the Illustrations group, click SmartArt.
- In the Choose a SmartArt Graphic gallery, click Process.
- Double-click a layout. Microsoft's own example uses Picture Accent Process, which has room for a picture in each step.
- Type your steps into the Text pane, one line per box.
If the Text pane isn't showing, go to the SmartArt Design tab (called Design in some versions) and click Text Pane. I find typing there much quicker than clicking into each box.
Adding and removing steps
Real processes rarely have the same number of steps as the layout you picked. To add one:
- Click the box nearest to where the new step should go.
- On the SmartArt Design tab, in the Create Graphic group, click the arrow next to Add Shape.
- Choose Add Shape After or Add Shape Before.
There's a faster way in the Text pane: put your cursor at the end of a line, press Enter and type the new step. Press Tab to indent it as a sub-step, or Shift+Tab to move it back out. To delete a box, click its border and press Delete.
Useful controls at a glance
| Job | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Start a flowchart | Insert > SmartArt > Process |
| Show the typing panel | SmartArt Design > Text Pane |
| Add a step | SmartArt Design > Add Shape > Add Shape After or Before |
| Nudge a box a tiny amount | Hold Ctrl and press the arrow keys |
| Change the colour scheme | SmartArt Design > Change Colors |
| Restyle one box | Right-click the box > Format Shape |
Making it look like your brand
The default blue is fine for a quick sketch, but a flowchart going to a client should match your brand. On the SmartArt Design tab, in the SmartArt Styles group, click Change Colors and hover over the options to preview them. For a single box, right-click it and choose Format Shape. Microsoft lists fill options from no fill and solid fill to gradient, picture or texture and pattern fills, and you can change the line around the box too.
SmartArt Styles add effects such as bevels and 3-D in one click. I'd go easy on those. A flat, simple flowchart reads better on screen and prints more cleanly.
Moving boxes around
Click a box and drag it to move it. For fine adjustments, Microsoft's tip is to hold down Ctrl while you press the arrow keys, which moves the box in very small steps. That's handy when one label's slightly off line and it's bugging you.
The limit: SmartArt suits simple, straight processes
This is what most guides skip. SmartArt is built around layouts, and the Process layouts show steps in a sequence. That's perfect for a linear process, like onboarding a client or publishing a blog post. It's much less suited to a flowchart full of decision diamonds where the path splits into yes and no branches and loops back.
For those, you've got two choices. You can keep the main path in SmartArt and explain the exceptions in text underneath, or build the branches from individual shapes and lines, which Microsoft covers in its separate Add shapes guide. To label a branch, Microsoft suggests inserting a text box from the Insert tab and setting it to no background colour and no border. My advice: if your process has more than a couple of branches, simplify the process before you draw it. A flowchart nobody can follow isn't doing its job.
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Adding pictures to the steps
With Picture Accent Process, each box has a picture icon. Click it, choose a picture and click Insert. Screenshots of each stage work brilliantly for training documents, for example showing a new assistant exactly which button to press in your booking system.
Tips for a flowchart people will use
- Start every step with a verb: Reply, Send, Check, Book.
- Keep each box to a handful of words. Put the detail in the document text.
- Add all your boxes before you start formatting, as Microsoft suggests typing into boxes works best once they're all in place.
- Print a test page in black and white if the chart's going in a printed manual.
My verdict
SmartArt is the quickest way to get a clean, simple flowchart into a Word document, and for most small-business processes it's all you need. Use the Text pane, keep the steps short, and if you find yourself fighting the layout, the process is probably too complicated, not the tool. If your team works in Google Docs instead, here's how to make a flowchart in Google Docs, and if Word crashes before you've saved, my guide to recovering an unsaved Word document might save your afternoon.
Frequently asked questions
Where is SmartArt in Word?
On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click SmartArt.
Which SmartArt layout is best for a flowchart?
Any layout in the Process category. Microsoft's example uses Picture Accent Process, which also holds pictures.
How do I add another box to a SmartArt flowchart?
Select the nearest box, then on the SmartArt Design tab click the arrow next to Add Shape and choose Add Shape After or Before.
Can I change the colours of my flowchart?
Yes. Use Change Colors on the SmartArt Design tab, or right-click a box and choose Format Shape.
Can SmartArt do yes and no branches?
Process layouts show steps in sequence, so complex branching is easier with separate shapes, lines and text boxes.
