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How to recover text box?

Anonymous
2012-10-15T19:04:13+00:00

I was following instructions on this site for inserting a text box into an Excel chart.  I had created a new toolbar, and dragged the "text box" icon from the small insert menu over to the new toolbar.  Unfortunately I then accidentally deleted the new toolbar, and now I can't get the "text box" to appear under the insert menu no matter what mode I'm in.

I fear I've lost the ability to ever add a text box.  Is there any way to get the text box item back??

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-10-15T19:50:10+00:00

    Interestingly, I also just looked through the 2nd method you listed.  Even though the "text box" icon is back in my main Insert toolbar, when I go to that Commands page of the Customize... dialogue, then look for "text box" in the commands list (after selecting Insert from Categories), the text box icon still doesn't show up there.  But at least I've got it back in the main insert drop-down...

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  1. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 434.8K Reputation points
    2012-10-16T12:43:33+00:00

    My Bad! I was going from memory but had forgotten that the Text Box tool had been omitted from the list of commands [where it had been available since it was first introduced].

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  2. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 434.8K Reputation points
    2012-10-16T12:39:00+00:00

    Correct, you originally missed that one key step :-)

    " - Holding the Option key down, drag the Text Box icon to the new toolbar. Click OK to exit the dialog."

    As you've surmised, by holding the Option key you copy the item to the new location. By not using Option the item is moved to the new location.

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-10-15T19:44:39+00:00

    Thanks!  I used your first method, and it worked (although in step 2, it was the "Worksheet Menu Bar" listing that I selected...)

    The post I was following was:

    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011-macexcel/how-do-i-insert-a-text-box-in-a-chart-excel-2011/8ed9e22f-d41e-4ad2-a9fa-3748deecce0f

    The method is shown in the first answer, labeled "one way, a bit slow but it works".  I think the problem is in the 4th step, where you hold the "option" key down while dragging the text box icon to the new toolbar.  This apparently removed it completely from the insert menu, instead of just dragging a copy of it.  Then when I couldn't find it in the custom toolbar I'd just created, I thought I'd just delete that customer toolbar and start over.  It was at that point that I realized the text box icon was gone completely...

    Thanks again for the help.  I was already contemplating life without text boxes ever again...

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  4. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 434.8K Reputation points
    2012-10-15T19:28:43+00:00

    If you have no other Menu customizations you wish to preserve;

    1. Go back into the Customize Toolbars & Menus dialog
    2. On the Toolbars page click the Menu Bar listing to select it
    3. Click the Reset button

    Otherwise;

    1. In the Customize... dialog go to the Commands page
    2. Select Insert from the Categories list
    3. Locate Text Box in the Commands list
    4. As one continuous dragging operation, drag the Text Box command to the Insert menu on the Menu Toolbar & down to the location you want it restored to

    Also, please post a link to the instructions you followed... If they are as you related them here, that posting needs to be removed.

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