Want to rotate letters in text box but "Format Shape" grayed out (Word for Mac)

Question

I have an Avery CD/DVD label template for Word. I'm running Word 365 on Mac. There are vertical text boxes on the left side of the page that are designed for labels for jewel case spines. Here is what it looks like right now:

I essentially want each letter of the vertically-written word "Title" to be rotated 90 degrees such that the text runs properly once the labels are printed and applied to the jewel case spine. It's my understanding that to do this, I right-click the edge of the text box and select Format Shape. However, this option is grayed out. Why would this be, and how can I either remedy this or accomplish what I want to do without it? I don't want to make new boxes because that will disrupt the layout.

It does bear mentioning that the label template is a Word 97-2003 document, but I doubt that's causing the needed option to be grayed out.

Thanks.

Answer 1

The problem is that it is a "template" you located on the Avery site. They don't actually download templates. They generate Word documents in the deprecated .doc file format & include shapes created by the abandoned graphics generator which aren't compatible with the current software.

Go to File> Convert Document in the main menu. You then should be able to access the Shape formatting features but you still may not be able to do as you wish in many respects. Apparently the documents generated by these so-called templates are intended to used as is. They can be a real rats nest to modify.

Answer 2

Dear Nick,

Welcome to the forum here.

Regarding " I right-click the edge of the text box and select Format Shape. However, this option is grayed out. ", could you upload some related screenshots for our confirmation? 

Note: Remove any private information before uploading the screenshots.

I'd like to confirm whether you are using the latest version of the Word for Mac application. If no, I suggest you update the version, restart the Mac and do a test to see the result. Meanwhile, I'd like you to provide the version number of the Word for Mac application you are using for our reference.

Moreover, could you provide the template file for us to do a test in our environment? If the file and the file link can be shared publicly, please add your confirmation and provide the file link here directly.

If no, you can add the template file in the private message.

Best Regards,

Cliff

Answer 3

Sure, here is a screenshot that shows my right-click options.

I am using version 16.41.

Answer 4

Thanks a lot! Converting the document allowed me to do what I wanted to do with the spine labels. With a little resizing and repositioning of the text boxes (trial and error), I got everything to print in the proper positions.