How to make a flowchart in Word

Shapes in Word sit on a text page. When the paragraph above them grows, the chart moves. Connectors that looked attached often point at empty space after a small edit. People then spend the review nudging boxes instead of reading the process.

A document is still the right place for the policy that surrounds the chart. Keep the procedure in Word. Keep the diagram where moving a box does not reflow the page.

Export PNG from the toolbar. In Word, choose Insert, Pictures, and select the file. Give the picture a caption that matches the chart title, such as Refund request. When the process changes, export again and replace the picture.

FlowSimp is completely free to use — no sign-up required. You do not need a Word add-in. The picture is an ordinary image.

Name the trigger, not the department. Refund request is a caption. Operations overview is not. A reader who lands in the middle of the document should know whether the picture is the process they are in.

If the chart has a decision, the caption does not need to repeat the question. The diamond does that. The caption only has to identify the chart.

1. Insert a shape. On the Insert tab, open Shapes. Choose a rectangle for a step and a diamond for a decision.
2. Add the words. Click the shape and type a short verb phrase. A diamond should be a question.
3. Draw the arrows. Use an arrow shape or a connector. Label both answers that leave a diamond.
4. Paste a maintained chart. If the process will change, export a PNG from FlowSimp and insert that picture. Replace the picture when the board changes.

• Flowchart symbols
• Checkout flowchart template
• Open the editor
• All guides
• Flowchart templates