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Excel - Display "Approved" in a Cell Using a Textbox - Episode 992

700 views · Published 14 April 2009 · 3:46 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: MrExcel.com · 2009 · Education

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Microsoft Excel Tutorial - Display "Approved" in a Cell Using a Textbox.

Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast! In this video, we're going to continue our discussion on text boxes in Excel. In our previous video, we talked about using custom number formats to add words next to text without changing the underlying formulas. However, some viewers, like my former co-worker Don, found this method a bit difficult to use. So, in this video, we'll explore another method of adding words next to text using text boxes.

Don wanted to add the word "approved" next to certain text without changing the formulas. So, we'll start by increasing the height of the cells and then inserting a text box from the Insert tab. You may notice that the text box is available in two places - the Shapes menu and the huge screaming icon. Don't worry, both of these options work the same way. If you can't find the text box in the huge screaming icon, you can always use the one in the Shapes menu.

Once we have the text box inserted, we can format it to our liking. We'll remove the line around the text box, align the text to the top, and make the font smaller. Now, we can resize the text box and the word "approved" will appear next to the text. We can even copy and paste the text box to add the word to other cells. However, the real test is whether these text boxes will sort with the data. And the good news is, they do! The default behavior for most objects in Excel is to move and size with cells, so the text boxes will sort along with the data.

Personally, I find this method a bit more tedious compared to using custom number formats. But, as always, use whichever method works best for you. I hope this video was helpful in showing you how to use text boxes to add words next to text in Excel. Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more Excel tips and tricks. See you in the next video!

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Table of Contents
(00:00) Display text next to a number
(00:24) Yesterday's episode: Custom Number Format
(00:47) Make row taller and add a text box
(01:36) Type Approved in the text box
(01:49) Format away the border of the textbox & center
(02:33) Copy Approved using Ctrl+Drag
(03:01) Clicking Like really helps the algorithm


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A second solution to Don's problem from podcast 991: add a textbox inside the cell. With a bit of formatting, the words inside the textbox will appear to float next to the number, but will not cause any subsequent formulas to incorporate the text. Episode 992 shows you how.

This video is the podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel 97-2007 from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 377 tips from the book!

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