Use object styles

A quick way to change how an object looks is to apply an object style to it. Every template includes object styles—sets of attributes like colors, borders, and shadows—that are designed to look good with the template.

You can create your own object style by customizing the look of an object—applying your own color, border, fill, and so on—then saving the look as a new style that you can apply to other objects.

To use object styles with tables, see Use table styles. To use object styles with charts, see Use chart styles.

Apply a style to an object

  1. Click to select an image, shape, text box, line, arrow, or video.

    Tip: To save time, you can select multiple objects and apply the same style to them all at once.

  2. In the Format  sidebar, click the Style tab at the top of the sidebar.

  3. Select a style at the top of the sidebar (click the left or right arrow to see more styles).

    If the selected object is a shape that includes text, but you want to apply just the shape style to it (the color and border, for example), Control-click the style thumbnail, then choose Apply Shape Style Only.

If you want to save your changes as a new object style, follow the steps in the next task, “Create a new object style.”

Create a new object style

  1. Click to select the image, shape, text box, line, arrow, or video with the changes you want to save as a new style.

  2. In the Format  sidebar, click the Style tab at the top of the sidebar.

  3. Click the arrow to the right of the style thumbnails to go to the last group of styles.

  4. Click the New Style Preset button to add your style.

    The Style pane of the Format sidebar with four image styles, a Create Style button, and an empty style placeholder.

The style appears as the last thumbnail, but you can drag it to another location.

Note: You can’t create an object style in a spreadsheet shared with others.

Organize or delete object styles

You can reorganize the object styles at the top of the sidebar and delete any you don’t want.

Note: You can’t move or delete an object style in a spreadsheet shared with others.

Redefine object styles

You can quickly change the look of all objects that have the same style applied.

  1. Click to select one of the objects whose style you want to modify, then make your changes.

    To redefine object styles for tables, see Use table styles. To redefine object styles for charts, see Use chart styles.

  2. Select the object you just modified (if it’s no longer selected), then in the Format  sidebar, click the Style tab at the top of the sidebar.

  3. Control-click the style you want to redefine, then choose Redefine Style from Selection.

  4. Choose an option, then click OK.

See alsoAdd a border to an object or sheetFill shapes and text boxes with color or an imageAdd a reflection or shadow