How to Circle Something in Excel (2 Suitable Ways)

In this tutorial, we will explain how to circle something in Excel using 2 different methods. We’ll use the following data set containing Name, Age, and Country to demonstrate our methods.

Method 1 – Using the Shapes Command to Circle Anything in Excel

In this method, we will insert shapes from the Insert Shapes command.

Steps:

To enter an Oval shape:

Go to the Insert tab.
Select Shapes >> Basic Shapes >> Oval.

A tiny black cross appears.

Place it where you want the shape to begin, then drag the pointer to create the shape.

This action inserts the oval, but the fill and line colors are both blue, so we can’t see the cell details behind it.

Right-click on the shapes and select Format Shape from the context menu.

On the right side of the screen, the Format Shape menu appears.

Under the Fill option, choose 100% transparency (the fill color of the shape will be removed).
Click Line, and select the line’s color as red and width 1.5 pt.

The text in cell C7 is circled, and the shape is transparent with a red outline.

If you require more of the same shape, simply copy it.

Select the shape >> Right-click on it >> Select Copy.

Paste the shape in your desired location. Here we have placed it in cell C10.

Method 2 – Circling a Cell Using VBA Code

We will insert shapes using VBA code in this technique.

Steps:

Select the cell where the circle will be placed,
To launch the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, press Alt + F11.

To open a module, select Insert >> Module.

Enter the following VBA code into the Module window that opens:

Sub CircleSomething()
    Dim Crng As Range
    Dim ARng As Range
    Set ARng = Application.Selection
    For Each Crng In ARng.Areas
        With Crng
            h = Crng.Height * 0.15
            w = Crng.Width * 0.15
            Application.ActiveSheet.Ovals.Add Top:=.Top - h, Left:=.Left - w, _
            Height:=.Height + 2.5 * h, Width:=.Width + 2.5 * w
            With Application.ActiveSheet.Ovals(ActiveSheet.Ovals.Count)
                .Interior.ColorIndex = xlNone
                .ShapeRange.Line.Weight = 1.25
            End With
        End With
    Next
    ARng.Select
End Sub