Create Text box in LibreOffice

Creating a text box in Writer allows the user to move text anywhere in their document. It can be used for things like creating a dropcap, when the dropcap feature does not meet your needs and for pull quotes.

  1. Click the Insert menu
  2. Click the Text box
  3. Move your cursor to the desired location in the document.
  4. Hold down the left-button on the mouse
  5. With the left-button on the mouse (or track pad) held down, drag the mouse to create the text box. The cursor will be flashing inside the text box.
  6. Type the desired text.

The text in the box might not be the desired font, font size, or have the desired style. The text box itself may not be in the right position or be properly integrated with the text around it.

Adjusting the text

Double click on the text in the box to select it. Then use the settings in the menus and toolbars to make adjustments to the text.

If you want to simply change the Font, Font size, and some basic styles, the Standard toolbar has items that can be accessed quickly.

  • Font Name
  • Font Size
  • Bold, Italics, Underline
  • Font Color

More advanced editing features can be found in the Character and Paragraph dialogs, that can be accessed through the Insert menu, sidebar, or right-click menu.

Integrating text box with surrounding text

Many times the text box is not set the way you want it. It is treated like other objects in Writer, such as images and shapes. The Anchor, Wrap, and Arrangement can be set. There also are more advanced settings.

Anchor

This sets how the text box is integrated with the characters that surround it, the paragraph it is in, and the page it is on.

  1. Click on the border of the of the text box. Dots will appear around it.
  2. Click the right mouse button.
  3. In the menu that appears, drag the cursor and highlight the Anchor sub-menu.
  4. Click on the desired choice in the sub-menu.

Here are the choices. In addition to the right-click menu, the settings also can be found in the Drawing Object Properties dialog, that appears when the border of the text box is chosen.

  • To page: With this setting, the text box does not move as you add or delete text to the page. It is the best option if the box does not need to be associated with a particular paragraph, just the page. A pull quote that is centered on the page is a good example.
  • To paragraph: This ties the text box to a paragraph. When text is added before the paragraph, moving the text down the page, the text box moves with it. The text box will stay with the paragraph if it is moved to the next page.
  • To character: This is similar to anchor To paragraph. There is not much difference between it and the To paragraph setting.
  • As character: This treats the text box like a character, so the height of a line is affected. The box will move with the paragraph. This setting is good for adding smaller drop caps that you want more control over than what the drop-cap settings give you.

Wrap

The choices in this sub-menu set how the text in a paragraph will surround the text box. The choices are as follows:

  • Wrap Off: This sets the text box so white space is on the left and right of it. The paragraphs are above and below it.
  • Page Wrap: This sets the text box so it can be put inside a paragraph so text will surround it.
  • Optimal Page Wrap: This is like Page Wrap, but it sets the text box so text will not be on the left or right side of it, depending on where the box is positioned in the paragraph or page.
  • Wrap Through: This sets the text so it overlays on the text. 
  • In Background: This is the same thing as Wrap through, but the text in the box will be behind the text in the paragraph.
  • Contour: This feature is listed, but it does not apply  to text boxes. It wraps the text around a custom contour rather than around the edge of the picture. 
  • First Paragraph: This starts a new paragraph after the image.
  • Edit: This launches a Wrap dialog. They are covered here.