Org Chart Studio Team · December 23, 2025
How to Create an Org Chart in Word
You have a meeting tomorrow. You need an org chart. You have Word open.
This is fine. SmartArt has been building org charts in Word since 2007. It works. But here's what nobody tells you: Microsoft hasn't meaningfully improved it since then. The same limitations that frustrated people during the Obama administration will frustrate you today.
For small teams, it's genuinely fine. For anything over 20 people, you'll spend more time fighting the tool than building the chart.
This guide covers how to build org charts for Word the right way, the shortcuts that make it less painful, and when to stop fighting and use something else.
How to create an org chart in Word with SmartArt
The actual steps are simple. The frustration comes later.
Open Word. Go to Insert → SmartArt (or press Alt, N, M). Click Hierarchy on the left, choose Organization Chart, click OK. You now have a starter chart.
Two ways to add content:
The Text Pane method: Click the small arrow on the left edge of the SmartArt to open the Text Pane. Type here like an outline. Each bullet becomes a box. This is faster for building the full structure.
Direct editing: Click any box and type. Good for tweaking, but slower for building from scratch.
To add people, click an existing box, then go to SmartArt Tools → Design → Add Shape:
- Add Shape Below creates a direct report
- Add Shape After adds a peer at the same level
- Add Shape Above creates a new boss (demotes everyone below)
- Add Assistant adds the distinctive assistant position
To restructure, use Promote and Demote in the same ribbon, or use Tab (demote) and Shift+Tab (promote) in the Text Pane.
Delete a box by clicking its border and pressing Delete.
Keyboard shortcuts that save time
The Text Pane is where Word org charts become tolerable. Most people click individual boxes like they're playing whack-a-mole. Don't do that. Build your whole structure in the Text Pane first:
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Demote (move down a level) | Tab |
| Promote (move up a level) | Shift+Tab |
| Add box at same level | Enter |
| Open SmartArt dialog | Alt, N, M |
Type a name, Enter, type the next name. Tab to make someone a subordinate. Shift+Tab to promote them back. Build the entire tree this way, then switch to direct editing for formatting.
It's still manual. But it's tolerable manual.
SmartArt hierarchy layouts in Word
Word offers 15 hierarchy templates. Only 5 actually work for org charts. The rest are for generic diagrams and will make your life harder.
The ones you want:
- Organization Chart: The standard. Use this unless you have a reason not to.
- Name and Title Organization Chart: Adds a smaller box for job titles. Useful, but takes more vertical space.
- Picture Organization Chart: Photo placeholders. Nice idea, tedious in practice.
- Half Circle Organization Chart: Curved arrangement. Looks different, same limitations.
- Horizontal Organization Chart: Flows left-to-right. Good for wide monitors, bad for printing.
The other 10 (Hierarchy, Hierarchy List, Labeled Hierarchy, etc.) don't support the "Add Assistant" feature or hanging layouts. Skip them.
Hanging layouts matter. When someone has 8 direct reports, SmartArt spreads them horizontally until the text becomes microscopic. Go to SmartArt Tools → Design → Layout and choose Left Hanging or Right Hanging. This stacks subordinates vertically. It's the difference between readable and unusable.
Tips for better Word org charts
Some hard-won lessons:
Switch to landscape immediately. Layout → Orientation → Landscape. Org charts grow horizontally. Portrait mode is why your text keeps shrinking. This single change fixes half the complaints people have about Word org charts.
Live in the Text Pane. Clicking individual boxes is slow. The Text Pane lets you edit the whole structure like an outline. Much faster.
Build departments separately. If you're charting multiple departments, build each subtree on its own, then connect them. Trying to build a 50-person chart top-down is how people end up rage-quitting and switching to shapes.
Copy the whole SmartArt object. Built a good chart? Copy it to other documents. Don't rebuild from scratch.
Save a template. File → Save As → Word Template (.dotx). Future you will thank present you.
Where Word org charts work well
We've been hard on SmartArt. To be fair, it's genuinely fine for:
- Teams under 15-20 people
- 2-3 levels of hierarchy
- Organizations that don't reorganize constantly
- Charts embedded in Word documents (proposals, job descriptions, onboarding packets)
- Quick drafts for internal planning
If your chart fits on one page and you're not updating it monthly, Word works. If you're embedding the chart in a Word doc anyway, SmartArt keeps everything in one file. That's not nothing.
For other platforms, we've covered PowerPoint org charts, Google Sheets, and Keynote. Same general tradeoffs.
Word org chart templates
If you're searching for an org chart template for Word, you're hoping to skip the setup. Fair.
Microsoft's built-in templates: File → New, search "org chart." A few basic options with placeholder text. Replace names, adjust structure, done. They're fine.
Third-party templates: Smartsheet, Template.net, and others offer free Word org chart templates. Different styles: corporate, creative, photo-enabled. Same underlying SmartArt system.
Here's the thing about templates: they save you maybe 5 minutes of initial setup. The template still uses SmartArt. It still can't import from a spreadsheet. It still breaks past 20 people. It still requires manual updates.
An org chart template for Word is a head start, not a solution. If your team is small and you need occasional org charts for Word documents, templates work great. If you're building charts regularly, the template isn't your problem. The tool is.
Where Word gets difficult
You've probably already hit some of these:
The incredible shrinking text. Add a few more people and watch your names become illegible. Word can't format lower levels in columns, so everything spreads horizontally until the text shrinks to compensate. A 50-person chart becomes a wall of 6-point type.
No data import. You have a spreadsheet with everyone's name, title, and manager. You want to turn it into a chart. SmartArt's answer: type it all again, manually, one box at a time. Every. Single. Name.
No dotted lines. Matrix structures? Dual reporting? Cross-functional relationships? SmartArt doesn't understand them. You can draw manual lines, but they break when you move boxes.
Collaboration is a mess. Multiple people editing the same Word doc leads to version conflicts. SmartArt also displays inconsistently in Word Online, so what you see isn't always what your colleague sees.
It's fundamentally static. No drill-down. No interactivity. No intelligent layout. It's a picture that happens to be editable.
If you're updating monthly, if you have more than 20-30 people, if you need matrix reporting: you'll spend more time fighting Word than building charts. Microsoft knows this. Their own recommendation for complex org charts is Visio.
A faster way to build org charts
If you've hit the limits above, a dedicated tool makes sense.
We built Org Chart Studio specifically for this:
- CSV import: Upload your spreadsheet. Map the columns. The chart builds itself. No typing names one by one.
- Drag-and-drop reparenting: Someone changed managers? Drag their card to the new spot. Done.
- No signup wall: Start building in your browser immediately. Export passes when you need them.
What we don't do: HRIS sync, real-time collaboration, PDF export, custom brand colors. If you need those, Lucidchart or ChartHop are better fits.
For teams that just need to visualize their structure without fighting SmartArt, we built this for you.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find a Word org chart template?
File → New, search "org chart." Microsoft has a few built-in. For more variety, search "org chart template Word" online: Smartsheet and Template.net have free downloads. Remember: templates use the same SmartArt system, so same limitations apply.
Can I make an org chart from Excel data in Word?
Not directly. SmartArt doesn't connect to spreadsheets. You'd type each name manually, or use a tool that supports CSV import. This is SmartArt's most frustrating limitation for anyone with more than a dozen people.
How many people can Word org charts handle?
Realistically? 15-20 across 2-3 levels. You can add more, but the text shrinks until you're squinting. At 50 people, you'll need a magnifying glass or a different tool.
Can I add photos to Word org charts?
Yes. Use the "Picture Organization Chart" layout. Each position gets a photo placeholder. Click to insert. It works, but formatting 30 photos is tedious. Consider whether you actually need them.
How do I update an org chart in Word when someone changes roles?
Click the box, edit the text, drag to new position if they changed managers. It's manual every time. If you're reorganizing quarterly, this gets old fast.
Need an org chart now? Try Org Chart Studio free. No account required to start.